GM dealers have ordered 30k Colorado and Canyon pickups, 3rd shift added

Wed, 17 Sep 2014

General Motors has an early success on its hands in the form of the initial rollout of the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon midsize pickup trucks. According to the automaker, dealers have ordered nearly 30,000 of the trucks thus far, a number that far exceeded GM's early expectations.

This high demand for the Colorado and Canyon twins has prompted GM to add a third shift to its Wentzville Assembly plant where the trucks are built, starting early next year. An extra shift will add an additional 750 jobs at the location to the 1,315 that were already employed there, according to the press release that you're welcome to read down below.

Such positive sales projections for the Canyon and Colorado may portend good things for the midsize pickup segment, which was once hugely popular but has more recently contracted, with the Nissan Frontier and Toyota Tacoma standing firm as the market leaders. Now that GM's entries are the most up-to-date, and with the segment's first diesel engine on the way, it will be interesting to see how the trucks continue to sell and if their hopeful success leads more automakers back onto the playing field.

GM to Add Third Shift, 750 Jobs at Wentzville Assembly
Operations expanded to meet market demand for all-new midsize pickups

2014-09-16 – WENTZVILLE, Mo. – General Motors will add a third shift at its Wentzville Assembly plant, creating an estimated 750 new jobs, to build the all-new Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon midsize pickups and Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana full-size vans.

Dealers have ordered nearly 30,000 Colorados, which is very high for early orders. With the midsize trucks, Chevrolet and GMC offer the broadest truck portfolio in the business. No other manufacturer is positioned to offer all truck customers the right truck to meet their varied needs.

To provide Colorado and Canyon customers with an even greater level of choices, Chevrolet and GMC have launched "build-your-own" sites within www.chevrolet.com and www.gmc.com. Both midsize models go on sale this fall.

Among the new trucks' segment-leading features:

Available forward collision alert and lane departure warning
Class-leading payload capacity and trailering capacity of 7,000 pounds (3182 kg) when equipped with the max towing package
Configurations including an extended cab model with a 6-foot bed, a crew cab with a 5-foot bed and a crew cab with a 6-foot bed
Standard CornerStep rear bumper and easy lift and lower tailgate pioneered on the 2014 Silverado
Built-in OnStar 4GLTE connectivity that makes the truck a Wi-Fi hotspot capable of supporting up to seven devices.
The 750 third shift positions are in addition to the 1,315 new jobs at Wentzville that GM committed to with the launch of the new pickups and the addition of a third stamping press – two major investments totaling $513 million.

Wentzville Assembly currently employs approximately 2,600 hourly and salaried workers and operates two production shifts. The third shift is expected to begin in early 2015.

Wentzville's third shift is the latest job-creating action by GM. Since June 2009, GM has announced U.S. facility investments of more than $11.2 billion and either protected or added approximately 27,000 jobs.

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, its subsidiaries and joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Cadillac, Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling brands. 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

By Jeremy Korzeniewski