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56-566: With a similar floor plan to its contemporaries, Michigan's Orion Assembly and Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly plants, the facility includes vehicle assembly as well as body stamping facilities. Originally manufacturing full-size Buick, Oldsmobile and Pontiac sedans, the plant assumed operations of the previous St. Louis Truck Assembly which had been in operation since 1920. In 1996, production shifted from manufacturing unibody, front-drive passenger cars to rear-drive, body on frame trucks, GM's full-size Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana cargo vans on

112-709: A unibody pickup truck is built on compact SUV platform or a compact passenger car platform. Examples include the Hyundai Santa Cruz and Ford Maverick . Subaru also produced the Subaru Baja based heavily on the Subaru Outback (Legacy) wagon and Subaru BRAT based on the Subaru Leone wagon using a unibody construction. Other variations include the Holden Crewman and Holden one tonner which are based on

168-473: A cultural attachment to the style, lower fuel prices, and taxes and regulations that distort the market in favor of domestically built trucks. As of 2016, the IRS offers tax breaks for business use of "any vehicle equipped with a cargo area ... of at least six feet in interior length that is not readily accessible from the passenger compartment". In Europe, pickups represent less than 1% of light vehicles sold,

224-618: A maximum length of 3,400 mm (134 in), a maximum width of 1,480 mm (58 in), a maximum height of 2,000 mm (79 in), and a maximum displacement of 660 cc (40 cu in). In some countries, mini trucks are similar to, or slightly bigger than, kei trucks. In other countries, eg the United States, mini trucks are another name for any pickup smaller than full-size pickups. UTVs are of similar size and serve similar roles in developed countries but are typically restricted to off-road and rural areas. Typically,

280-782: A new electric vehicle at Orion. This was later revealed to be a slightly larger version of the Bolt to be known as the Bolt EUV. In 2023, GM announced that it will discontinue the production of Chevrolet Bolt at the end of 2023, with that the Orion plant will be reopened as the Orion EV Assembly in 2024, to produce electric pickup trucks such as the Chevrolet Silverado EV and the GMC Sierra EV . With $ 4 billion in additional investment at

336-601: A new Ford F-150. The term pickup is of unknown origin. It was used by Studebaker in 1913. By the 1930s, it had become the standard term in certain markets for a light-duty truck. In the early days of automobile manufacturing, vehicles were sold only as a chassis and third parties added bodies on top. In 1902, the Rapid Motor Vehicle Company was founded by Max Grabowsky and Morris Grabowsky who built one-ton carrying capacity trucks in Pontiac, Michigan. In 1913,

392-466: A new factory, opposition to the plant in Orion Township came from three separate groups: those who disliked the fact that GM had selected the site without first notifying township officials (a land option was previously given to Grand Trunk Railway by township officials without first informing the public, which then was negotiated for GM by Argonaut Realty); pilots who opposed its location on land which

448-483: A single row of seats and a single set of doors, one on each side. Extended cab or extra cab pickups add an extra space behind the main seat, sometimes including smaller jump seats which can fold out of the way to create more storage space. The first extended-cab truck in the United States was called the Club Cab and was introduced by Chrysler in 1973 on its Dodge D-series pickup trucks. Extended-cab trucks either have just

504-429: A single set of doors with no direct access to the extended portion of the cab, very small (half-sized) rear doors that are rear-hinged which can only be opened after the front doors are open, or small (three-quarter-sized) front-hinged doors. A crew cab, or double cab, seats five or six and has four full-sized, front-hinged doors. The first crew-cab truck in the United States was made by International Harvester in 1957 and

560-504: A strong retail consumer presence, and Studebaker also manufactured the M-series truck . At the beginning of World War II, the United States government halted the production of privately owned pickup trucks, and all American manufacturers built heavy duty trucks for the war effort. In the 1950s, consumers began purchasing pickups for lifestyle rather than utilitarian reasons. Car-like, smooth-sided, fenderless trucks were introduced, such as

616-503: A time when the number referred to the maximum cargo capacity by weight. In North America, some pickup trucks may be marketed as heavy duty (eg Ram Heavy Duty ), super duty (eg Ford Super Duty ) or simply "HD". This is typically a pickup truck with higher payload and/or towing capabilities than is standard for their size. While synonymous with "dually" or full-size pickup trucks in North American, none of those are requirements. Dually

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672-406: Is a light or medium duty truck that has an enclosed cabin , and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof (this cargo bed back end sometimes consists of a tailgate and removable covering). In Australia and New Zealand , both pickups and coupé utilities are called utes , short for utility vehicle . In South Africa , people of all language groups use

728-479: Is not available on Ram 2500 or Ford F-250 and is optional on Ram 3500 or Ford F-350, but those pickup trucks are all heavy duty. Mahindra Bolero MaXX Pik-Up HD is a heavy duty mid-size pickup truck with a two tonne payload. Some pickup trucks have an opening at the rear of the cab to increase cargo capacity lengthwise without increasing overall vehicle length or wheelbase, which reduces break over, approach, departure angles and increases turning radius. This feature

784-444: Is referred to as a mid-gate due to it being located in the middle of a pickup truck, as opposed to the tail-gate, which is located as the rear/tail of the vehicle. The cargo bed can vary in size according to whether the vehicle is optimized for cargo utility or passenger comfort. Most have fixed side walls and a hinged tailgate. Cargo beds are normally found in two styles: stepside or fleetside. A stepside bed has fenders that extend on

840-399: Is separated into two categories: conventional towing (bumper pull) and in-bed (heavy duty) towing. Conventional towing mounts the hitch at the rear of the pickup truck, in-bed towing mounts the hitch directly above or in front of the rear axle. Weight distribution hitch falls under conventional towing. Fifth wheel and gooseneck fall under in-bed towing. Kei trucks are a Japanese class with

896-655: The Buick Verano . In the past, GM assembled subcompact vehicles in Mexico or in South Korea due to lower cost labor rates in those countries. Under the new agreement with the UAW, GM used domestic laborers earning less than under previous contracts and slimmed down labor rules to make assembling subcompact vehicles in the US economically competitive. For younger workers, wages were cut in half from

952-568: The Chevrolet Corvair Rampside and Loadside, Dodge A-100 and A-108 , Ford Econoline , and Jeep FC-150 and FC-170 . A "dually" is a North American colloquial term for a pickup with four rear wheels instead of two, able to carry more weight over the rear axle. Vehicles similar to the pickup include the coupé utility , a car-based pickup, and the larger sport utility truck (SUT), based on a sport utility vehicle (SUV). The terms half-ton, three-quarter-ton, and one-ton are remnants from

1008-544: The GMT600 platform , previously manufactured at Lordstown Assembly (Ohio) and Flint Assembly (Michigan). The changeover involved completely gutting and revamping the plant to provide robotic body assembly. The GMT600 vans received a significant revision for the 2003 model year, known internally as the GMT610, which included a new front end, new powertrains ("LS" engines), left hand side cargo doors, and AWD models. In 2014, GM replaced

1064-644: The Galion Allsteel Body Company , an early developer of the pickup and dump truck , built and installed hauling boxes on slightly modified Ford Model T chassis, and from 1917, on the Model TT . Seeking part of this market share, Dodge introduced a 3/4-ton pickup with a cab and body constructed entirely of wood in 1924. In 1925, Ford followed up with a steel-bodied half-ton based on the Model T with an adjustable tailgate and heavy-duty rear springs. Billed as

1120-762: The International Travelette . Other manufacturers soon followed, including the Hino Briska in 1962, Dodge in 1963, Ford in 1965, and General Motors in 1973. In 1961 in the UK the British Motor Corporation launched an Austin Mini Pickup version of the original 1959 Mini. It was in production until 1983. In 1963, the US chicken tax directly curtailed the import of the Volkswagen Type 2 , distorting

1176-775: The Toyota Hilux . In China (where it is known by the English loanword as 皮卡车 pí kǎ chē), the Great Wall Wingle is manufactured domestically and exported to Australia. In Thailand, pickups manufactured for local sale and export include the Isuzu D-Max and the Mitsubishi Triton. In Latin and South America, the Toyota Hilux , Ford Ranger, VW Amarok , Dodge Ram , Chevrolet S-10 , Chevrolet D-20 , and Chevrolet Montana are sold. In South Africa , pickups account for about 17% of

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1232-520: The cab sitting above the front axle . This arrangement allows a longer cargo area for the same overall length. An early cab-forward, drop-sided pickup was the Volkswagen Transporter , introduced in 1952. This configuration is more common among European and Japanese manufacturers than in North America. The design was more popular in North America in the 1950s and 1960s, with examples including

