GM TO BUILD NEXT IMPALA IN MICHIGAN, ADDS 2,500 JOBS

[marwan25]

The next Impala, which will begin production in late 2013, is expected to be more consumer market-competitive than the current Impala. Primarily sold to government and rental fleets, the current Impala will receive a new V6 engine for 2012.

GM says that it will add two shifts totaling an additional 2,500 workers to the plant – a big increase over the current 1,121 hourly and salaried workers. GM will initially offer the positions to its 1,350 laid-off UAW workers before opening up the positions to the buying public.

“Filling this plant with new work is very satisfying because GM is dedicated to helping rebuild this city,” GM North America President Mark Reuss said at the plant today. “We are confident in the flexibility of the plant, the excellence of our workers and the great cars assembled here.”

The move further secures the future for GM’s only vehicle assembly plant located within the city limits of Detroit. Straddling the border between Hamtramck, a town entirely surrounded by Detroit, and Detroit itself, the plant has been operational since 1986. It currently builds the Volt, the Cadillac DTS and the Buick Lucerne, although the two latter models will be discontinued later this month.

GM says it also intends to continue building the Impala at its busy Oshawa, Ontario, plant. However, the Oshawa facility is working at full force to build popular GM products like the Chevrolet Equinox and Chevrolet Camaro. The decision to build the Impala in Michigan will help relieve the Canadian plant.