GM Adds 250 Jobs At Kentucky Corvette Plant

[Viva_La_Revolution]

Source: npr

General Motors is investing $131 million in the Kentucky plant that assembles the Corvette, creating 250 new jobs.

Mark Reuss, GM's North America president, made the announcement Wednesday at the south-central Kentucky plant with Gov. Steve Beshear and local officials.

GM says the investment will support production of the next-generation Corvette. The Bowling Green plant will continue building the current Corvette for at least the next two model years.

Read more: http://www.npr.org/2011/05/04/135987302/gm-adds-250-jobs-at-kentucky-corvette-plant?ft=1&f=1001&sc=tw&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

[provis99]

1. looks like the money spent rescuing GM paid off.

The banking industry on the other hand...

[KarenS]

2. I'm glad they're creating new jobs and looking at the pool

of laid-off workers,,,,,

but, seriously? Corvette??

Most employed folks don't feel that secure about their jobs these days,,,,

Guess there must be alot of demand from the CEO and Bankster types.

[jmowreader]

3. Corvettes don't sell that well anyway...

According to http://www.autoobserver.com/2010/01/corvette-drops-to-50-year-sales-low-as-high-end-sports-cars-sputter.html, in 2006 they sold just over 36,000 Corvettes. (Last year sucked REAL bad...) By comparison (http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/top-10/top-10-best-selling-vehicles-for-2010.html), that's the average MONTHLY sales for the Ford F-150.

It's a $50,000 car with no back seat and no cargo capacity to speak of (although I'm pretty sure two golf bags will fit in the trunk), so they're not going to sell very many of them.

[Frisbee]

4. All true...

though I wonder if the Corvette isn't a little more labor intensive than other cars which may have more robotics and less human labor involved in their production.

[jmowreader]

14. The body is definitely more labor intensive

To make a metal car body, you stamp the panels out on a huge hydraulic press.

To make a Corvette body, a person has to stand there and spray chopped-strand fiberglass mixed with resin into molds.

I assume there's still a lot of robotics involved in building a Corvette.

[Frisbee]

18. I'm sure the robots stay busy...

just expect the body (as you pointed out) and possibly the engine, for example may assembled by hand. Other items, such as frame fabrication and driveline and suspension may well be robotically assembled.

[valerief]

5. Maybe the growing middle class in China will buy them. nt

[skoalyman]

7. yep

Gone are the days of good jobs and the American dream.Not many of us could even afford just the rims off this thing.

[Blue_Tires]

8. uh...Chevrolet pretty much sells every Corvette they make

It's their one surefire seller year in and year out and a huge success (and typical buyers care little about a backseat or trunk space)...

[jmowreader]

15. uh...Chevrolet only makes as many Corvettes as they know they're going to sell

It's not like they're kicking out a hundred thousand cars in hopes someone will buy one. DainBramaged would know the ordering process for Corvettes better than I, but I would imagine a dealer needs to sell one of the Vettes on his lot before Chevy will send him another one.

[teabaghater]

6. Is Kentucky a

RTW state?

[Sherman A1]

9. I believe so, the Corvette used to be made here in St.Louis

many years ago and was moved to KY.

[Spider Jerusalem]

11. The Corvette assembly plant at Bowling Green is a UAW union shop.

[The Northerner]

13. KY isn't a RTW state

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_work_state#U.S._states_with_right-to-work_laws

[MasonJar]

10. The money loaned to the car companies was money well invested.

It was a minuscule amount compared to that given to the greedy banks, but much more valuable in creating jobs. Apparently the banks are using theirs to horde and pay enormous bonuses.

[valerief]

12. And an even more miniscule amount compared to what was shelled out for WARS.

And trickled down to Halliburton, KBR, Blackwater, etc.

JOBS not WARS! Where are the JOBS, Mr. Boehner?????????????

[Snoutport]

16. At least someone is buying american! nt

[flvegan]

17. NatGeo did a Megafactories show on the building of the Corvette Z06.

Enjoy (in two parts).

http://www.streetfire.net/video/national-geographic-megafactories-chevrolet-corvette-part-1_2190140.htm

http://www.streetfire.net/video/national-geographic-megafactories-chevrolet-corvette-part-2_2191496.htm

Always happy to hear of success for not only GM, but for my beloved Corvette.