General Motors Looking Toward Arlington Assembly Expansion

Cameron Aubernon
by Cameron Aubernon

General Motors is looking to expand its factory in Arlington, Texas to help boost production of its SUVs.

Reuters reports the expansion would cost $1.3 billion, and would add 1.2 million square feet and 589 jobs in so doing. The additional jobs would also raise the city’s minimum employment requirement at Arlington Assembly to 3,179; the plant currently employs 4,125, nearly 1,000 employees above the requirement.

The city council is proposing an 80-percent tax reduction over the next 10 years on the plant and its equipment, as well as waive building permit and development fees. The council will vote on approving a reinvestment zone at Arlington Assembly next Tuesday, with the vote on incentives to come April 28 should the zone be approved.

Cameron Aubernon
Cameron Aubernon

Seattle-based writer, blogger, and photographer for many a publication. Born in Louisville. Raised in Kansas. Where I lay my head is home.

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  • 87 Morgan 87 Morgan on Apr 10, 2015

    Demand for these rigs to me, directly correlates with the lack of availability of the Town Car. We still call it black car service, or a town car because it sounds better than Suburban. The airport pick up line is where is see the most new Suburbans.

    • Lou_BC Lou_BC on Apr 10, 2015

      87 Morgan - I agree. The departure of the Crown Vic has left a big gap in the fleet market. I see way more police spec Tahoe's than Ford Explorer's.

  • TomLU86 TomLU86 on Apr 10, 2015

    Before bankruptcy, GM also built Tahoes, etc, in Janesville, WI, and Trailblazers in Moraine OH. Interestingly, the Arlington plant "just made it" in the 1990s. GM had 2 plants making (the last of its) rear-drive Caprices, Impalas (cop/taxi), Cadillacs--Arlington TX and Willow Run, MI. After going back and forth, they kept Arlington open. They could use the trucks now, but the fad will pass. They should just run the current plant at max OT, and sell more expensive versions to dampen demand.

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    • Carlson Fan Carlson Fan on Apr 10, 2015

      "Before bankruptcy, GM also built Tahoes, etc, in Janesville, WI," Yep , that is where our 07 'Hoe was built before they shut it down. Then shipped all the way to MN.

  • Wmba Wmba on Apr 10, 2015

    "The city council is proposing an 80-percent tax reduction over the next 10 years on the plant and its equipment, as well as waive building permit and development fees." So the usual leeching from the public purse continues apace. As if GM were going to move the existing plant if the council didn't give away free money. It'll be interesting if the US ever signs a free-trade deal with the EC, because this kind of BS is examined closely. Of course, before this kind of thing gets banned, as a business you might as well sow fear and push that snout as far into the trough as you can. Did China subsidize car plants? Of course not. They relied on capitalist greed to pay the bills.

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    • Highdesertcat Highdesertcat on Apr 11, 2015

      jimbob457, "The American west is full of ghost towns where decay and abandonment was the obvious right choice." That's correct, and I see that as the natural progression of American society, dynamic, constantly on the move. The birth, life and death of cities. Just look at the San Francisco area, Santa Clara, San Jose. Before the dotcom boom they were quaint, mostly unknown. Today most Americans can not afford to live there. Things change. Look at the new oil-boom towns versus the old oil-boom towns. The new ones and vibrant, alive, growing, expanding. The old ones barely hanging on, even with fracking injecting new lifeblood into them. The successful towns and cities will continue to grow. The unsuccessful ones will die off. Arlington will prosper if GM expands their plant there. But the UAW probably may not, unless they succeed in recruiting all the labor into paying dues, like they're trying to do in Tennessee and the South.

  • IDANECK IDANECK on Apr 11, 2015

    I'm fine with this, more to choose from at my local downtown Enterprise location. I love when there is a Tahoe LTZ or similar Yukon, as they're a great place to spend wasting the interstate miles and then turning down the gravel roads to meet with ranchers. Fuel mileage is on par with a Pilot or Explorer but you've got a lot more power and real 4wd at your disposal. First GM I've considered in quite a long time, too bad I could never justify spending over $35k for any vehicle new.

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