One of the arguments that the hubs and I have the most is how long we’ll keep our vehicles.
I’m an every two-years “need a new car” kind of girl. He brags that he’s a “drive it till the wheels fall off” kind of guy.
I laugh when he says that I’ll be driving my SUV for 10 years.
He’s insane. It’s as if his eyes have been closed during the last 22 years we’ve been together and I’ve had 7 different cars. (He’s had 6, by the way.)
It’ll never happen, especially if I keep hanging out with the folks from Chevy GMC.
Earlier this month they loaned me a loaded Acadia for our trip to Colorado. This week they put me behind the wheel of a 2015 Suburban and turned the other way when I “tested” the acceleration on the service road. In case you’re wondering, it’ll get you out of a jam without spilling your coffee – even with 6 people inside.
We set our GPS on the mothership: the GM Assembly Plant in Arlington.
I knew right where it was. When I moved to the DFW area in 1996, I worked very near the plant and always, always wondered what it was like inside. Finally, I found out.
It’s BIG y’all.
Four million square feet, big. Thank goodness they had us ride a tram like at Disneyland with speakers and everything.
And they’re bustin’ a move out there. In fact, they’re running three shifts (that’s 24 hours a day) to produce on average, one SUV a minute.
Our Arlington plant produces ALL the full-size SUV’s for GM worldwide, and they recently had their 10 MILLIONTH vehicle roll off the production line. You can see its shiny self at the Dallas Auto Show through Sunday of this week.
That gorgeous Suburban is somewhat of a celebrity. She’s extra extra special because Suburban is celebrating its 80th year of continuous production. No other model vehicle has been made for that long. Am I a legit gear head if I almost teared up watching their anniversary video?
In case you were thinking it’s a man’s world in that mini manufacturing city, you’re wrong. It’s certainly no tea room, but during our tour the GM folks introduced us to some of the smart lady leaders at the Arlington facility and we saw lots of women on the plant floor.
I’m sure it wasn’t that way when the Arlington manufacturing facility started production in 1954 when the 1st Pontiac Chieftan rolled off their line,
but now in 2014, they (men & women) made more than 280,000 vehicles – their best sales year since before the crash in 2007.
Coincidence? I think not.
As we wrapped up our event, I was struck with how darn happy the employees were. On every turn, someone was smiling and waving at us like we were princesses in a parade.
You can’t leave the GM Arlington Plant without sharing in the pride they have in their company and their product.
And gosh, it’s pretty.
If you have the opportunity, I’d recommend taking this fascinating tour. They plan to offer them to the public again this summer. Watch the GM website for details.
Although I was compensated by SheBuysCars to attend this two day media event, opinions are completely my own.
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