Lear Corporation, a Fortune 500 auto supplier, will build a world-class, 150,000-square-foot automotive seat manufacturing operation on a portion of RACER Trust's Buick City property in Flint. The company expects to employ 435 people once the project is complete.
Lear Corporation will be the second significant investor in the Buick City property. American Spiralweld Pipe Company built a plant to supply the pipe for water infrastructure projects in the region.
The Michigan Strategic Fund approved a $4.35-million Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant to support Lear’s $29.3-million capital investment at the site, which includes the subassembly and final assembly of automotive seats.
The City of Flint offered a tax abatement to reduce the overall project.
Lear aims to begin construction at the site in the fall with operations starting next spring, which will mark the return of auto manufacturing to Buick City for the first time since 1999.
Building at the iconic former Buick City site is a major boost to the city’s economic prospects.