DaimlerChrysler said on Tuesday it will invest $624 million to expand its engine plant in Kenosha, Wisc., as part of a continuing drive to modernize its U.S. engine operations.
The German-U.S. auto maker said construction on a 500,000-square-foot expansion to the 1.3-million-square-foot plant will begin this fall and will mean the addition of a fourth engine line at the plant. No time frame for the construction's completion or the start of production for the new engines were revealed.
``We do need the additional engine capacity,'' DaimlerChrysler spokesman David Barnas said.
The investment also will add about 50 to 100 jobs at the plant, which currently employs about 2,000 people. The plant makes 2.5-liter I-4 and 4-liter I-6 rear-wheel-drive engines for the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Cherokee and Wrangler sport utility vehicles, and Dodge Dakota pickup trucks, and 2.7-liter V6 front-wheel-drive engines for the Chrysler Concorde and Dodge Intrepid mid-sized cars.
