This 'entry-level luxury car' will help 500 retain their jobs in KCK

The newest model Cadillac will be built in Kansas City, Kan., allowing a local plant to retain 500 jobs.

The Cadillac XT4, a compact SUV, was unveiled Tuesday by the company. The vehicle will be manufactured at the Fairfax Assembly & Stamping Plant, where workers are hopeful it will provide job stability and even new hiring. The plant laid off about 1,000 workers last summer.

Shannon Wickingson, an employee at Fairfax, said the layoffs represented a "huge struggle and huge loss, but this brings us a ray of hope that if this car produces and sells, maybe we can get some people back to work."

Anthony Walker, another employee, said it was gratifying that General Motors was putting faith in the Fairfax plant to produce one of its "flagship cars."

For the unveiling Tuesday, Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen, speaking from the Cadillac House in New York, gave a nod to the Fairfax employees in Kansas City, Kan., whom he visited with last week.

"...to the Cadillac team in Fairfax this evening, where we're going to assemble this wonderful new addition to the Cadillac family, thank you for the good job you're doing for Cadillac," de Nysschen said.

Gov. Jeff Colyer attended the event at the Fairfax plant, touting the announcement as one of the most important in the state.

"It shows we can do high-tech and high-value manufacturing," Colyer said.

When asked about preventing potential future layoffs at the plant, Colyer said the state needed to focus on "changing workforce training to be more supportive of high-tech jobs."

The XT4, which will start at $34,790, goes on sale this fall. It was described by Mary Padilla, a Fairfax spokeswoman, as an "entry-level luxury car."

"For those who always wanted a Cadillac, this could be the car for you," she said.

The XT4 has 237 horsepower, 20-inch wheels, an electronic shifter and is Cadillac's "sportiest SUV so far," according to Andrew Smith, executive director of Cadillac design, who spoke from the New York event.

"Aggressive" and "sporty" were among Smith's favored adjectives for describing the new vehicle.

GM confirmed last month that it would manufacture a new vehicle at Fairfax. The plant will continue manufacturing the Chevy Malibu, alongside the XT4.

Dan Kandlbinder, the president of UAW Local 31, which represents workers at Fairfax, said adding another vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle, to the line provides a sense of affirmation and security for plant workers.

"When you're down to one product in one plant, and the market is not as strong, it does get scarier," Kandlbinder said. "So another vehicle coming into the plant spells job security."

This story was originally published March 27, 2018 at 8:29 PM with the headline "This 'entry-level luxury car' will help 500 retain their jobs in KCK."