GM Pouring $75 Million Into Toledo Transmission Plant
General Motors will reportedly be making a $75 million investment into Toledo Transmission later this year. This follows an earlier $39 million investment from GM set aside for the eight-speed rear-wheel-drive transmission, which came as a package deal offering another $32 million for Defiance Casting Operations.
News broke after an internal memo was sent to United Auto Workers Local 14. According to WTVG/ABC13, the letter states that the latest investment will be used to increase the plant’s production capacity for 10-speed transmission used on the automaker’s full-sized trucks. Tony Totty, president of UAW Local 14, explained that the investment would likely go toward adding a second shift. He also praised the investment as an indirect way to stimulate the local economy and grow the tax base.
“These commitments not only reflect confidence in the TTO team, but also showcases the sense of ownership and pride our employees have in the transmissions we build in Toledo,” he said.
[Image: General Motors]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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Any of these investments to build EV components?
Glad they are not going the way of New Process Gear...
Not quite as negative about the US and the coming of the New World. There have always been changes and for the most part we adjust to those changes. Do we get everything right? Of course not but eventually most of us accept the changes. GM will still get several decades out of this expenditure on their transmissions because ICE industrial and commercial trucks still will be in large use. For service and delivery EVs would make more sense particularly for local use but for heavy use such as construction and mining ICE will be predominant for many many years. Service and delivery service will help to make further technological changes that will make EVs more affordable and practical. As for EVs I will hold off on buying one but then I am holding off on buying any ICE vehicle waiting for the EVs to become more affordable with better, cheaper, and more compact batteries and more infrastructure to support charging. These things will happen but I can wait and many others will wait as well. Nothing against EVs but I am not any early adopter of any technology. Yes I realize that electric vehicles preceded ICE but there were a lot less people a century ago and many did not travel that far in their vehicles.
Good for Defiance Casting Operations as well. That's where my Grandfather put in his UAW years (early 50s to late 70s). Back when I toured that plant in the 1990s during my college years it was still just "GM Foundry" Defiance, OH. So many important components were being cast there it was on the Soviets first strike list during the Cold War.