FLINT, MI - General Motors Company is investing more than $230 million in four GM plants in the greater Flint area to support the production of the fuel-efficient 2011 Chevrolet Cruze and Volt, according to the automaker. The four GM plants include Flint Engine South, Flint Metal Center, Flint Tool & Die, and Grand Blanc Weld Tool Center.

Production among the four plants will be as such:

Flint Engine South: $202 million invested to renovate the former I5/I6 manufacturing operations for production of a 1.4L four-cylinder engine generator for the Chevrolet Volt and a 1.4L four-cylinder turbo engine for the Cruze.

Flint Metal Center: $1.7 million invested to refurbish press lines that will produce sheet metal stampings for the Volt.

Flint Tool and Die: Facility used to design dies for the Chevrolet Cruze and construction and tryout of stamping die sets for the Volt program. All dies for the Chevy Volt were engineered at Flint Tool & Die. Approximately 50 percent of dies for the Volt were designed at this facility.

Grand Blanc Weld Tool Center: Approximately $30 million invested in this facility to build the robotic weld tool cells that will assemble the Volt body at the Volt assembly plant. Grand Blanc Weld Tool Center also built the robotic weld tool cells for the body shop to assemble the Chevrolet Cruze at Lordstown (Ohio) Assembly.

The Chevrolet Cruze, scheduled to launch next spring, is Chevy's all-new global compact car. The Cruze will be powered by a 1.4L four-cylinder turbo engine and is expected to deliver better fuel economy than the current leader in the segment, the Chevrolet Cobalt XFE, rated at 37 mpg highway, according to GM.

The Chevrolet Volt, scheduled to start production in late 2010 as a 2011 model, will be GM's first extended-range electric vehicle. The Volt can travel up to 40 miles on electricity from a single battery charge and can extend its overall range to more than 300 miles with its flex fuel-powered 1.4L engine-generator, which will be produced at Flint Engine South.