General Motors president and CEO Mary Barra yesterday announced that the 106-year-old automaker has become the first in the world to produce 500 million vehicles.
Barra joined GM North America and global Chevrolet president Alan Batey to celebrate the historic milestone with customers, employees and dealers at the Fairfax assembly plant in Kansas. Five lucky people including an Iraqi war veteran even received the keys to a brand new GM vehicle.
“During 2015, we expect to sell more than 1,000 new vehicles per hour, 24 hours per day,” said Barra. “This adds up to nearly 10 million vehicles, the most in our history. I look at this extraordinary volume as 10 million opportunities to prove what kind of company we are and to say thank you.”
During the event, Batey confirmed a $174 million investment to re-tool the Fairfax plant as it prepares to manufacture the new 2016 Chevrolet Malibu later this year.