GM Ramps Up Production at Two US Plants

The Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) surely brought a smile of the face of many US automakers, as the scheme boosted sales in most sectors of the auto industry. General Motors is one of the companies that benefitted the most from the government incentives, as the former bankrupt US automaker is now planning to increase production at two domestic plants following growing demand for the models they build.

Reuters wrote today that General Motors has already added Friday shifts at its facilities in Orion Township, Michigan where the company builds the Chevrolet Malibu and Pontiac G6 sedan and at Lordstown, Ohio, responsible for the production of Pontiac G5 and Chevrolet Cobalt compact cars.

These two plans are already working on 10-hour days each week, the source added, but more production changes are expected to be revealed this week.

Separetely, GM earlier this week announced that it will start building li-ion Volt batteries at the Brownstown Township, Mich. plant. The company will invest $43 million in the facility which is going to employ 100 hourly and salaries workers.

“Developing and producing advanced batteries is a key step in GM’s journey to become the leader in electric vehicles,” said Fritz Henderson, GM president and CEO. “This state-of-the-art battery manufacturing site reinforces our commitment to achieve that goal and to deliver clean, fuel-efficient vehicles to our customers.”

“The GM Brownstown Battery Assembly plant will use flexible manufacturing layouts as well as equipment, which will enable the plant to quickly respond to volume or product changes in the market,” said Gary Cowger, GM group vice president, manufacturing and labor relations. “We’ll use a number of tools to ensure quality in every phase of the battery assembly process.”