1288-534: The "Ford Model T Runabout with Pickup Body," it sold for US$ 281 ; 34,000 were built. In 1928, it was replaced by the Model A , which had a closed-cab, safety-glass windshield, roll-up side windows, and three-speed transmission. In 1931, General Motors introduced light-duty pickups for both GMC and Chevrolet targeted at private ownership. These pickup trucks were based on the Chevrolet Master . In 1940, GM introduced

1344-545: The 1960s. In many parts of the world, pickups frequently use a dropside bed – with a flat tray with hinged panels that can be raised separately on the sides and the rear. The fleetside has gradually fully replaced the earlier, separate-fender look: The last time Chevrolet and GMC used the Stepside style was on the 2005 Silverado and Sierra 1500 models; Ford last used the Flareside style on the 2009 F-150. Consumer pickup trucks sold in

1400-818: The Chevrolet Fleetside, the Chevrolet El Camino , the Dodge Sweptline, and in 1957, Ford's purpose-built Styleside. Pickups began to feature comfort items such as power options and air conditioning. During this time, pickups with four doors, known as crew cabs, started to become popular. These pickup trucks were released in 1954 in Japan with the Toyota Stout , in 1957 in Japan with the Datsun 220 , and in 1957 in America with

1456-584: The Macho Power Wagon and Street Van. The 1978 gas guzzler tax , which taxed fuel-inefficient cars while exempting pickup trucks, further distorted the market in favor of pickups. Furthermore, until 1999, light trucks were not required to meet the same safety standards as cars, and 20 years later, most still lagged behind cars in the adoption of safety features. In the 1980s, the compact Mazda B-series , Isuzu Faster , and Mitsubishi Forte debuted. Subsequently, US manufacturers built their compact pickups for

1512-436: The US have increased in weight by 32% since 1990. Also, cabins have grown and risen further from the ground and grill and hood sizes have increased over time. These changes mean that a modern standard pickup truck has a 2.1–3.0 m (7–10 ft) longer blind spot in front of its grill than most other vehicles as well as increased blind spots behind and to the side. The Ford F-250 has a hood almost 1.8 m (6 ft) from

1568-421: The US, a homeowner can rent a pickup truck to transport a large appliance from a home supply store. Equipping pickup trucks with a camper shell provides a small space for camping . Slide-in truck campers can offer a pickup truck the amenities of a small motorhome , but still allow the operator the option of removal and independent use of the vehicle. Pickups are popular with overlanders as they are often

1624-401: The United States and Canada, pickups are used primarily for passenger transport. Pickup trucks are often marketed and used for their hauling (utilizing cargo bed) and towing (utilizing body-on-frame design and long wheelbase) capabilities. Pickup trucks are also used by many journeymen , tradesmen , and outdoor enthusiasts . They are also used to move or transport large goods. For example, in

1680-461: The United States. Full-sized pickups and SUVs are an important source of revenue for major car manufacturers such as Ford , General Motors , and Stellantis , accounting for more than two-thirds of their global pre-tax earnings, though they make up just 16% of North American vehicle production. These vehicles have a high profit margin and a high price tag; in 2018, Kelley Blue Book cited an average cost (including optional features) of US$ 47,174 for

1736-543: The company produced their light (pickup) trucks, initially on their sufficiently sturdy passenger car frames. But after switching to distinct, dedicated truck frames in 1936, Dodge/Fargo launched an extensive own truck range for 1939, marketed as the "Job-Rated" trucks . These Art Deco –styled trucks were again continued after World War II. International Harvester offered the International K and KB series , which were marketed towards construction and farming and did not have

Wentzville Assembly - Misplaced Pages Continue

1792-530: The construction of the factory, which gathered enough signatures to be placed on the ballot. At the August 6, 1980 election in Orion Township, the construction of the plant was approved by 90% of voters, and groundbreaking took place shortly after. On July 5, 1984, President Ronald Reagan gave a ceremonial dedication speech at the plant. Also in attendance were Michigan Governor James Blanchard , Michigan Senators Carl Levin and Don Riegle , Representative (from

1848-764: The dedicated light-truck platform, separate from passenger cars, which GM named the AK series . Ford North America continued to offer a pickup body style on the Ford Model 51 , and the Ford Australian division produced the first Australian "ute" in 1932. In 1940, Ford offered a dedicated light-duty truck platform called the Ford F-100 , then upgraded the platform after World War II to the Ford F-Series in 1948. Dodge at first assumed heavier truck production from Graham-Paige , while

