USA - GM Expands the Spring Hill production facility to a third shift with another 650 jobs to meet expanded sales.

General Motors today announced plans to add a third shift and 650 jobs to Spring Hill Manufacturing to increase output of the recently launched Cadillac XT5 and GMC Acadia.

The shift is expected to begin in January 2017. Staffing details are being finalized and positions will be filled starting this quarter.

“Spring Hill is demonstrating again its flexibility and agility to meet increasing customer demand for GM’s hot products,” said Cathy Clegg, vice president, GM North America Manufacturing & Labor Relations.

“Just last month, Spring Hill quickly converted engine production to meet higher demand for full-size truck engines,” Clegg said. 

“Now the Spring Hill team will need to move with lightning speed to launch a third shift in vehicle assembly in only three months.”

UAW Vice President Cindy Estrada said she is confident the Spring Hill team is up to the challenge.

“Today’s announcement of an added shift is a credit to UAW Spring Hill members who launched a highly successful quality product in the new Cadillac XT5 and GMC Acadia,” Estrada said. “It is a credit to the productive UAW workforce and GM Spring Hill team that 650 jobs are now being added in Tennessee.”

Spring Hill’s UAW Local 1853 Chairman Mike Herron said, “This is outstanding news for our entire Spring Hill workforce and the middle Tennessee area.

“The tremendous success in the marketplace of the Cadillac XT5 and the GMC Acadia is indicative of the pride and craftsmanship that are built into each of these vehicles by the highly skilled UAW members that make them,” Herron said.

The GM Spring Hill Manufacturing facility is located on 2,100 acres in Spring Hill, a growing community 40 miles south of Nashville. The site manufacturing operations currently consist of a flexible vehicle assembly plant, including a body shop, paint shop, two polymer injection molding operations and general assembly, and an engine plant. There are 3,300 hourly and salaried employees at Spring Hill.

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee said, "Thirty-one years after GM chose to locate a plant in Tennessee from among 38 states, the Spring Hill plant is proving that GM made exactly the right decision: Tennessee is still the best place in the country for auto jobs. I congratulate GM and its Spring Hill employees on this great news."

Tennessee’s Governor Bill Haslam highlighted the importance of manufacturing for the state.

"We want to thank GM for today's announcement and creating these additional high-skilled jobs, another important investment by a company that can choose to do business anywhere," Haslam said. "Manufacturing has long been a hallmark of Tennessee's economy, and the Brookings Institution recently ranked Tennessee No. 1 in the U.S. for advanced industry job growth."

Spring Hill Mayor Rick Graham said he is thrilled with GM’s commitment to the community.

“We remain excited and proud of the continued success and momentum at GM Spring Hill Manufacturing with yet another major job growth announcement,” said Graham. “These are good-paying jobs with excellent benefits that will spawn more economic growth in Spring Hill and contribute to our goal of moving away from being a commuter city, allowing more people to live where they work.”

The XT5 model is the biggest contributor to Cadillac’s global growth. The brand has registered double-digit sales increases globally for four consecutive months. In its first six months on the market, the XT5 has become Cadillac’s best-selling model with more than 22,000 sales in the U.S.

The all-new 2017 GMC Acadia is also selling fast. Acadia models stay on dealer lots for an average of 19 days before they are sold, according to GM sales data. The industry average is 73 days, according toEdmunds.com.

General Motors has announced more than $2 billion for the Spring Hill Manufacturing operations since 2010. This includes a $148-million investment announced in February to repurpose flexible machining and assembly equipment to build Small Block 6.2L V-8 engines for trucks. Spring Hill Manufacturing recently broke ground for the expansion of its engine plant, part of the $788.7 million investment announced in April. 

CHINA - General Motors sets a June and Year To Date sales record, exceeding 1.8 Million units.

• June deliveries up 11.2 percent to 273,563 units
• First half deliveries up 5.3 percent to 1,810,476 units

General Motors and its joint ventures had record June deliveries in China of 273,563 units, which was up 11.2 percent on an annual basis. The Buick, Cadillac and Baojun brands had their best June ever.

Its strong performance in June enabled GM to set a first half record for deliveries in China. Demand was up 5.3 percent from the first six months of 2015 to 1,810,476 units.

“Sales of the Cadillac luxury brand and Buick have remained strong throughout 2016,” said GM Executive Vice President and GM China President Matt Tsien. “We have also seen very high demand for our Baojun entry-level passenger car brand and a return to growth for the Wuling brand.”

Cadillac deliveries in June jumped 34 percent on an annual basis to 9,552 units. Demand for the ATS-L and XTS luxury sedans and XT5 luxury crossover all surpassed 2,000 units last month.

