GM Adding Third Shift At Tennessee Plant To Meet SUV Demand.

Reuters (4/25, Carey) reports that GM announced on Wednesday that “it will start a third shift at its Spring Hill assembly plant to meet strong demand for its popular GMC Acadia midsize SUV and the Cadillac XT5 crossover, adding around 700 jobs.” The new shift is expected to come online in September, driven by the fact that “retail sales for the GMC Acadia were up 15 percent in the first quarter versus the same period last year, while total sales for the XT5 were up 10 percent.” According to Reuters, “As US consumers have shifted away from traditional passenger cars in favor of roomier, higher-margin sport utility vehicles, crossovers and pickup trucks, automakers have been left juggling production capacity to catch up.” The Tennessean (4/25) also reports, quoting GM’s Spring Hill Manufacturing Plant Executive Director Ken Knight, saying, “This shift addition is not only an indication of the popularity of these GMC and Cadillac crossovers with customers but is testament to the great work being done by the Spring Hill Assembly team. Their commitment to building quality vehicles is visible every day.”