GM investing $4.2B at assembly plants, including Arlington, for nex-gen pickups, SUVs

General Motors employees work on the assembly line at the GM Arlington Assembly Plant in Arlington, Texas, in this 2019 photo. (Photo by Mike Stone for General Motors)

General Motors Co. has announced it is investing more than $4.2 billion in assembly plants in Indiana, Michigan and Arlington to prepare for the launch of its next generation of pickups and SUVs.

The company said Tuesday that it’s increasing capacity, improving operating efficiencies and making other upgrades at plants in Fort Wayne, Indiana; Flint, Michigan; and Arlington.

GM says new investments also are occurring at plants in Ohio ahead of the release of 2021 models of pickups and SUVs.

The Texas site manufactures popular SUV brands, including the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon. GM is investing an additional $20 million at Arlington Assembly to upgrade plant conveyors in preparation for the launch of GM’s all-new full-size SUVs. GM has invested more than $1.4 billion in Arlington Assembly since 2015 to build a new paint shop and for body shop and general assembly area upgrades.

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The new upgrades at Arlington are scheduled to be completed next year.

“We’ve been building trucks in Texas for more than 20 years, and our additional investment in Arlington Assembly is proof of our commitment and confidence in our Arlington team,” said Gerald Johnson, GM executive vice president of Global Manufacturing. “We are counting on the Arlington team to continue focusing on building the highest quality products possible for our customers while preparations continue for the launch of the next generation of our full-size SUVs.”

Arlington Assembly is the sole producer of the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, GMC Yukon and Yukon XL and the Cadillac Escalade.

GM says it has invested more than $23 billion in its U.S. manufacturing base since 2009.

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GM has invested more than $4.2 billion in three U.S. assembly plants – Arlington, Flint, Michigan and Fort Wayne, Indiana – to prepare for the launches of its next generation pickups and SUVs and to increase capacity, further improve build quality and drive operating efficiencies.

GM’s new trucks and SUVs are also driving new investments at plants in Moraine, Ohio to expand diesel engine production, Toledo, Ohio to expand 10-speed transmission production and more.

Opened in 1954, Arlington employs 4,500. The plant converted from car to truck production in 1997. Arlington Assembly operates on three shifts of production.

Through a series of purchase agreements for wind power, Arlington Assembly runs entirely on wind energy, earning the plant a spot on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Top 100 List of the largest green power users.