GM marks world-leading 500 millionth car

Staff report

DETROIT

General Motors CEO Mary Barra and GM North America and Global Chevrolet President Alan Batey celebrated a company milestone with customers this week.

Globally, more than 500 million General Motors-branded vehicles have been built in about a century of life – the most of any automaker by far.

“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.”

Locally, GM’s best-selling car the Chevrolet Cruze is built by the thousands employed at the GM Lordstown plant.

Barra, Batey, employees and dealers celebrated the milestone at the Fairfax, Kansas Assembly plant, and surprised Iraqi war veteran Trent Brining with a “key” to a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. Production of the midsize sedan begins at the plant later this year.