Automaker General Motors Co. (GM: Quote) said Sunday that it will create thousands of jobs as part of its plan to add another production shift at a complex in Brazil to start production of another small sedan in February.
“The market success of the all-new Chevrolet Onix, launched last year in October, and the start of production of another new small sedan, to be launched in late February, led us to take the decision,” said Jaime Ardila, president GM South America.
The company said it will create at total of 2,630 new jobs at the Gravataí Industrial Complex by adding a third production shift to start production of another new small sedan there.
The Brazil plant that makes Chevrolet Celta and Onix small cars, will create 1,450 new jobs at the assembly plant and another 1,000 at supplier plants located at the facility in the South of Brazil.
The company noted that it will also create another 180 jobs in the new powertrain plant in Joinville.
Detroit, Michigan-based GM had earlier in 2009 announced an investment of $3 billion in Brazil in a bid to develop and launch new Chevrolet products and update and add capacity to its plants.
GM said it invested $1 billion of that to develop the Onix small car and to expand capacity from 230,000 to 380,000 vehicles per year at the Gravataí plant. The company added that another $172 million invested to build a new engine and cylinder heads plant at Joinville, which began production recently.
“We launched nine all-new Chevrolet models in the last 15 months in the Brazilian market and are poised for growth,” Ardila added.
GM had on late Saturday averted a strike at another Brazilian plant at the Sao Jose dos Campos facility in Sao Paulo after it delayed the layoff of about 750 workers until the end of the year and agreed to invest about 500 million reais or $246 million, at the facility.
GM closed Friday’s regular trading session at $29.07, up $0.29 or 1.01% on a volume of 10.26 million shares.
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by RTT Staff Writer
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