Rumors have been swirling around about the viability of General Motors and its role in the near future of the auto industry due to economic problems. But the most recognized domestic automaker responded to some of those rumors at this week’s International North American Auto Show in Detroit by displaying a sign at its exhibits that read: “Here to stay.”
One major victory for GM is the announcement that it’s going to assemble the battery packs for the upcoming Volt, one of the new Chevrolet cars on tap for the automaker. The Volt is an electric-drive vehicle and those battery packs are going to be built in Michigan, the home state of the auto industry. The announcement represents a “real opportunity” for the state and the region that has been hit hard in recent years by decreasing numbers of available manufacturing jobs.
The announcement combined with the recent money from the federal government seemed to give the automaker a renewed sense of encouragement and enthusiasm. Workers rallied around the stage at one time on Monday and chanted messages like, “Let’s go, GM” and “100 more years!”
Other new Chevrolet cars that engineers are working on include the Chevrolet Spark and the Chevrolet Orlando. Both vehicles are promising superior fuel efficiency and they are slated to hit the North American market in 2011.
