Indiana: The State of U.S. Automaking

Our colleagues at Cars.com have once again traveled to Indiana, the "Crossroads of America," for a special report about the impact that the meltdown of the auto industry has had on the state's roughly 11,000 auto workers -- down almost 20 percent from a high of 13,600 in 2007.

Indiana represents the past, present and future of pickup truck manufacturing in the U.S.

General Motors started building full-size pickups in Fort Wayne in 1986. Today, 2010 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra half-ton regular and extended cab pickups still roll off Fort Wayne Assembly's lines.

While many other states are losing truck production, as manufacturers close plants to match lower consumer demand, Indiana is adding jobs for traditional trucks and, hopefully, an all-new plug-in hybrid pickup plant.

GM recently announced it was shuttering its Flint, Mich., truck factory. Production of the medium-duty Chevrolet Kodiak and GMC Top Kick trucks ended there in August and GM is moving Flint's Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra Heavy Duty regular cab and crew cab production to Fort Wayne -- and adding a third shift to the plant.

Electric Motor Company hopes to build its plug-in pickups, based on the Ford F-150, in Indiana with manufacturing partner and RV maker Gulf Stream Coach -- provided the company can obtain alternative powertrain loans from the U.S. government.

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2009/10/indiana-the-state-of-us-automaking.html

Great lets take jobs from Michigan, which has one of the highest unemployment rates in the US, and move em to Indiana. Guess its better than movin em to china.

I agree. MI has been hit hardest by the big threes 'downsizing'. If you look at pictures of Flint from 1955 & 1995, its like 2 different countries.