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General Motors to invest $290m in its Corvette plant in Bowling Green to improve processes, technology


General Motors Corp. plans to invest $290 million to improve technology and processes at its Corvette plant in Bowling Green..

“GM has a long tradition of commitment to southcentral Kentucky and to producing, in Warren County, the finest sports cars in America,” said Gov. Matt Bevin. “This benefits our entire state, both as a source of pride and as a tremendous contributor to our economy.

“For 35 years, the Bowling Green Assembly Plant has provided jobs to thousands of Kentuckians and to hundreds of suppliers and vendors. We congratulate GM and offer our commitment to lending them support for this project and any others they may undertake in the future,” continued Gov. Bevin.

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The $290 million includes a $153 million new project aimed at improving vehicle assembly line processes. Two ongoing projects at the Warren County plant – a $44 million, 36-job capacity expansion of the Performance Build Center and a $439 million investment in a new paint shop and other facility upgrades – increased by about $137 million.

“We are making technology investments that will continue to improve our manufacturing processes and ultimately the quality of our vehicles,” said North American Manufacturing Manager Arvin Jones. “We are putting Corvette customers first by building upon our world-class manufacturing process.”

To encourage the investment and job growth in Bowling Green, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) in a special meeting in June preliminarily approved GM for up to $3 million in tax incentives through the Kentucky Business Investment (KBI) program. The incentives are based on eligible company investments of up to $153 million and creation of up to 270 jobs over 10 years.

KBI’s performance-based incentive allows a company to keep a portion of its investment over the agreement term through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting job and investment targets.

GM began Corvette production at the Bowling Green plant in 1981. The facility has remained the exclusive home of the Corvette ever since. With more than 1.6 million produced since 1954 and international recognition as America’s sports car, the Corvette is the world’s longest-running, continuously produced passenger car.

In 2015 Corvette sales reached 36,000 and the plant welcomed more than 50,000 visitors from around the world for public tours.

Earlier this year, GM received a Corporate Investment & Community Impact (CiCi) Award from Trade & Industry Development magazine for its two 2015 expansion projects.

From Governor’s Office


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