As part of the formal launch of its redesigned Colorado and Canyon pickups, General Motors invited Chevrolet and GMC dealers to drive 65 of the newly assembled vehicles off the Wentzville assembly plant's parking lot Wednesday morning.
The midsize pickups were previously made at a plant in Shreveport, La., which closed in 2012. The newly redesigned pickups now are made on the same production line as the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana full-size vans. GM employees were working on the line Wednesday, assembling both vans and pickups.
"It's really a great day here at the plant," Nancy Laubenthal, plant manager in Wentzville, said of the addition of the pickups. "We're very proud Wentzville was selected."
Arvin Jones, GM's North America manufacturing manager, and Cindy Estrada, the United Auto Workers' vice president and GM department director, were both in Wentzville Wednesday for the truck launch.
Jones said demand for the pickups has been strong, which led the automaker to add a third shift in Wentzville that will begin next year. With the third shift, the GM plant's workforce will grow from 2,600 to 3,350.
"The launch has gone extremely well," he said, adding 100,000 people have gone online to outfit a truck to their liking. So far, there have been dealer orders for 28,000 Colorado and Canyon pickups. "We see a lot of upside," Jones said.
Gov. Jay Nixon, who also attended the launch event, said the added production in Wentzville reflects the state's growing automotive sector. The number of jobs in the state's automotive sector is expected to rise to 13,959 by 2015, nearly doubling in three years due to recent investments by GM in Wentzville and Ford in Claycomo, Mo.
"Today is another concrete example with these two pickups that Missouri is leading the way in the rebirth of the automotive industry," Nixon said.
The Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickups had a setback Friday when GM temporarily halted deliveries, which began last month, due to a wiring defect on the pickups' driver side airbag. A software fix implemented over the weekend corrected the problem, GM officials said, and the halt on deliveries was lifted.
Wednesday's launch event did not go entirely as planned, either. After the procession of dozens of new Colorado and Canyon pickups left the plant on the way to the Hollywood Casino for a promotional event, four of the new pickups were involved in an accident on eastbound Interstate 70 on the Blanchette Bridge in St. Charles. One driver was evacuated for treatment for injuries.
Source : http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/auto-dealers-take-possession-of-new-pickups-at-gm-wentzville/article_c4d02f9e-a65e-5338-a334-d9eed775992f.html
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