1904-775: The domestic market, including the Ford Ranger , and the Chevrolet S-10 . Minivans make inroads into the pickups' market share. In the 1990s, pickups' market share was further eroded by the popularity of SUVs. Mid-sized electric trucks had been tried early in the 20th century but soon lost out to gasoline and diesel vehicles. In 1997, the Chevrolet S-10 EV was released, but few were sold, and those were mostly to fleet operators. By 2023, pickup trucks had become strictly more lifestyle than utilitarian vehicles. Annual surveys of Ford F-150 owners from 2012 to 2021 revealed that 87% of

1960-458: The end of 2025. The company says the delay is due to a need to align its investment strategy with the slower-than-expected uptake in EV demand. Hourly workers at GM's Orion plant are not being left in the lurch with the EV production pushback. They get job offers at other Michigan facilities, like Factory Zero, which is gearing up to boost its production next year. After GM announced the plan to construct

2016-523: The facility, GM CEO Mary Barra announced that "employment will nearly triple (from 2023) and we'll have a companywide capacity to build 600,000 electric trucks annually." GM has pushed back the production schedule for its electric trucks at the Orion Township plant in Michigan. Originally set to start in late 2024, the production of models like the Chevy Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV is now slated for

2072-428: The ground. It may be impossible to see a small object such as a child as far as 4.6 m (15 ft) in front of the vehicle. A total of 575 children in the US died in front-over deaths between 2009 and 2019, most by their parents. This is an 89% increase in mortality from the previous ten years. Additionally, US car-related fatalities went up by 8% and pedestrian casualties increased by 46% between 2011 and 2021. While

2128-685: The lighter 1500-series vans with the Chevrolet City Express built by Nissan in Mexico , retaining manufacture of the commercial-grade models in Wentzville. Also in 2014, Wentzville began manufacturing the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon , whose predecessors had been manufactured at the shuttered Shreveport Assembly factory in Louisiana. Wentzville has received numerous quality awards over

2184-496: The local district) William Broomfield and notable General Motors executives, including chairman and CEO Roger Smith . During his speech, Reagan commended both GM and the United Auto Workers for their progress in the automotive industry. From late 2025: 42°43′02″N 83°15′43″W  /  42.71719°N 83.26196°W  / 42.71719; -83.26196 Pickup truck A pickup truck or pickup

2240-625: The market in favor of US manufacturers. The tariff directly affected any country seeking to bring light trucks into the United States and effectively "squeezed smaller Asian truck companies out of the American pickup market." Over the intervening years, Detroit lobbied to protect the light-truck tariff, thereby reducing pressure on Detroit to introduce vehicles that polluted less and that offered increased fuel economy. The US government's 1973 Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) policy set higher fuel-economy requirements for cars than pickups. CAFE led to

2296-507: The most affordable vehicle capable of carrying the large quantities of fuel needed for long distance, remote travel and generator use without expensive modifications. Modified pickups can be used as improvised, unarmored combat vehicles called a technical . Pickup trucks are used to carry passengers in parts of Africa and Southeast Asia. In Thailand, most songthaews are converted pickup trucks and flatbed trucks. In Haiti, tap taps are also converted pickup trucks. Towing with pickup trucks

Wentzville Assembly - Misplaced Pages Continue

2352-509: The most popular being the Ford Ranger with 27,300 units sold in 2015. Other models include the Renault Alaskan (a rebadged Nissan Navara ), and the Toyota Hilux . The NOx law and other differing regulations prevent pickups from being imported to Japan, but the Japanese domestic market Mitsubishi Triton was available for a limited time. The most recent pickup truck for sale in Japan is

2408-572: The norm and the bed was shrunk to accommodate the larger cab, and a 2023 F-150 consisted of 63% cab and 37% bed. While the Ford F-150 has been the best-selling vehicle in the United States since 1982, the Ford F-150, or indeed any full-sized pickup truck, is a rare sight in Europe, where higher fuel prices and narrower city roads make it difficult to use daily. In the United States, pickups are favored by

2464-585: The outside of the cargo area; originally these were just fenders attached to a cargo box. This style used to be the standard design, as it was cheaper to manufacture. A fleetside bed has wheel wells inside of a double-walled bed, and most are usually designed to match the cab's styling. The two types of bed have been given a variety of names by different manufacturers; "Stepside" and "Fleetside" originate with Chevrolet but are also frequently used by Dodge as well as GMC. GMC has also used "Wideside" instead of Fleetside, while Dodge has also used "Utiline" and "Sweptline" for

