Alexander Alusheff

Lansing State Journal

EAST LANSING – The vehicles that General Motors Co.’s Lansing plants produce are laying the groundwork for the company's future, a GM executive said.

"GM and Lansing have a long history," said Mark Reuss, GM's senior vice president of global product development, purchasing and supply chain at the Lansing Regional Chamber Economic Club luncheon on Tuesday. "Our relationship is strong and is getting even stronger."

With vehicles such as the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro, which won Motor Trend Car of the Year, and the Chevy Traverse and Buick Enclave, which have strong sales in the SUV market, workmanship at the two Lansing plants are among the best in GM's portfolio, Reuss said.

"Camaro is car of the year, but I think it will be car of the decade," he said.

He said profits from these vehicles will be put toward GM's investment in autonomous vehicles. GM has eight Chevy Volts that it is testing now for the project at its research facility in Warren. It will soon test Chevy Bolt EVs. GM has invested $1 billion in the project. Through GM's partnership with Lyft, the plan is to eventually create a fleet of autonomous ride-sharing vehicles.

Cadillac will incorporate an autonomous driving mode called Super Cruise in future models of the CT6, which is built in Hamtramck. Super Cruise allows for hands-free and foot-free lane following, braking and speed control. Depending on consumer response, Reuss said, this feature could be incorporated into other Cadillac models such as the Lansing-built Cadillac ATS and CTS.

Reuss told the crowd of nearly 500 gathered at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center not to worry about production at Lansing Delta Township Assembly, which won't be making the 2017 Acadia, because demand for the Traverse and Enclave were holding up the plant's production for now.

"We will fill Lansing, don't worry about that," he said.

In the meantime, production of the 2016 Acadia and Acadia Denali will continue throughout the models' life cycles. The 2017 Acadia will be produced in Spring Hill, Tennessee.

The Traverse and the Enclave make up 75 percent of production at Lansing Delta Township, which employs 3,486 people. No jobs will be cut due to the move.

Over the past few years, GM has invested $580 million in the plant for expansion and new tooling and equipment to accommodate future vehicle production. Installation is likely to be complete in just over a year. A new model could be announced after that.

A $174 million stamping plant located at Lansing Grand River Assembly will open later this year, which will employ 150 people, Reuss said. The stamping plant will make parts for the Camaro, Cadillac CTS and ATS.

"I haven't seen plants that have been higher performing than what we've got here in Lansing," Reuss said.

Contact Alexander Alusheff at (517)-388-5973 or aalusheff@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexalusheff.