General Motors is using its profitable momentum to put more workers back on the company payroll.

Chairman and chief executive officer Dan Akerson presided over Tuesday’s announcement that automaker will invest about $2 billion in U.S. assembly and component plants, creating or preserving more than 4,000 jobs at 17 facilities in eight states.

“We are doing this because we are confident about demand for our vehicles and the economy,” Akerson told an assembled gathering at GM’s 54-year-old Toledo Transmission Plant.

“This new investment is on top of $3.4 billion and more than 9,000 jobs that GM has added or saved since mid-2009,” Akerson continued.

With Ohio Gov. John Kasich, U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur and Toledo mayor Michael Bell in the audience, Akerson revealed GM will invest $204 million to retain about 250 jobs for an all-new, advanced 8-speed automatic transmission for future vehicles.

GM pointed out its U.S. sales through the first four months of the year are up 24.8 percent over 2010, and the company last week reported its fifth-consecutive profitable quarter since emerging from bankruptcy reorganization in July 2009.

“The UAW’s goal has been to return all laid-off workers to active status and see the company begin hiring again,” noted Joe Ashton, UAW vice president in the GM department.

“These announcements will create and retain thousands of jobs and bring General Motors back to full employment of our hourly work force,” Ashton added.

The first of the new investments — $131 million and about 250 additional jobs in Bowling Green, Ky., — was announced last week. The OEM stated plant improvements and installation of new equipment to make the next generation Chevrolet Corvette will begin soon, while the current-generation Corvette is assembled for at least the next two model years.

Over the next few months, GM hopes to make specific facility investment announcements dependent on successful completion of state and local incentives in some communities.

According to the Center for Automotive Research, the ripple effect of GM’s planned investments would add almost $2.9 billion to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product and create or retain more than 28,000 jobs.

“If the market continues to recover, we are confident that GM will hire new workers to meet the strong demand for the products our UAW members build,” Ashton insisted.

“I am proud of how our membership has worked hard to ensure the company’s success,” he went on to say.

Akerson also emphasized that working in partnership with the UAW is essential to GM’s success. 

“Nobody builds ’em more fantastic than you do,” Akerson told the employees in Toledo where GM has had a presence since 1916.

“We need you and the rest of our teams at all our facilities to keep working hard and keep being the best,” he declared.

Interest in OnStar FMV Retail Mirror Surges

GM shared other company news Tuesday; this time having to do with OnStar.

With the consumer launch of OnStar’s new retail product, OnStar FMV (For My Vehicle) this summer, officials believe excitement is growing surrounding the expanded availability of the telematics service for more than 90 million vehicles on the road.

The company recapped that OnStar FMV is a rearview mirror that can deliver the core features OnStar offers to more than 6 million active subscribers.

To help consumers determine whether their current vehicle is compatible with OnStar FMV, OnStar launched an online compatibility tool called “Vehicle Selector.” The tool can allow users to enter in basic vehicle information, like make, model and year, to see if the upcoming retail product will work on their vehicle.

“Vehicle Selector” is available at OnStar.com and the OnStar Facebook page.

“The ‘Vehicle Selector’ was accessed more than 10,000 times in the first 24 hours of availability,” noted Sam Mancuso, chief marketing officer at OnStar.

“Since we announced OnStar FMV, consumers have been very interested in whether or not they can get it for their vehicle,” Mancuso continued. “Now they only have to visit OnStar.com and there’s a simple tool they can use to find out, and they can even sign up to receive updates on when OnStar FMV will be available in their area.”

To date, OnStar said it has validated 90 million vehicles manufactured in the last 10 years as compatible with OnStar FMV — up from 55 million when the product was announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in January

OnStar FMV features include:

—Automatic crash response.
—24/7 emergency services.
—Turn-by-turn navigation.
—Stolen vehicle location assistance.
—Roadside assistance.
—Hands-free calling through OnStar or a Bluetooth connection.

OnStar FMV is set to be available later this summer at all Best Buy stores, OnStar’s first strategic retail partner — with onsite installation — and at other consumer electronics retailers.

Officials said OnStar FMV will carry a suggested retail price of $299. Installation, which consists of replacing the existing rearview mirror with OnStar FMV, is expected to take less than an hour and cost no more than $100 in most vehicles.

A range of service plans will be available for OnStar FMV, starting at $18.95 a month or $199 a year.

For more information on OnStar FMV or the “Vehicle Selector,” visit www.onstar.com.

Former GM Chairman and CEO Dies

Robert Stempel, who began his GM career in 1958 and became the automaker’s top executive in 1990, passed away this past weekend at his home in Florida. Stempel was 77.

“The General Motors family mourns the passing of Bob Stempel, who admirably led the company during very difficult times in the early 1990s,” said Dan Akerson, GM’s current chairman and CEO.

“Bob was a very popular chairman with employees, and his many accomplishments as a visionary engineer included leading the development of the catalytic converter, one of the great environmental advancements in auto history,” Akerson noted.

“His knowledge of battery development led to the push for the EV1 electric car, and Bob continued to build his expertise in the electrification of the automobile after he left GM in 1992,” Akerson went on to say.