WARREN, OH -Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today celebrated the first Chevrolet Cruze "off the line" at General Motors' Lordstown complex. In February, GM announced that it would add a third shift of workers to build the Cruze, adding 1,200 new jobs as a result.

"The auto industry has had some tough times in recent years, but today's launch is a testament to the staying power of the American-made automobile.  Cars like GM's Chevy Cruze represent the future of the auto industry: safe, affordable, and fuel-efficient cars built right here in the United States," said Brown. "This launch is a landmark moment for the state of Ohio, and a turning point for our country's manufacturing sector as a whole. Manufacturing helped build this country's middle class, and its importance to our economy will only grow as our nation demands cleaner and more energy-efficient American-made products like the Cruze."

Brown is a longtime advocate for the auto industry and the Lordstown GM plant. In September 2009, Brown visited the Lordstown facility with President Obama. That visit followed several meetings Brown had with then-GM CEO Fritz Henderson about the future of the facility and the manufacture of the Chevy Cruze. Brown also visited the facility in May 2009 after he successfully fought for assistance to the auto industry and in August 2008 to celebrate a multi-million dollar investment in the facility that helped launch initial production of the Chevy Cruze.

As Chairman of the Senate Banking Subcommittee on Economic Policy, Brown has also held a series of hearings examining best practices for building a national manufacturing policy. He has introduced critical pieces of legislation to help manufacturers retool for the clean energy industry and to promote more domestic manufacturing of clean energy technology.


###