General
Motors today announced plans to build the new Chevrolet Super Sport Roadster (SSR)
at the Lansing Craft Centre in Lansing Township, Michigan.
Production is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2002, pending the
successful completion of economic and regulatory negotiations.
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Gary Cowger, GM group vice president of manufacturing and labour relations,
made the announcement during a speech to the 2001 Automotive News World Congress
in Detroit.
"The Chevy SSR is a retro-style roadster with incredible performance,"
said Cowger. "We’re making it happen. We took on the challenge to build
a product that’s true to the concept."
The SSR, which is based on a new mid-sized truck architecture, is claimed to
provide an unrivalled blend of performance, features and utility in a vehicle.
GM says the design “draws upon the styling of Chevy’s rich heritage to
create a one-of-a-kind, open-air driving experience designed to carve its own
unique place in the automotive market”.
GM will invest approximately $US70 million into the facility to accommodate
SSR production and is working with Lansing Township officials on financial incentive
opportunities to offset part of the initial investment.
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By GlobalDataThe SSR was first introduced as a concept vehicle at the 2000 North American
International Auto Show in Detroit. Using computerised modelling and competitive
low-volume manufacturing processes, the SSR will move from design sketch to
showroom floor in just over three years.
The Craft Centre, which presently has 320 hourly employees, was chosen to produce
the SSR due to its proven history of producing high-quality, low-volume niche
vehicles such as the Buick Reatta, EV1 and Cadillac Eldorado.
Production of the Eldorado will continue until the second quarter 2002 when
the plant will temporarily suspend production in preparation for SSR production
which is targeted to begin in the fourth quarter of 2002.
