General Motors broke ground today on a $380 expansion to its Wentzville, Missouri plant. The 500,000 square-foot addition will be used for production of the
new Chevrolet Colorado midsize pickup.
The move is expected to create or retain about 1,260 jobs, according to a
Detroit News report. The plant currently employs about 1,400 workers and builds Chevrolet Express and GMC Savanna vans.
GM hasn't announced when the expansion will be completed, but there isn't likely any rush as the new Colorado isn't scheduled to hit the U.S. market until 2014. Though the truck is already on sale in a number of global markets, it wasn't originally designed with stateside consumption in mind and thus will need a number of tweaks to bring it in line with U.S. regulations and consumer preferences.
Its unclear whether the U.S.-market truck will continue to wear the Colorado nameplate or if a new moniker will be employed. The fate of the Colorado's twin, the
GMC Canyon, is also up in the air.
