GM Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra has announced the production of a new SUV in Rüsselsheim by the end of the decade as part of GM’s ongoing commitment to its still loss-making European operations.
The company also said that it will make “considerable investments” in engine and transmission production at its Rüsselsheim, Kaiserslautern and Tychy plants. Further, a third shift will be added at its Eisenach plant next year.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Mary Barra confirmed that a new upscale model will be produced at Opel’s traditional headquarters in Rüsselsheim by the end of the decade. “This SUV will be the second flagship alongside the Insignia,” Barra said.
As announced in March, EUR245m will be invested in Opel’s Rüsselsheim plant to meet future requirements. Furthermore, Barra declared additional investments of more than half a billion euro in the engine and transmission plants in Rüsselsheim, Kaiserslautern and Tychy (Poland).
“Opel/Vauxhall is of high strategic importance for GM. The product offensive with 27 new models and 17 new engines has enjoyed a very successful start. These additional investments will help the brands shine again and further strengthen our position in Europe. They are a clear sign of GM’s commitment to Opel/Vauxhall, to Germany and to Europe,” said Barra.
Opel Group CEO Karl-Thomas Neumann highlighted the support for Opel/Vauxhall from General Motors: “General Motors and Opel/Vauxhall are closer than ever before. Opel/Vauxhall has General Motors’ full support, the additional investments are further proof of the excellent cooperation.”
Both Barra and Neumann pointed out that all necessary decisions were taken after a dialogue with worker representatives.
K-T Neumann also announced that a third shift will be established at the plant in Eisenach as of mid-2015. “This is good news for Eisenach as we are enjoying strong demand for the ADAM and the new Corsa.”
Mary Barra was upbeat on the new Corsa’s market prospects and said that it had 45,000 orders before its official market launch.