Buick deliveries were up 10 percent year over year to 86,054 units in June. Demand for the Excelle GT sedan remained strong, exceeding 26,000 units. Demand for the brand’s best-selling SUV, the Envision, increased 27 percent to more than 14,000 units.

Baojun deliveries more than doubled to 43,249 units in June from a year earlier. Deliveries of both of its best-selling models, the Baojun 730 MPV and Baojun 560 SUV, exceeded 20,000 units.

Wuling deliveries advanced 8.1 percent to 99,017 units from the previous June. The Hong Guang MPV family remained popular, with demand surpassing 30,000 units. Demand for the Rong Guang V minivan was up 20 percent.

Chevrolet deliveries were down 25 percent year over year in June to 35,648 units. The Malibu XL, Chevrolet’s new flagship sedan launched in February, increased its momentum as it posted a 46 percent month-over-month increase. The all-new Cruze passenger car will be launched this quarter.

USA - Cadillac adds a new Carbon Black Sport package to the CTS and ATS Sedan and Coupe models.

PGRADES REFLECT AND COMPLEMENT CADILLAC’S PRODUCT EXPANSION

Cadillac’s ATS and CTS product lines receive key refinements for 2017, including new, more streamlined trim levels that further emphasize the cars’ class-leading driving dynamics.

Renamed for consistency across the Cadillac showroom, the new trim levels for Cadillac ATS sedans and coupes – ATS, Luxury, Premium Luxury and Premium Performance – and Cadillac CTS sedans – CTS, Luxury, Premium Luxury, V-Sport and V-Sport Premium – move ATS and CTS more in line with two recently launched Cadillac entries, the first-ever Cadillac CT6 prestige sedan and first-ever Cadillac XT5 luxury crossover.

2017 Cadillac ATS and CTS models receive a Carbon Black sport package, two new exterior colors and new wheels that complement the bold, unmistakably Cadillac signature exterior and interior designs. 

Additional upgrades and enhancements for the Cadillac CUE infotainment system include new standard technologies like the myCadillac Mobile App, Teen Driver and Cadillac Collection.

The 2017 Cadillac ATS Turbo Sedan, the fastest, most powerful turbo-four luxury sedan in its class, becomes the entry point to the Cadillac ATS Sedan and Coupe family. Cadillac CUE – the centerpiece of the ATS’ comprehensive collection of technologies, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto advanced smartphone integration and available 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot – is now standard for 2017 ATS Sedans and Coupe models, making the ATS one of the most connected cars in the segment.

The 2017 Cadillac CTS features a new grille design in the front fascia and an all-new rear fascia with vertical exhaust orientation and valence panel changes. 

The front fascia in the CTS V-Sport and CTS-V remains unchanged. Rear Camera Mirror, the industry’s first application of full-display rearview mirror technology that debuted in the 2016 Cadillac CT6 prestige sedan, is available in Cadillac CTS models in 2017.

The Cadillac ATS product line is Cadillac’s most compact and sporty entry, setting into motion the current era of Cadillac driver’s cars offering exhilarating performance. Originally introduced as a 2013 model, ATS won both the North American Car of the Year and Esquire Car of the Year award that year. 

Built on an ultra-rigid, rear-wheel-drive chassis that also underpins the larger Cadillac CTS, the ATS line added a dynamic Coupe model in 2015.  The high-performance ATS-V Sedan and Coupe — the smallest and lightest V-Series models ever — were added in 2016.

The Cadillac CTS Sedan, which began its third generation in 2014, has been named a Car and Driver “10 Best” for three years in a row and received Motor Trend’s 2014 Car of the Year award. 

Built on the same ultra-rigid, rear-wheel-drive chassis that underpins the smaller Cadillac ATS Sedan and Coupe models, the CTS lineup included a performance CTS V-Sport model for the first time in 2014 and added the much-anticipated third generation, high-performance CTS-V super sedan in 2016.

The 2017 Cadillac product refinements follow and complement Cadillac’s product expansion, which debuted with the all-new Cadillac CT6 prestige sedan and the all-new Cadillac XT5 luxury crossover.

USA SALES APRIL - General Motor's, all brands contribute to an overall boost in sales, SUV's perform very well.

• Chevrolet remains the industry’s fastest-growing full-line brand of 2016 with retail sales up 4 percent in April
• Buick’s retail sales up 13 percent; GMC retail sales up 5 percent
• Commercial deliveries up for 30^th consecutive month
• Daily rental deliveries down nearly 18,000 units, or 39 percent  

General Motors (NYSE: GM) delivered 200,656 vehicles in April to individual or “retail” customers, up 3 percent year-over-year, driven by an 13 percent increase at Buick, 5 percent increase at GMC and a 4 percent increase at Chevrolet. GM’s Commercial deliveries were up for the 30th consecutive month while daily rental sales were down nearly 18,000 vehicles. GM total sales were down about 4 percent to 259,557 vehicles.

