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GM building next generation Silverado, Sierra in the USA

General Motors has just announced their newest investment – this time involving the Flint Assembly Plant in Michigan – with the company spending $328 million to support production of the next generation Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra light duty pickups.

The popularity of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra have helped General Motors to increase their share of the truck segment so it makes good sense that the company would look to build their most popular models in the USA. The Flint Assembly Plant currently builds the heavy duty versions of the Silverado and Sierra but the light duty models of the two full sized GM pickups are built in Silao, Mexico right now. GM has made this $328 million investment in the Flint plant to allow for the production of the Silverado and Sierra, helping to add or preserve 150 jobs, but GM hasn’t stated whether production of these trucks will continue at their plant in Mexico.

Building the next generation Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra in Michigan rather than Mexico provides a variety of up-sides, as they avoid the stigma of not being made in the USA, along with making the Union Auto Workers (UAW) happy as the company is moving more production from non-union, foreign plants to American plants filled with American workers. It should be pointed out that GM made this decision at a point where they are amidst contract talks with the UAW…so this could be something that GM uses are a bargaining chip in their talks with Bob King. Also, Foreign automakers like Volkswagen and Toyota have wisely moved production of their most popular models to US soil so it is a great public relations move show that they support the American worker by moving production to Flint.

GM pledged earlier this year to invest $2 billion in 17 plants around the country and Michigan has been a major benefactor of those investments. This latest announcement will help American auto workers preserve their jobs while offering new positions for those who have been previously laid off. GM has also announced in the past few months that they would begin building the Chevy Impala in Michigan – a car that has spent quite some time being built in Canada.

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