GM to Build New Truck in Wentzville, Add 1,200 Jobs

General Motors North American President Mark Reuss told the media on Tuesday that the company will roll out a new line of mid-sized pickup trucks that will be built in Wentzville and be on the market in 2014.

General Motors plans to roll out a line of completely revamped midsize pickup trucks, with gas mileage and features designed to take sales from Toyota’s market-leading Tacoma. Even better, GM plans to build the trucks at its Wentzville assembly factory, which will add more than 1,200 new jobs to the local market.  That's all according to the The Washington Post, which reported the news Tuesday. The report goes on to say the trucks, due out sometime in 2014, will be slightly larger than a Tacoma with engines and transmissions that get better mileage than GM’s full-size trucks. "We're going to really target different buyers with these two trucks," said GM North American President Mark Reuss, according to The Detroit News. "We'd love to have …

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GM Investment Rating Should Improve, CEO Says

The car company's rating dropped to "junk bond" status in 2005.

Dan Akerson, General Motors CEO, said that he foresees GM's return to an investment-grade rating, FoxBusiness.com reported Wednesday. Akerson said that he hoped to see the company earn an "A" rating, considered medium credit quality, by the middle of the decade. The improved rating would mean lower interest rates for the company. GM dropped to a "junk bond," below investment-grade rating in 2005, years before its bankruptcy in 2009. Bond rating companies such as Standard & Poor's assign the different designations, ranging from "AAA" (high quality) to "CCC" (low quality, or junk bonds), according to Investopedia.com Akerson said that he expected increased sales in 2013, as the company rolls out 13 new or "refreshed" models in the U.S. No …

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Auto Report: GM's Wentzville Expansion a Gamble

Auto news website says General Motors investment in small pickup trucks could be a gamble.

General Motors' recent plant expansion in Wentzville could be a gamble for the auto giant. That's according to The Detroit Bureau, an automtive news website that tracks auto news from around the world. The report, written by Bryan Laviolette, says GM is gambling that sales for smaller pickup trucks will grow, precisely the opposite of Ford’s strategy. From the story: Ford ended production of its small Ranger pickup last year and won’t sell its replacement stateside. Ford has said small pickup trucks have grown so much that there’s little differences between them and their full-size brethren. And those who bought the Ranger as a work vehicle or because it was simply the cheapest new vehicle in the Ford showroom have other options such as …

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What Will GM’s Wentzville-Made Colorado Truck Be Like?

Get to know the latest car that will be created in Wentzville with the recent General Motors’ plant expansion.

Last Monday, posters of GM’s new 2013 Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck were spread around the site of the groundbreaking ceremony of the Wentzville GM plant’s expansion. The $380 million expansion will create over 1600 jobs, out of which 1,260 will be dedicated to the construction of the next-generation Colorado. But what’s that truck like? (Read previous story: GM's Wentzville Expansion to Create Over 1600 Jobs) Born in Thailand The Colorado pickup truck was first released in 2004, replacing the smaller S-10 truck, according to edmunds.com, an online car dealership. The truck was designed in a partnership between GM's North American operations, GM's Brazil operations and Isuzu, a Japanese vehicle-manufacturing company. The new-generation …

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VIDEO: Gov. Nixon Speaks at GM Groundbreaking Ceremony in Wentzville

Check out video and photos of today's groundbreaking ceremony at General Motors' Wentzville manufacturing plant. Stay tuned for more updates.

Gov. Jay Nixon spoke earlier today at the groundbreaking ceremony of General Motor’s Wentzville assembly plant expansion. The 500,000 square-foot addition will house GM’s new production line of a redesigned Colorado pickup truck as well as add a second shift of workers to produce GM’s Chevrolet Express and the GMC Savana vans. Nixon said the expansion will create 1,660 new local manufacturing jobs. “It is absolutely no accident that the rebirth of the American auto-industry is occurring right here,” Nixon said. “For generations, Missouri workers have kept America moving forward, and today Missouri’s autoworkers are once again leading the way for our state, for our country and for the world. This is Missouri’s moment.” (Read previous story…

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First Public Hearing Tonight on GM Expansion

City bonds and tax abatement will help fund the $300 million project.

Wentzville residents have the chance to comment on the proposed expansion of the GM plant at tonight's board of aldermen meeting. The 500,000 sq. ft. expansion will be constructed on the current 434-acre GM property on Highway A. GM hopes to be rolling the new Chevrolet Colorado off its assembly lines by August 2014. Construction of the facility is expected to cost about $79 million, and equipment and installation, $216 million. The expansion is expected to create about 2,000 new jobs for the area. The development plan for the project calls for the city to issue a series of taxable industrial revenue bonds starting in 2012 and continuing through 2016 for a total of $300 million to fund the project. GM will convey title of the property and …

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GM Expansion Construction on Planning and Zoning's Agenda

New structures and roads would help build the planned GM plant addition.

GM Expansion Construction on Planning and Zoning's Agenda

New structures and roads would help build the planned GM plant addition.

A key component of General Motors' plan to build its Chevrolet Colorado assembly line in Wentzville is in the beginning stages of being approved by city officials.  GM's plan add accessory structures, new paved areas and roadways on the southwest corner of its current plant will be reviewed by the Wentzville Planning and Zoning Commission on Thursday. The imrovements, if approved by the commission, will help in GM's future plant expansion, which is slated to be completed in August 2014. If approved, the improvements would go on to the Wentzville Board of Aldermen, which would have to approve the measure as well. Barring any setbacks, construction on the new GM building should begin in June. The plant lost its second shift in 2009, but GM …

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Post-Dispatch Gets Inside Look at Wentzville's GM Plant

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch featured a photo slideshow of the Wentzville General Motors plant on Saturday.

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GM Union Workers to Get Profit-Sharing Checks

Union workers could get profit-sharing checks of up to $7,000.

General Motors' blue-collar workers, including those working at the Wentzville plant, will get profit-sharing checks up to $7,000 in March, according to a USA Today report. GM made largest profit ever in 2011 when it announced Thursday that the company made $7.6 billion, a 62 percent increase from the previous year. Locally, more than 1,700 workers should receive a check, said Robert Wheeler, communications manager for the Wentzville assembly plant.  From USA Today: North America led the way with a $7.2 billion pretax profit. But problems surfaced that could hurt future earnings. GM lost $700 million before taxes in Europe and lost $100 million in South America. GM'S fourth-quarter profit was flat with 2010. GM earned $500 million, or 28 …

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Ray Antonacci

9:18 am on Friday, February 17, 2012

It's nice to hear some good news for the workers in our area. The profit sharing check doesn't compare to the loss of the pension contribution, though.   more ›