UAW/GM Janesville Assembly Plant Produces 500,000th E85 FlexFuel Vehicle

JANESVILLE, Wisc. March 21, 2006; The General Motors Janesville Assembly plant achieved a milestone of producing more than 500,000 Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, Yukon Denali and Yukon XL Denali full-size sport utility vehicles, with E85 FlexFuel capable engines. The Janesville employees were recognized in a ceremony at the plant which included Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle.

Since 2002, the UAW Local 95 /GM Janesville Assembly workforce has been assembling SUVs with the 5.3L V8 engine that are capable of running on gasoline, E85 ethanol (a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline), or a combination of both. The plant's production is part of the fleet of 1.5 million E85 FlexFuel Vehicles (FFVs) GM currently has on the road and plays an important role in the corporation's commitment to addressing energy concerns and the consumption of petroleum.

"I commend the UAW/GM workforce and General Motors' contributions to and support of alternative fuel sources. Ethanol is clean, renewable, and reduces energy use," said Governor Doyle. "It helps Wisconsin farmers, and it helps energy security by reducing the demand for petroleum."

Ethanol is a high octane, domestically-produced renewable fuel. In the United States., ethanol is typically produced from corn and other grain products, and in the future may be produced from other biomass resources such as agricultural and forestry wastes or specially grown energy crops.

"We have made a significant investment in E85 Ethanol by using the technology on one of our most popular engines," said Gary Malkus, plant manager, GM Janesville Assembly. "With the launch of the all-new Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, Yukon Denali and Yukon XL Denali, we're anticipating that the E85-capable 5.3L FlexFuel engine will make up as much as 70 percent of our production volume."

GM is the leader in FFV production and sales. GM currently has nine models available that are E85 ethanol capable, and plans to add more than 400,000 E85 ethanol-capable vehicles to the fleet in 2006. To aid consumer awareness, in mid-2006 GM's FFVs will be equipped with a yellow gas cap. GM will also be contacting owners of pre-2006 flexible-fuel trucks to remind them of their option to use E85 ethanol fuel or gasoline.

The plant concluded the event by announcing the donation of an E85 ethanol-capable 2007 Chevy Tahoe to The Nature Conservancy in Wisconsin, and an elementary school art competition in which students in the Janesville School District will create artistic interpretations of the theme "Working Together to Protect Precious Places." The winning images will then be magnified and superimposed across the entire body of the Chevy Tahoe that will help The Nature Conservancy in their rugged conservation work.

GM Janesville Assembly built nearly 160,000 vehicles in the 2005 calendar year. The assembly plant currently builds the all-new Chevy Tahoe and Suburban, GMC Yukon and Yukon XL, GMC Yukon Denali and Yukon XL Denali and the Isuzu/GM low cab forward commercial truck.