SPRING HILL, Tenn. – General Motors will invest $61 million to bring its idled Spring Hill assembly plant back to life as one of the world’s most-flexible manufacturing facilities capable of building any GM car or crossover based on customer demand or manufacturing need.

The investment will create 594 hourly jobs and 91 salaried positions for the flexible operation scheduled to begin with the hot-selling Chevrolet Equinox in the second half of 2012. The additional production will supplement Equinox production in Canada, the main assembly sites of the midsize crossover vehicle and its sibling the GMC Terrain.

The Equinox has been so popular – U.S. sales were up 18 percent in October – that GM has increased production three times since it went into production in 2009.

GM also announced Monday a second investment of $183 million for future midsize vehicles to be built at Spring Hill, located about 40 miles south of Nashville. Timing was not announced, but that investment is expected to create an additional 1,090 hourly and 106 salaried positions.

“Spring Hill has a history as one of GM’s most innovative and flexible plants,” said Cathy Clegg, vice president of GM Labor Relations. “We’re pleased that, working together with the UAW, we were able to build on that history and develop a plan to resume production at Spring Hill.”

The potential for Spring Hill’s future role was discussed as a part of negotiations for a four-year national labor agreement ratified in October.

"Our number one priority in auto negotiations this year was jobs," said UAW President Bob King.  "We asked the company to bring jobs back to America , and that’s what this collective bargaining agreement represents.  Together, we are bringing 1,800 jobs to Tennessee, and a total of 6,400 new GM jobs, which translates to nearly 60,000 good, auto-related jobs in the United States."

Equinox production is only the start for Spring Hill Flex. Operators will be capable of building a variety of products on a range of platforms – covering for plants being retooled for new products and also allowing real-time reaction to sales spikes in a given car or crossover.

Spring Hill powertrain and stamping operations, part of the integrated complex that was the home to the former Saturn brand from 1990 to 2007 and the Chevrolet Traverse large crossover into 2009, are still operating. In fact, GM has invested $515 million in the engine operations in the last 14 months for current and next-generation Ecotec 4-cylinder engine production.

"The re-opening of Spring Hill is a testament to the value of collective bargaining," said UAW Vice President Joe Ashton, who directs the union's General Motors Department. "Collective bargaining works for companies, for workers and for America. Collective bargaining is what brought good jobs to Tennessee.  It is what built our middle class. It is how workers and communities have a voice in corporate decision-making. Bargaining is what gives the working class a seat at the table."

General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world's largest and fastest-growing automotive markets.  GM’s brands include Chevrolet and Cadillac, as well as Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Isuzu, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com.

General Motors is scheduled to make a major announcement concerning opening the now closed Spring Hill manufacturing plant this morning at 10 a.m.

The announcement is expected to be major and will be attended by Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam.

Some 1,700 jobs and two car lines will return to Spring Hill under a proposed agreement between General Motors and United Auto workers, various news sources are reporting today.

Two mid-sized vehicles would be produced at Spring Hill. Production has originally been planned for Mexico.

General Motors closed the Spring Hill plan in 2009 during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression despite huge modernization of the Maury County facility.

Additional need for Ecotec four-cylinder engines used in Chevrolet's fuel-efficient cars and crossovers, including the all-new 2013 Malibu, is driving $65 million in new investment at plants in New York and Tennessee that will create or retain 163 jobs.

"GM is committed to investing in manufacturing and jobs in the U.S.," said Cathy Clegg, vice president Labor Relations. "These investments in powertrain manufacturing technology will help us meet the growing needs of our customers for high quality, fuel efficient vehicles - both today and in the future."

In Spring Hill, Tenn., the engine plant is adding capacity for direct-injection four-cylinder engines to support the acceleration of the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. GM Is investing $32 million that will create or retain 63 positions.

In Tonawanda, N.Y., additional capacity is being added for engines used in the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain crossovers that achieve 32 mpg on the highway and can travel up to 600 miles between fill-ups. GM is investing $33 million that will create or retain 100 jobs.

The next-generation Malibu is scheduled to start production in early 2012. It will be sold in about 100 countries on six continents. Chevrolet will begin sales in the United States with the Eco, the most fuel-efficient Malibu ever. It features GM's 2.4L Ecotec with eAssist technology.  Malibu will debut an all-new 2.5L Ecotec engine next summer. The new Malibu will be assembled at the Fairfax Assembly plant in Kansas City, Kan., and Detroit-Hamtramck plant in the United States, as well as other plants around the world.

"With gas prices becoming increasingly unstable, investment in new powertrains is vital if GM wants to be competitive," said Joe Ashton, UAW vice president-GM Department.  "Our customers want vehicles that get great gas mileage and our members have proven they can build innovative products that exceed our customers' expectations."

The Tonawanda and Spring Hill investments are part of $2 billion in U.S. manufacturing investment GM announced May 10 that will create or retain 4,000 jobs in 17 facilities in eight states. These investments are in addition to $3.4 million GM has invested in U.S. manufacturing facilities since July 2009, adding or retaining more than 9,000 jobs.

Additionally, GM announced Friday the Saginaw Metal Casting Operations will export aluminum castings for the lightweight Ecotec 2.4L engine that is used in fuel-efficient vehicles like the Opel Antara and Chevrolet Captiva in Asia. The Saginaw work will create or retain 53 jobs.

General Motors (NYSE: GM, TSX: GMM), one of the world's largest automakers, traces its roots back to 1908. With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 202,000 people in every major region of the world and does business in more than 120 countries.  GM and its strategic partners produce cars and trucks in 30 countries, and sell and service these vehicles through the following brands: Baojun, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Daewoo, Holden, Isuzu, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall, and Wuling. GM's largest national market is China, followed by the United States, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, and Italy.  GM's OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services.  More information on the new General Motors can be found at www.gm.com.

SOURCE General Motors

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and the Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development Commissioner Karla Davis today announced $8,397,127 to assist General Motors workers affected by layoffs in the automotive industry.