The plant will begin U.S. production in 2010 and will be the exclusive manufacturing facility in North America to produce the Chevrolet Volt's range-extending engine.

The investment in Flint is one of several that has been announced at U.S. plants in the past 10 years, adding up to over a $9 billion total investment in Michigan and more than $42 billion in the United States.  "GM, the UAW and the city of Flint have had a long- standing relationship," Wagoner said.

"Based on the capability and the commitment of the men and women who will work here, the tradition and leadership from UAW Local 599, the tremendous automotive heritage that underlies this region, and the strong partnerships we enjoy with local, state, and federal governments … we are confident that Flint is exactly the right place to build our all-new powertrain plant," he said.

"We are proud that General Motors has chosen Michigan as the best place to develop and produce the revolutionary Chevy Volt and other next-generation vehicles and components," Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm said. "Our competitive business climate, outstanding work force and aggressive strategy to diversify our economy put us in a strong position to win this project and be the state that helps GM produce the cars and trucks that will help end our nation's dependence on foreign oil."

The investment includes construction of the 552,000-square-foot plant, machinery, equipment, and special tooling to support production of the new four-cylinder engines.  In addition to the $349 million facility investment, GM will invest $21 million in vendor tooling to support the new Flint operations.  Construction on the facility is slated to begin immediately, with completion in 2010.  The project will require about 300 hourly jobs.

Two engines will be built at the new facility.  A 1.4-liter turbo for the Chevrolet Cruze and 1.4-liter naturally aspirated engine for the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle (E-REV), will be new members of an engine family already deployed successfully around the world, primarily in Europe.

The engines will play a key role in GM's plan to double global production of small four-cylinder engines by 2011, with more than half of that increase coming from North America.

Tom Stephens, GM executive vice president of Global Powertrain and Global Quality, spoke to the role the 1.4-liter turbo will play in the company's lineup:

"The new 1.4L turbo for the Chevrolet Cruze highlights GM's global commitment to offering engines that provide outstanding fuel efficiency without compromising vehicle performance.  The new 1.4L turbocharged engine has the power of a larger engine, but retains the efficiency of a small-displacement four-cylinder. And with this engine, we expect the Cruze to be a fuel economy leader in its segment when it's introduced in early 2010."

In the new engine plant will be GM Powertrain's most flexible and competitive engine assembly lines in the world, with approximately 300 highly flexible stations that will allow assembly of multiple four-cylinder engine families without retooling. 

The plant will be a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified facility, the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. 

And the plant will be landfill-free, meaning no waste from manufacturing operations will go to landfills but will be recycled, reused, or converted to energy, proving the plant will be as environmentally sound as the products it manufactures.