2017 GMC Sierra Denali 2500HD assembled at General Motors Flint Assembly/UAW Local 598 in Flint, Michigan. (Photo: General Motors)
General Motors truck sales are on fire. For the second time this year, GM is stepping up their full-size truck production capabilities by pumping $150 million into the Flint Truck Assembly Plant in Flint, Michigan. The goal is to increase the production of the all-new Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra heavy-duty pickups.
The new HD trucks start shipping to dealers mid-June, 2019. The expansion of the HD line follows the recently announced expansion of the light-duty production facility in Fort Wayne and is intended to build more crew-cab and diesel trucks to meet consumer demands.
“We have tremendous opportunities to grow our heavy-duty pickup business because we’ve invested in capability, performance, innovation, and capacity,” said Mark Reuss, GM president. “Our all-new Chevrolet and GMC HD pickups are the toughest, strongest, most capable heavy-duty pickups we’ve ever brought to market, and our Flint team is up to the challenge to build world-class quality products to drive the growth.”
The HD truck plant is expected to add approximately 1,000 new jobs and produce an additional 40,000 more trucks annually. The investment will enhance the plant’s conveyors and other tooling to increase production capacity and will be completed in the first half of 2020.
GM trucks are continuing to have strong sales. Earlier this year, GM celebrated the build of the 2 millionth Duramax 6.6-liter V-8 turbo-diesel engine. Crew-cab configurations represent more than 70-percent of the total light and heavy-duty trucks, 10 percent higher than the previous generation trucks.
