27.9.2006
New Opel Corsa: Successful start of production in Spain

Yesterday, GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner and the President of the Aragon region, Marcelino Iglesias Ricou, jointly drove the 15,000th new Corsa built in GM's plant in Zaragoza, Spain, off the production line. The car will be shipped to a Spanish dealer.

During the event Rick Wagoner said: “Throughout GM and throughout the auto industry, the Zaragoza plant has a well-earned reputation for innovation and quality innovation in management-union relations, as well as in adapting to the competitive realities of today’s global auto business ... and quality in the way they build cars”.

The GM plant in Spain started production of the new Corsa generation on July 31, 2006. GM has invested 550 million euros into the extensive modernization of the Zaragoza facility. Within less than two months the plant has reached as much as 50% of the total daily production and will achieve full production by mid-November. A wide range of innovations has been introduced in the assembly of the new Corsa to further improve quality, productivity and occupational safety while at the same time reducing the workload of manufacturing staff.

With a workforce of 7,600 employees and an annual capacity of more than 400,000 vehicles, Zaragoza is GM’s largest European production facility and has produced Opel Corsas since it opened in 1982. It also builds the Opel Meriva and will start manufacturing the Opel Combo in late February 2007.