Construction on the 4,000,000-square-foot (370,000 m2) plant started in 1974, and it opened in 1979 to produce the newly designed X-body cars for the 1980 model year.
[1] On December 6, 2005, General Motors alerted the United Auto Workers local 1999 that the plant would be closed in February 2006 as part of cost-saving measures.
The last vehicle produced at the plant, a white Chevrolet TrailBlazer EXT, rolled out on February 20, 2006.
[2] The Oklahoma City plant employed 2,400 people — 2,200 hourly and 200 salaried — but economists estimated that as many as 7,500 jobs in the area could be affected, including those at GM suppliers and secondary jobs, like hotel and restaurant workers.
Laid-off employees had the option of retiring or enrolling in GM's Jobs Bank, which allows workers to collect full pay and benefits as they attend classes or volunteer at community agencies.