New York: Facing a barrage of attacks from President Donald Trump over plant closures, General Motors announced Friday a USD 1.8 billion investment and the creation of 700 new jobs in the United States.
About USD 300 million will be geared towards production of electric vehicles at the auto giant’s Orion plant in Michigan, creating 400 jobs, the company said in a statement. Those vehicles had been slated for production outside of the United States.
In November last year, GM shuttered five US plants, including auto assembly plants in Michigan and Ohio as part of a 15 per cent cut in its workforce worldwide – cutting around 14,000 employees – which drew Trump’s Twitter wrath.
“We are excited to bring these jobs and this investment to the US,” GM chief Mary Barra said in announcing the plans to employees in Orion.
“This new Chevrolet electric vehicle is another positive step toward our commitment to an all-electric future. GM will continue to invest in our US operations where we see opportunities for growth,” she added.
In addition to the investment, GM said it is in the process of adding 1,000 jobs to its truck assembly plant in Flint, Michigan. And the company said it has 2,700 openings at five sites around the country available to the 2,800 hourly workers impacted by the recent plant closures.
AFP