Arlington Well-Positioned as GM Accelerates Investment in the Future of Mobility

By Office of Communication

Posted on November 26, 2018, November 26, 2018

General Motors announced today that it is repositioning itself to better focus on compelling growth opportunities in mobility needs of the future, which includes doubling investment in self-driving and electric vehicle options that are rising in popularity across North Texas and beyond.

GM will continue building its world-class trucks and full-size sports utility vehicles at the Arlington Assembly Plant, which has been vital to the City's economy for more than six decades. Since 2011, GM has invested nearly $2 billion in manufacturing improvements at its Arlington location, which is currently undergoing a $1.4 billion retooling and expansion designed to help the company meet the global demand for full-size sports utility vehicles.

"The actions we are taking today continue our transformation to be highly agile, resilient and profitable, while giving us the flexibility to invest in the future," said GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra. "We recognize the need to stay in front of changing market conditions and customer preferences to position our company for long-term success."

As major car manufacturers such as GM continue to adjust to rapidly changing market conditions and customer preferences, the City of Arlington is prepared to be equally agile in the management of its infrastructure and technology investments that advance the future of mobility for people, goods and services. More-efficient and smarter mobility solutions stand to increase access to jobs and educational opportunities, shrink transportation costs for families, increase the safety of our roads by reducing collisions and improve air quality by reducing vehicle emissions.

Arlington's forward-thinking efforts in the realm of transportation technology include:

• Becoming the first city in Texas to launch an on-demand, self-driving shuttle service that is open to the general public. Through the partnership with Drive.ai, residents, visitors and employees can catch a ride in an autonomous car to select destinations at no cost.
• Being the first city in the country to offer a continuous autonomous shuttle service to the general public. The self-driving shuttle, known as Milo, operated on off-street trails for more than 100 events as part of a one-year pilot program that wrapped up earlier this year.
• Providing residents, students and visitors with an affordable alternative to traditional on-demand, ridesharing transportation services. Arlington's partnership with Via, which uses state-of-the-art technology to help its customers efficiently get to their destinations, currently serves about 30 percent of the city.
• In addition to testing autonomous transportation solutions, Arlington is also investing in connected traffic signal technology that aims to make city streets safer and more efficient by being able to share real-time data with drivers.

General Motors is one of the largest employers in Arlington and North Texas and is a key part of the City's economic foundation. The Arlington Assembly Plant employs more than 4,200 workers and produces approximately 320,000 full-size sports utility vehicles each year. Those vehicles include the Chevy Tahoe and Suburban; GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade.