[email protected] ®Detroit AutoScene ® “FIRSTINTHEHEARTOFDETROIT” VOL. 87 NO. 31 Central Detroit – Macomb – North Oakland AUGUST 12, 2019 GM Flint Site Adds Hundreds of Employees Approximately 800 employees Davison Road, is triple the size of tomers coming back year after can now call the new ACDelco the facility in Burton that it is re- year.” and GM Genuine Parts process- placing. The increased capacity GM internal studies show that ing center in the Flint suburb of allows for greater efficiency and service lane loyalty is directly Burton home. output as employees unitize and correlated with purchase loyalty The state-of-the-art facility was package as many as 120 million – two areas where GM and its officially opened for business service parts a year. brands excel, Henry said. Ac- last week and will employ more “GM has the highest owner loy- cording to IHS Markit, a leading than 800 hourly and salaried em- alty of any manufacturer, and a source of global automotive in- ployees, said GM spokeswoman big part of that equation is get- dustry information, analysis and Raeven Henry. ting high-quality parts into the insight, GM has earned the high- GM now employs more than hands of trained service techni- est customer loyalty among all 9,500 people in Genesee County, cians when and where they need automakers selling in the U.S. for including the Grand Blanc head- them,” said Tim Turvey, GM glob- four consecutive years. quarters of the company’s Cus- al vice president, Customer Care General Motor’s Chevrolet, tomer Care and Aftersales busi- and Aftersales. “That’s why this Buick, GMC and Cadillac brands ness and the Flint manufacturing particular facility is so vital. FCA builds vans designed to help those who use wheelchairs. complex. Great service keeps our cus- “This new facility in Burton CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 will help us continue to deliver the industry’s best possible Diverse Abilities Network sales, service and ownership ex- perience,” said Barry Engle, GM executive vice president and Demonstrate FCA Values president, the Americas. “Strate- FCA North America has had a teer and charitable activities, gic investments in our core busi- longstanding commitment to the Johnson said. ness, and the strong U.S. econo- values of promoting diversity Last year, recognizing that my, are creating opportunities and inclusion. these groups could be a source for GM and its employees all over At the core of this commitment of competitive advantage, the the country, and especially here stand the company’s Business company charged the teams to in Michigan.” Resource Groups, said Brian broaden their focus to also pur- All of the positions in Burton Johnson, FCA chief diversity and sue projects with strategic value. support GM’s CCA business – the inclusion officer. It was at that time the Employee team responsible for supporting These employee-directed Resource Groups were renamed the service and repair needs of groups pursue projects that en- Business Resource Groups, John- millions of GM vehicle owners as hance the FCA work culture, fo- son said. well as owners of competitive cusing on networking and men- This year, the company has ex- makes around the world. toring, celebrating multicultural panded the number of Business The 1.1 million-square-foot GM opened its new parts processing center in Burton, employing 800. differences and engaging exter- plant, located on 141 acres on nal communities through volun- CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 NACTOY Starts Shelby GT500 Mustang Driven by Raw Power Process to You like a car with a powerful the world. With 625 ft.-lb. of engine that kicks out horsepow- torque funneled through a Find Winners er? Then the new Ford Mustang Tremec TR-9070 DCT 7-speed by Jim Stickford Shelby GT500 just might be the dual-clutch transmission, the vehicle for you. Shelby GT500 achieves a 0-100-0 So it begins. As the most powerful street-le- in 10.6 seconds, thanks also to The process to name the best gal Ford ever built, this car har- the largest front brakes of any new sedan, truck and sport utili- nesses world-class muscle and domestic sports coupe (16.5-inch ty – to be named at the 2020 powertrain technologies to at- rotors) and available carbon North American International tain supercar levels of perform- fiber wheels, each wrapped in a Car Show, which will be held ance, said Ford spokesman Jiyan Ford Performance-spec Michelin next year for the first time in the Cadiz. Its first-in-class 7-speed Pilot Sport Cup 2 tire. month of June – has started. dual-clutch transmission, race- Beyond the raw power and ul- The North American Car, Utili- bred control strategies and ad- tra-fast shifts, Cadiz said