MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

GM Latinamerica confirms business as usual in Mercosur

General Motors has no plans to cut jobs or production in any of its businesses in the Mercosur region said on Tuesday GM’s general manager in Argentina. Edgar Lourencon went further and anticipated that plans to launch a new model for the region at the end of the year are advancing as programmed, and that the bankruptcy filing and restructuring of GM in the US does not influence business as usual in Mercosur countries.

“Here we have quite a solid operation, no solvency problems, we’re strong and healthy to keep investing and we are manufacturing a new model which will begin production at the end of the year”, said Lourencon interviewed by the Buenos Aires media.

General Motors has a car factory in Rosario, 300 kilometres north of Buenos Aires with 2.200 workers and its models are some of the dominant products in the Argentine and regional markets.

“Our clients need not worry, as well as our staff and workers and suppliers”, because “we are going to continue as we have been doing for the last few years with strong investments, particularly in this new product”, said Lourencon.

“We are investing over 130 million US dollars in developing the new product and some of that money has come as a stimulus support from the Argentine government”, revealed the GM CEO.

“We depend from the GM Latinamerican Department which will continue operating as usual”, he underlined. The Argentine government has implemented a stimulus plan for the auto industry which includes subsidies to help keep jobs and salaries, avoid unemployment, and promote the sale of new vehicles and models to promote production and domestic consumption.