GM Invests $131 Million in Bowling Green

GM Invests $131 Million in Bowling Green

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Vet Guru

Original Poster:

2,181 posts

246 months

Wednesday 4th May 2011
quotequote all
Corvette Muscle: GM Invests $131 Million in Bowling Green
About 250 additional jobs in Kentucky to support next-generation Chevrolet sports car
2011-05-04





BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – General Motors said Wednesday it will invest $131 million in the Bowling Green Assembly plant to support production of the next generation Chevrolet Corvette, adding about 250 jobs.

“This is a significant day for anyone who believes that America should build world-class, high-performance products,” said Mark Reuss, GM North America president. "Corvette has no domestic peer for performance and pedigree and stands alongside the world's best supercars with almost 60 years of continuous heritage.

"This investment in Kentucky is among $3.4 billion made in the United States since mid-2009 to keep or create more than 9,000 jobs for American workers," Reuss said.

The announcement came at an event held at the plant with employees and several special guests, including Gov. Steve Beshear. The governor last June signed a bill designating the Corvette as the official state sports car of Kentucky.

“Kentucky has a longstanding, mutually beneficial relationship with GM and this significant investment further demonstrates the strength of our partnership,” Beshear said.

The plant in Bowling Green is scheduled to continue building the current generation Corvette for at least the next two model years, including the 2012 model year that begins this summer. During this period, the investment starts to take effect, preparing the facility for the next-generation Corvette.

Bowling Green is the exclusive manufacturer of all versions of the Chevrolet Corvette –Coupe, Convertible, Grand Sport, Z06, and ZR1. Corvette’s current generation, the sixth in its 58-year history, has seen the car enter the realm of the world’s highest-performing cars.

Nearly 400 production workers, represented by the UAW Local 2164, assemble these vehicles on a one-shift, 10-hour, Monday-Thursday production schedule. The plant employs many specialized operations, including unique hand-crafted techniques. Bowling Green has been home to Corvette production since 1981.

“We need to rebuild the great American middle class. There is no better way to achieve this worthy goal than providing meaningful jobs like the ones being created in Bowling Green,” said UAW Vice President Joe Ashton. “ Our members have earned this investment through their hard work focused on the Corvette customers’ unique desire for high performance, quality, and style.

“I offer my congratulations to a great American Union Workforce, Local 2164, for a job well done.”

The additional jobs will be filled in accordance with the United Auto Workers -GM National Agreement.

Approximately 50,000 tourists visit the Bowling Green plant annually to catch a glimpse of the manufacturing process, some even watching their new cars being completed before taking delivery from the neighboring National Corvette Museum.


mitch_

1,282 posts

230 months

Thursday 5th May 2011
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Now either you get updates for the National Corvette Museum or you sit on the GM Media Homepage 24 hours a day pressing F5 on your keyboard every 5 seconds. That press release only came out a few minutes ago.......

Z06George

2,519 posts

195 months

Thursday 5th May 2011
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I'm not sure if you guys use it but Corvette on Facebook announced it around the time Vette Guru posted so I guess you don't need to sit on the GM site 24/7. Anyway it's great news to hear about smile

Vet Guru

Original Poster:

2,181 posts

246 months

Thursday 5th May 2011
quotequote all
mitch_ said:
Now either you get updates for the National Corvette Museum or you sit on the GM Media Homepage 24 hours a day pressing F5 on your keyboard every 5 seconds. That press release only came out a few minutes ago.......
laugh

vetteheadracer

8,271 posts

259 months

Thursday 5th May 2011
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Rob is mainly geek Mitch so I suspect option B.

Good news though for Bowling Green and Corvette in general smile

anonymous-user

60 months

Sunday 8th May 2011
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So C6 is going to be around 10 years old before it gets replaced. 1997 to 2014 will have been a long run for the same basic platform. Can't imagine they'll get away with just updating it again - needs to be something completely new.

GW65

623 posts

212 months

Monday 9th May 2011
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5 USA said:
So C6 is going to be around 10 years old before it gets replaced. 1997 to 2014 will have been a long run for the same basic platform. Can't imagine they'll get away with just updating it again - needs to be something completely new.
You'd think so...but the rumour-mill reckons the C7 will be a short-lived (maybe only 9 years smile ) stop-gap based on the C6, with the C8 being a more radical update. In other words, just different enough to get the hardcore Vette fans to buy it, and living for around 3 years (which is how long it takes to saturate the hardcore market).