Pasadena, CA -- (SBWIRE) --05/12/2011 -- General Motors has announced that it will invest over $2 billion in 17 plants spread across 8 states. The move is also expected to save and add a total of 4,200 jobs in these plants.

Around 2,000 jobs are expected to be saved in the Detroit metro area alone, people familiar with the details said. But the new jobs will first be offered to 2,000 laid-off GM workers who are UAW members. After that they will be offered to others who will be paid the second-tier wage of around $14 per hour.

The jobs in Detroit will be at GM’s Chevrolet Volt factory. Demand for the Volt because of the rise in gas prices has prompted GM to move up its hiring plans for the plant. Initially, GM planned to add around 1,000 workers. But now it may add as many as 2,000 workers. GM is planning to build more than 25,000 Volts in 2011. The original plan was for 10,000 Volts this year.

GM’s plant at Toledo is getting around $204 million and is expected to generate 250 jobs. Its plant in Blowing Green will get $131 million in investment and bring about 250 jobs to the community. Most of the jobs that GM will be adding at its 17 plants will be on the factory floor, but several hundred are also expected to be white-collar. The hiring is expected to start this year and go on for the next two years.

GM has not revealed all the specifics of its plan. It has said that it still needs to work out the details of its plan. GM is expecting support and incentives from the local and state governments. AutomotiveCrossing, a job aggregator site for the auto industry, has a database of over 18,000 jobs available in the auto industry. Most of the jobs listings are taken directly from the employer websites.