GM has grown retail deliveries year-over-year every month since April 2015 and retail sales during the last 12 months were up 9 percent, more than double the industry’s 4 percent increase during that timeframe. Chevrolet was the fastest-growing full-line franchise in the U.S. industry in 2015 and holds that honor again so far this year, based on R.L. Polk retail registrations. Chevrolet had its best April for retail sales since 2006.

Through the first four months of the year, Chevrolet retail sales are up 9 percent. The all-new Malibu is having a major impact, with retail deliveries up 53 percent year to date and 45 percent in April. According to J.D. Power PIN, Malibu has nearly doubled its retail share from 5 percent in 2015 to 10 percent year to date. In addition, the new Cruze is beginning to arrive in dealers showrooms.

Buick has grown retail registrations faster this year than all but one other major brand, according to R.L. Polk, and posted a 13 percent year-over-year gain in April. Year to date, Buick retail deliveries are up 10 percent. 

“GM’s retail growth over the last 12 months has outpaced the industry by a wide margin because our redesigned large pickups and SUVs are hits, we made smart investments in new segments like small crossovers and mid-size pickups, and our momentum in the car business is accelerating with each new model introduction,” said Kurt McNeil, U.S. vice president of Sales Operations. “GM bucked the industry trend with flat year-over incentives, we are managing with lean inventories and our Commercial and Government fleet business is growing.”

Looking ahead to May, GM expects to continue executing its retail-focused sales plan, and maintain disciplined inventories and incentives. The company’s deliveries to daily rental customers, which are less profitable than retail deliveries, are expected to be down approximately 18,000 to 20,000 units, year over year, which will make May the largest single-month decline of 2015-2016. Calendar year to date through April, GM’s rental deliveries are down more than 61,000 units from a year ago, as planned.

April Retail Sales and Business Highlights vs. 2015 (except as noted)

Chevrolet

• The brand had its best retail April since 2006.
• Car sales were up 4 percent, with the Camaro up 13 percent, Malibu up 45 percent, Spark up 2 percent and Volt up 139 percent.
• Truck sales were up 19 percent, with the Colorado up 55 percent, Silverado up 14 percent, Suburban up 16 percent and Tahoe up 8 percent.
• The Trax crossover was up 46 percent.
• Malibu has its best year-to-date sales since 1980.
• Silverado had its best April since 2006.
• Tahoe and Suburban had their best year-to-date sales since 2008.
• Colorado had its best month since launch of the all-new model.

GMC

• The brand had its best April since 2004.
• The Sierra had its best April ever, with deliveries up 14 percent, the Canyon was up 23 percent, and the Yukon had its 8th consecutive month of year-over-year growth, with deliveries up 13 percent. Yukon XL was up 8 percent.

Buick

• The brand had its best April and calendar-year-to-date sales since 2005
• The Encore was up 39 percent, Enclave up 2 percent
• Buick sold 1,090 Cascada convertibles in April, the second full month in the market.

Cadillac

• Cadillac ATPs were $54,600 in April, up approximately $1,600 from last year.
• The Cadillac ATS, CTS and XTS all gained year-over-year retail market share in their respective segments.

Average Transaction Prices (ATP)/Incentives (J.D. Power PIN estimates)

• GM’s ATPs, which reflect retail transaction prices after sales incentives, were $35,400 in April, more than $4,200 above the industry average.
• GM’s incentive spending as a percentage of ATPs was 10.3 percent in April, well below domestic and many Asian competitors and in line with the industry average of 10.2 percent.
• The industry increased incentives year over year by 0.7 percentage points, while GM incentives were in-line with a year ago.

Fleet and Commercial

• GM’s fleet mix in April was approximately 23 percent of total sales, in line with the company’s full-year guidance of 20 percent.
• Commercial sales grew 4 percent, for the best Commercial month since 2008. Government sales were up 21 percent and daily rental deliveries were down 39 percent.
• Small business deliveries were up 20 percent in April and 10 percent calendar-year-to-date.

Industry Sales

• GM estimates that the seasonally adjusted annual selling rate (SAAR) for light vehicles in April was 17.6 million units. On a calendar-year-to-date basis, GM estimates the light vehicle SAAR was 17.4 million units.

The All-New cadillac XT5 Sports utility Vehicle has been named one of WardAuto's best Interiors for 2016.

