General Motors said it will spend $483 million to prepare its Spring Hill, Tenn., powertrain complex to build next-generation Ecotec four-cylinder engines there.
"The engines made in Spring Hill will drive the success of GM to meet our customer demands for advanced powertrains that offer high fuel economy without sacrificing performance," GM North America President Mark Reuss said. "This new commitment to the Spring Hill team will help GM almost triple its North American production volume of four-cylinder engines with direct injection by 2012."
The spending includes $23 million that would add 30 hourly jobs to increase production beginning in first-quarter 2011 of the current-generation Ecotec engine used in the Chevrolet Equinox, Buick LaCrosse and GMC Terrain. The bulk of the investment -- $460 million and 453 hourly and salaried jobs -- is planned for the next-generation Ecotec engines, according to GM.
The investment is contingent upon "successful incentive negotiations with local and state officials," the company noted.
With the additional work in Spring Hill, GM has invested $2.9 billion in and created or retained 7,417 jobs at 20 U.S. plants since emerging from bankruptcy in July 2009, according to the automaker. Employees to fill these positions will be recalled from layoff in accordance with the United Auto Workers-GM National Labor agreement.