2520-445: The owners used their trucks frequently for shopping and running errands and 70% for pleasure driving, whereas 28% used their trucks often for personal hauling (41% occasionally and 32% rarely/never) and only 7% used them for towing while 29% only did so occasionally and 63% rarely/never did. The 1960s–1970s Ford F-100 was typically a regular cab and consisted of mostly 64% bed and 36% cab, while by mid-2000s, crew cabs were largely becoming

2576-585: The passenger and light commercial vehicle sales, mostly the Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger , and Isuzu KB ( Isuzu D-Max ). The Volkswagen Amarok and Nissan Navara are also sold. In the United States and Canada, nearly all new pickups are sold with automatic transmissions . Only the Jeep Gladiator and the Toyota Tacoma are available with manual transmissions. A regular cab, single cab or standard cab, has

2632-539: The plant has approximately 1,032 salaried and hourly employees. It assumed operations of Buick City , and Pontiac Assembly . Orion Assembly commenced production on December 1, 1983 with the 1985 model C-body cars. Orion Assembly produced the Chevrolet Malibu and Pontiac G6 until 2009, when the plant was idled due to the General Motors Chapter 11 reorganization of 2009. The plant in suburban Detroit

2688-474: The reasons for this increase are complex, Consumer Reports partially attributes this number to increased truck size and prevalence. Chuck Farmer from the US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has found large pickup trucks to be as deadly or deadlier than muscle cars and "... are work trucks, and people should not be using them primarily for commuting, because they kill so many other drivers." In

2744-504: The replacement of the station wagon by the minivan , the latter of which belonged in the truck category, which allowed it to comply with less strict emissions standards. Eventually, CAFE led to the promotion of sport utility vehicles (SUVs). Pickups, unhindered by the emissions controls regulations on cars, began to replace muscle cars as the performance vehicle of choice. The Dodge Warlock appeared in Dodge's "adult toys" line, along with

2800-541: The standard $ 28/hour. For the first time, parts supplier employees worked alongside of GM workers on the assembly line. They made as little as $ 10/hour. This arrangement replaced GM's previous plan to import a new subcompact vehicle from China. Orion's bid was selected over those from plants in Wisconsin ( Janesville Assembly ), and Tennessee ( Spring Hill Assembly ). On March 22, 2019, GM announced an additional investment of $ 300 million and an addition of 400 workers to build

2856-452: The term bakkie ; a diminutive of Afrikaans : bak , meaning bowl or container . Once a work or farming tool with few creature comforts, in the 1950s, US consumers began purchasing pickups for lifestyle reasons, and by the 1990s, less than 15 percent of owners reported use in work as the pickup truck's primary purpose. In North America, the pickup is mostly used as a passenger car and accounts for about 18% of total vehicles sold in

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2912-492: The two types. Ford uses "Flareside" and "Styleside", respectively. Jeep has used "Sportside" and "Thriftside" for the separate fender style, and "Townside" for flush designs. International Harvester called the two types "Standard" and "Bonus-Load". The first fleet-sided pickup truck was the Crosley in the 1940s, followed by the 1955 Chevrolet Cameo Carrier . Early pickups had wood-plank beds, which were largely replaced by steel by

2968-458: The years for both the mid size truck and full size van models. Orion Assembly Orion Assembly is a 4,300,000 sq ft (400,000 m ) General Motors vehicle assembly plant located in Orion Township, Michigan . From late 2025, the plant is slated to assemble battery electric pickup trucks such as the Chevrolet Silverado EV and the GMC Sierra EV . As of September 2019,

3024-523: Was at the time partially occupied by the Oakland-Pontiac Airport ; and from the community group Area Citizens for a Rural Environment (ACRE) who opposed the factory over environmental concerns. GM instated a community relations campaign in Orion Township to garner support. While groundbreaking was intended to happen in June, the construction of the factory was briefly delayed by an ACRE referendum opposing

3080-420: Was later followed by Dodge in 1963, Ford in 1965, and Chevrolet in 1973. However, they were originally available only with three-quarter-ton or one-ton models (such as Ford F-250/F-350), while half-ton trucks like Ford F-150 would not become available in four-door configuration until 2001, by which time crew cabs also started overtaking regular/extended cabs in popularity. Cab-over or cab forward designs have

3136-597: Was saved from closure through a $ 1 billion grants and tax incentives from the state of Michigan, local municipalities and the federal government. Under an agreement with the UAW , the plant began assembling the successor to the South Korean-built Chevrolet Aveo , the Chevrolet Sonic , in 2011 — making it the only subcompact car currently assembled in America. Later in 2011, the plant began manufacturing

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