WENTZVILLE 鈥 Workers at the General Motors plant in Wentzville will soon produce new models of the company鈥檚 midsize trucks, the result of a $1.5 billion upgrade the company has made to the plant.
GM on Thursday previewed the 2023 models of the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon, which the company hopes to start producing in Wentzville in the first quarter of next year.
Business and civic leaders have said the company鈥檚 investment is a win for the local economy, and will help retain jobs and bring business to GM鈥檚 local suppliers. With more than 4,000 employees, the plant is one of the largest employers in the Wentzville area.
鈥淧eople here at the plant take great pride in what we produce,鈥 said plant executive director Lamar Rucker. 鈥淭hese vehicles go across the world. And they鈥檙e in high demand.鈥
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In order to make the new models of the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon, the company has updated the plant鈥檚 body shop and paint shop, and added new tooling to the general assembly areas, Rucker said. At times during the construction, there were 6,000 to 7,000 people on site, and renovating the plant while continuing to build vehicles has been a 鈥渉uge undertaking,鈥 he said.
The $1.5 billion investment was included in the labor contract the company and the union reached after GM workers nationwide went on strike in 2019.
鈥淭his is the future of Wentzville,鈥 said Dale Averitt, chairman of United Auto Workers 2250, the union chapter that represents local GM workers.
But Averitt already has his eye on the next products the plant could make. The company has committed to ramp up production of electric vehicles in the coming years, and Averitt hopes Wentzville will be chosen to make EV vans or trucks.
Nicholas Katcherian, vehicle chief engineer for the next generation midsize trucks program, said customers will notice the new trucks鈥 taller appearance, and the 鈥渋nfotainment systems鈥 on the dashboard. The front axles were moved forward 3.1 inches, giving the trucks a more 鈥渁ggressive stance,鈥 and making them easier to drive over large rocks. Katcherian said the company is not yet disclosing how many miles per gallon the trucks get.
GMC marketed the Canyon as the 鈥淥fficial Vehicle of Nowhere,鈥 in a promotional video screened for reporters on Thursday. The video, narrated by actor Will Arnett of 鈥淎rrested Development,鈥 features the truck driving through rugged landscapes, and a driver getting out of the car on a rainy night to lift a fallen tree branch off the road.
鈥淣owhere is out there,鈥 Arnett says. 鈥淕ood luck finding it.鈥
Annika Merrilees • 314-340-8528 @annie3mer on Twitter amerrilees@post-dispatch.com