Pontiac East Assembly (also known as Pontiac Assembly Center and GMC Truck & Coach Division Plant 6) was a General Motors manufacturing facility located in

Pontiac, Michigan Pontiac ( ') is a city in and the county seat of Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 61,606. A northern suburb of Metro Detroit, Pontiac is about northwest of Detroit. Found ...

. The manufacturing complex at 2100 South Opdyke Road occupied a rectangular 162-acre site directly east of the GM Pontiac Centerpoint Complex. Hourly workers were represented by UAW Local 594. The plant closed in 2009 and was demolished in 2011.

History

The plant was built for the GMC Truck & Coach Division; ground was broken in 1970 and the plant was completed in 1972. Production of medium-duty conventional cab trucks was moved from Plant 2 to the newly completed plant in 1973. GMC Truck & Coach Division became GM Truck & Bus Group in 1981. In 1985, medium-duty Chevrolet Kodiak/GMC Topkick truck production was consolidated with

GMC General The GMC General (also known as the Chevrolet Bison) is a heavy-duty ( Class 8) truck that was assembled by the GMC Truck and Coach Division of General Motors from 1977 to 1987. The largest conventional-cab truck ever produced by the company, the ...

and

GMC Astro The GMC Astro (also known as the Chevrolet Titan) is a heavy-duty ( Class 8) cabover truck that was manufactured by the GMC Truck and Coach Division of General Motors from the 1969 to 1987 model years. Succeeding the F/D-series "Crackerbox" ca ...

heavy-duty truck production at Pontiac Central Assembly, and the plant was renovated and re-tooled to produce the all-new

GMT400 The GMT 400 and similar GMT 480 was the platform for the 1988-1998 model year Chevrolet C/K / GMC Sierra full-size pickup trucks. The GMT 410, GMT 420, GMT 425, and GMT 430 were derived for full-size SUVs, including the 1992–1994 Chevrolet Bl ...

light-duty pickups. Floor space amounting to was added, including a second floor that housed the paint facility. Production of the GMT400

Chevrolet Silverado The Chevrolet Silverado is a range of trucks manufactured by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand. Introduced for the 1999 model year, the Silverado is the successor to the long running Chevrolet C/K model line. Taking its name from the ...

and GMC Sierra began in December 1986. In 1997 the plant was closed by an 84-day

UAW The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers (UAW), is an American labor union that represents workers in the United States (including Puerto Rico) ...

strike, the longest strike against GM since 1972. The plant closed in September 2009 and ownership was transferred to the

RACER Trust Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response Trust ("RACER") Trust was created in March 2011 by a consent decree in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. RACER's mission is to clean up and position for ...

, an organization marking surplus GM properties, as part of the General Motors bankruptcy settlement. In late 2011, demolition of the plant began. According to the RACER Trust, the site where the plant stood has been sold. In early 2014 the buyer was identified as Challenge Manufacturing Co., of Walker, Michigan.Challenge Manufacturing bidding on Pontiac location
/ref> Challenge plans to spend $50 million for a 400,000-square-foot plant on the site which will produce automotive components for General Motors. The new plant is expected to employ 450.

Other Associated GMC Facilities

Plant 1, 3, 4, and 5 – known as Pontiac West Assembly. Plant 2 at 660 South Boulevard E – known as "Pontiac Central Assembly".

Vehicles produced

Chevrolet Kodiak The Chevrolet Kodiak and GMC TopKick are a range of medium duty trucks that were produced by the Chevrolet and GMC divisions of General Motors from 1980 to 2009. Introduced as a variant of the medium-duty C/K truck line, three generations were ...

GMC TopKick GMC may refer to: Government India * Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation, in Gujarat * Gobichettipalayam Municipal Corporation, in Tamil Nadu * Guntur Municipal Corporation, in Andhra Pradesh * Guwahati Municipal Corporation, in Assam * Gwalior ...

Chevrolet C/K C/K is a series of trucks that was manufactured by General Motors from the 1960 to 2002 model years. Marketed by both the Chevrolet and GMC divisions, the C/K series encompassed a wide range of vehicles. While most commonly associated with pickup ...

* GMT800 *

GMT900 The GMT900 was a General Motors full-size pickup and SUV platform used for the 2007 to 2014 model years. The platform was introduced at the 2006 North American International Auto Show, as the replacement for the GMT800 platform. The first GMT900 ...

References

{{General Motors factories General Motors factories Motor vehicle assembly plants in Michigan Buildings and structures in Pontiac, Michigan 1972 establishments in Michigan Industrial buildings completed in 1972