FLAWLESS FIT-AND-FINISH PRAISED

The 2017 Cadillac XT5 crossover today was named to the 2016 Wards 10 Best Interiors list from WardsAuto. The first-ever XT5 was noted for its “first-rate materials” and integration of advanced technology, like the award-winning Rear Camera Mirror.

Cadillac debuted a new interior design on the XT5, emphasizing space and craftsmanship. It features expanded use of authentic materials and decorative trim options, best exemplified on the top-level XT5 Platinum Edition. The new XT5 begins production this month.

Cadillac Executive Director of Global Design Andrew Smith will be speaking at the WardsAuto Interiors Conference in Detroit on May 11. 

According to WardsAuto, the award criteria is as follows:

• Eight WardsAuto editors selected the winners after spending February and March evaluating all 47 interiors. To be eligible, an interior must be all-new or significantly redesigned.
• Each vehicle is scored based on aesthetics and design harmony, as well as materials, ergonomics, safety, comfort, value and fit-and-finish. Editors also test the user-friendliness of the human-machine interface to see how effectively vehicle information is communicated.

The first-ever Cadillac XT5 will arrive in U.S. dealerships in early-April, continuing the brand’s product-driven growth.

2017 XT5 CROSSOVER PRICED FROM $38,995 IN THE U.S.

The first-ever Cadillac XT5 will arrive in U.S. dealerships in early-April, continuing the brand’s product-driven growth. XT5 enters the strongest category in the luxury automotive space, the midsize luxury crossover segment, where Cadillac set sales records in 2015.

“The arrival of this sophisticated new crossover positions Cadillac well, as XT5 enters the most popular segment in the global luxury market,” said Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen. “It’s pivotal to our ongoing growth, which is why we’ve developed XT5 from the inside out to provide customers more space, more technology, more luxury and more efficiency.”

The XT5 is the first in a series of upcoming luxury crossovers carrying the “XT” designation, a key aspect of the brand’s product-driven global growth plan.

The new luxury crossover joins Cadillac’s lineup immediately following the new range-topping CT6 Sedan, as the brand enters a new phase of product growth. The XT5 is the next chapter in elevating the Cadillac brand: it is bold, distinctive and sophisticated with enhanced driving dynamics. This new crossover perfectly reflects Cadillac’s positioning in the luxury automotive marketplace, de Nysschen said.

The first-ever 2017 Cadillac XT5 crossover will be available in four trim levels, including a range-topping Platinum model, a first for Cadillac in this segment. XT5 Platinum includes unique interior and exterior trim and materials and combines them with the highest technology features.

Cadillac XT5 offers seven exterior colors and seven distinct interior environments, and a broad range of luxury amenities and high-technology systems – including Cadillac’s award-winning, industry-first Rear Camera Mirror system on Platinum models.

XT5 pricing begins at $38,995*; the highest level XT5 Platinum is priced from $62,500*. All-wheel drive is optional on Luxury and Premium Luxury models, and is standard on Platinum.

Customers can place orders now with dealers and view additional product information at cadillac.com.

In the U.S. market, the 2017 Cadillac XT5 will be powered by the new 3.6-liter V6 engine which recently debuted on the ATS and CTS sport sedans and is featured on the all-new CT6 flagship model. 

With peak output of 310-horsepower and 270 lb.-ft. of torque, the new V6 uses variable valve timing for strong response and smooth power delivery, maintaining optimum efficiency regardless of power demand. 

This engine has been completely redesigned and features Active Fuel Management cylinder deactivation technology, which allows the engine to seamlessly and automatically switch to a fuel-saving 4-cylinder mode under low or moderate loads.

A new 8-speed automatic transmission is standard for the XT5, which also debuts Electronic Precision Shift – the first electronically controlled transmission shifter application in a Cadillac. 

The XT5 also features Stop/Start technology, which automatically stops and starts the engine when the vehicle is at rest in traffic stops, saving fuel and reducing emissions, while contributing to the serene character and tranquil cabin environment expected of a Cadillac.

An optional new advanced “twin clutch” all-wheel drive system   continuously and automatically delivers excellent traction across a variety of conditions. Due to the twin clutch design, the AWD system is capable of transferring up to 100 percent of available torque to either the front or rear axle. 

Also, across the rear axle, the electronically controlled rear differential can direct up to 100 percent of available torque to either wheel laterally. This capability is designed for “split-coefficient” surfaces, such as when there is more water, ice or snow on one side of the road surface than the other. 

The AWD system is driver-controlled, and includes a new “disconnect” feature that disables the rear drive unit for improved fuel efficiency and reduced emissions.

The 2017 XT5 will be built at the Spring Hill, Tenn. assembly facility outside of Nashville.