The third shift at Orion Assembly that General Motors? CEO Rick Wagoner announced earlier in the summer got to work Sept. 2.
The shift added about 850 jobs, according to Becki Akers Hopson, the plant’s communications manager.
A little more than half of the workers were new hires, while the remaining ones were transfers from other plants, she said. There are now 4,200 hourly and salaried workers.
The addition of the shift reflects the current need for smaller cars that are better on gas, like the Chevy Malibu and Pontiac GS, the vehicles built at the Orion plant, Hopson said.
‘It basically says GM is recognizing the demand for fuel-efficient vehicles, and we are getting them out there in the marketplace,? she said.
There was a 212 percent increase in sales for the Malibu in August of 2008 compared with the same month in 2007, Hopson noted. It is currently the 10th bestselling car in the country.
Sales for the Pontiac GS were up 22.5 percent through the first six months of the year, making it the 12th bestselling car.