SPRING HILL, Tenn. (AP/NewsChannel 5) - General Motors has announced it will begin building its Chevrolet Equinox at its idled Spring Hill plant next year and plans to begin making a mid sized vehicle there in the future.
Monday's announcement of the $61 million investment will create nearly 700 jobs at the plant outside Nashville.
GM said the subsequent $183 million investment into the unspecified mid sized vehicle will create another 1,200 jobs.
William Larion, a current GM employee, said, "I feel elated for all the people all the UAW members that maybe have a chance to come back here, it's a great day."
Production on the Equinox is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2012.
The timing on the second vehicle is set for 2015.
Under the new four-year deal with the United Auto workers earlier this year, it was decided the plant will build two midsize cars.
Overall, the new contract will add 6,400 jobs in the U.S. that includes putting 1,900 people back to work at the Spring Hill plant. They were jobs that initially had been set to go to Mexico.
GM Labor Relations Director Cathy Clegg outlined a plan to avoid another catastrophic closure. She said the Spring Hill plant will not only produce cars, but other parts as well.
Clegg said, "This won't be a typical plant with just a few dedicated products. The flex operation can change products frequently based on what we need to do in the market."
By November 2009, 2,000 employees were laid off after GM stopped production on the Chevy Traverse. Since then, the assembly line was practically shut down, the remaining employees worked on engines and other parts.
(The Associated Press Contributed To This Report.)
