Fort Wayne Celebrates Launch of Full-Size Pickups

Fort Wayne November 15, 2006; Employees at the GM assembly plant here celebrated today's launch of re-designed full-size Chevrolet and GMC pickups that are critical to efforts to turn around GM's North American operations.

Retail production of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra began this week at the plant.

"For 20 years, Fort Wayne Assembly has played a critical role by making the best pickup trucks in the market," said Joe Spielman, vice president of GM North America Assembly and Stamping Operations. "Now, the plant has the challenge to pull off an ambitious launch, nearly three months ahead of schedule, and, I am proud to say, they are on the road to success."

GM Impact on Fort Wayne and Indiana

Since January 2005, GM has invested approximately $210 million in Fort Wayne Assembly to prepare the plant to assemble GM's re-designed full-size pickups. When combined with the plant's annual payroll of $229 million for 2,900 employees and $600,000 in annual contributions, the facility and employees have had a significant economic impact on the Fort Wayne area.

"GM has made a significant commitment to the people of Fort Wayne Assembly," said Cathy Clegg, Fort Wayne plant manager. "At the same time, our employees have made a commitment to the many surrounding communities they call home."

That impact on Fort Wayne and the rest of Indiana stretches beyond just the assembly plant and its employees.

In a geographic area covering approximately 10 counties around Fort Wayne, GM has 20,323 retirees, 4,687 employees, 163 suppliers and 44 GM dealerships. For the whole state of Indiana, the numbers are even more impressive with 42,054 retirees, 10,587 employees, 855 suppliers and 241 dealerships.

"As you can see, the ripple effect of GM jobs and investment is considerable and that is why it has been important for us at Fort Wayne and our other GM operations to work with government officials to make our business successful," Clegg said. "GM's success translates into success for Fort Wayne, Allen County and the rest of Indiana."

Product success

"The successful launch of our new generation of full-size trucks, is the direct result of the dedication, commitment and loyalty of our workforce and customers," said Dave Matthews, chairman of UAW Local 2209. "Fort Wayne Assembly is a true snapshot of "This is Our Country, this is Our Truck."

Matthews referred to the new advertising campaign for the Chevrolet Silverado, which features a new anthem "Our Country" for the brand by Indiana native and singer John Mellencamp.

"Fort Wayne Assembly workers know their trucks, which makes them well suited to launch this new product," said Kim Kosak, general director of advertising and sales promotion for Chevrolet. "Having built the previous two generations of America's best pickup, Fort Wayne employees have seen the pickup evolve from a strictly utilitarian vehicle to something far more stylish and sophisticated, without giving up its rugged dependability."

Since pickup production started in December 1986, Fort Wayne has produced more than 4 million trucks. Annual output now runs about 250,000 units.

"There are a lot of people saying the full-size truck market is not a growth strategy anymore," Kosak said. "However, as we demonstrated with the launch of the full-size utilities earlier this year, the new pickups will attract buyers based on their style, performance, safety, fuel economy and numerous other features."

Fort Wayne will produce a number of pickup variations, including two-wheel and four-wheel-drive; regular and extended cab; and long-box, short-box and short-short-box.

General Motors Corp. , the world's largest automaker, has been the global industry sales leader for 75 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 327,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 33 countries. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.