NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Governor Bredesen said Tennessee's bid to persuade General Motors to bring production of its new small car to Spring Hill is "nothing like" what the automaker originally asked for.
The governor told reporters Thursday that while he hasn't heard from GM about the bid, he remains confident about Spring Hill's prospects if the company bases its decision on what he called "business reasons."
The Spring Hill plant is one of three in the running to build the new small car. The other facilities are located in Orion Township, Michigan and in Janesville, Wisconsin.
Spring Hill currently builds the Chevy Traverse but will go idle later this year when production of the crossover vehicle shifts to Michigan.
If the plant, which recently underwent a more than $600 million overhaul to build the Traverse, is not chosen by GM it could potentially close, leaving its nearly 3,000 out of a job.
Earlier this month, Tennessee learned GM wants hundreds of millions of dollars from the state up front to bring production to Spring Hill.
The governor made it clear the state cannot "spare" a couple hundred million dollars.
Supporters of the Spring Hill plant have launched a Web site, SaveOurPlant.com, to encourage GM to select the Tennessee plant.
GM is expected to make its decision by the end of the month.
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