that ad- ty and Truck of the Year (NAC- vanced drive modes deliver a car vanced control systems optimize TOYawards last week an- that performs unlike any other the capabilities of the chassis nounced a list of 46 models eligi- domestic sports coupe. and powertrain to create distinct ble for the 2020 awards that illus- Its 760-horsepower 5.2-liter V8 drive modes – or personalities – trates the intense competition engine is the most power- and and ongoing innovation among torque-dense supercharged V8 in The new engine of the Shelby Mustang GT500 provides 760 horsepower. automakers across all three vehi- CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 cle categories. Jurors will select up to 12 2019 Woodward models in each category in Sep- tember and then will conduct ad- Dream Cruise ditional driving evaluations dur- ing a comparison drive from Oct. Offers Activities 8-10 in Ann Arbor, said NACTOY byJim Stickford spokesman Brent Snavely. Three finalists in each category will be The 2019 Woodward Dream announced at the LA Auto Show Cruise will be officially held on in November. Saturday, Aug. 17. This year’s eligibility list in- The route goes along Wood- cludes 19 cars, 22 utilities and ward Avenue from 8 Mile to Or- five trucks that are being chard Lake Road in Pontiac. brought to market by 23 differ- But the official cruise is just ent automotive brands. The one part of a larger celebration models up for consideration of Detroit’s automotive history. range from cars with mass mar- On Friday, Aug. 16, the City of ket appeal to luxury vehicles and Berkley will be hosting a variety all-new pickup nameplates. of events from 6 to 9 p.m. at the “The competition is wide open intersection of 12 Mile and Robi- across all three categories this na in the downtown business year, with both premium and district. These events include mainstream brands duking it out the CruiseFest Classic Car Pa- in the car and utility classes and rade. There will also be a Kid’s an unusually high number of Zone. trucks,” said NACTOY Secre- The City of Birmingham will tary/Treasurer Kirk Bell. There will be plenty to see and do in all the cities that are playing host to the 2019 Woodward Dream Cruise. CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 view this week’s edition at DetroitAutoScene.com PAGE 2 DETROITAUTOSCENE AUGUST 12, 2019 More Employees Detroit AutoScene ® A&W Helps Veterans with Root Beer Floats by Jim Stickford larly priced combo meals. part to help raise money for dis- Hired at 31201 Chicago Road South Shari Cook manned the count- abled veterans.This is some- Warren, Michigan 48093 Aug.6 was National Root Beer er during the promotion. thing that is close to my heart.” GM Flint Site Float Day, and A&W celebrated “I am happy to help out today,” Bayyouk said the event is pop- 586-939-6800 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 by helping disabled veterans. Cook said. “My daddy’s a veter- ular with customers and they’ve Contact us: On the restaurant chain’s Web an. His name is Alvin Miller, and been able to raise money for a wor- all consistently score at or near [email protected] page, A&W officials wrote “Aug. 6 my granddaddy, Alfred Baylor, is thy cause. It’s something A&W the top of J.D. Power’s annual Deadline: Thursday 5:00 p.m. is National Root Beer Float Day, still in the military. He’s a sur- does every year on Aug. 6 and he Customer Service Index Study, for the next edition of Monday the one day every year when we geon. So I am very glad to do my looks forward to next year. which measures satisfaction celebrate our signature treat. with service at a franchised deal- William Springer II, publisher so stop by any A&W Restaurant er or independent service facili- Lisa A. Torretta, operations on Tuesday, August 6th for a free ty for maintenance or repair Jim Stickford, editor small Root Beer Float . no pur- work among owners and lessees Detroit Auto Scene publishes chase necessary! Donations to of 1- to 3-year-old vehicles, Hen- In two forms: The Metro edition DAV (Disabled American Veter- ry said. goes back to 1933 and has its ans) are encouraged. Cheers!” “We have had tremendous roots in the New Center News; Sam Bayyouk, owner of the support from the City of Burton, The North edition was formerly A&W restaurant at the corner of including Mayor Paula Zelenko Oakland-Tech News, beginning Nine Mile and Mound, said that and the city council, UAW Local as Wide Track News in 1983. he was proud to participate in 651, the project management the event. team at NorthPoint Development Detroit Auto Scene, Oakland Tech News and New Center News are registered “This is a great way to help and the Michigan Economic De- trademarks of Springer Publishing Co.