Although this news is not heavily related to Wyandotte County, one of the county's largest employers will have a new leader.

General Motors' Chief Executive Fritz Henderson resigned today.

GM announced Ed Whitacre, who is currently the chairman of the board at GM, will take over responsibilities on an interim basis.

The GM Fairfax plant employees thousands in Wyandotte County. It's two primary products – the Chevy Malibu and the Buick LaCrosse – remain hot sellers.

General Motors yesterday announced its first monthy American sales gain since January 2008.

Part of that success can be contributed to the demand of the Chevy Malibu and the Buick LaCrosse. Both cars are produced at the General Motors Fairfax plant in Kansas City, Kan.

The overall increase is 4.7 percent from last month. The report:

Demand for new cars such as the Chevy Malibu and Cadillac CTS, long with crossover SUVs such as the Buick Enclave, fueled better October results for GM with sales up 4.7 percent. Sales of the much-anticipated, all-new 2010 Buick LaCrosse, which is hitting showrooms right about now, are also expected to keep GM on an upward trend.

Along with Ford announcing a profit from last quarter, is the domestic auto market on a long-term rebound?

For the past two years when General Motors corporate employees visited Fairfax, they harped on the importance of the KCK plant for the future of GM. Early numbers from the LaCrosse suggest they are right.

The General Motors Fairfax plant celebrated the launch of the 2010 Buick LaCrosse today.

Local dignitaries and national officials from both GM and the United Auto Workers joined in celebration of the continuing good news flowing out of the Fairfax plant.

"We are very proud to present this car to the public," said Rex Blackwell, plant manager. "We think we've pulled off something wonderful here and it's been received with rave reviews."

The 2010 Buick LaCrosse will be produced solely at the Fairfax plant. Getting up to 30 miles per gallon of gas on the highway and 20 in the city, the LaCrosse will compete with the Acura Tl, Toyota Avalon, Lincoln MKZ, the Lexus ES350 and the Toyota Camry.

Officials at General Motors are banking on the LaCrosse to increase market share against both the domestic and import products.

So far, GM likes what they see.

Susan Docherty, a vice president at GM, said 28 percent of the early purchases or trade-ins for the LaCrosse are coming from non-GM owners, while 20 percent are trading in imports.

"The new LaCrosse was created with great attention to detail, craftsmanship and advanced technology," she said. "We know that the Fairfax Assembly team is focused on building the highest quality vehicle for our customers."

Meanwhile, the plant's impact locally was focused in on by Unified Government Mayor/CEO Joe Reardon, U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) and U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore (D-KS).

"The work you do helps Wyandotte County," Reardon said. "The plant success is leading to new opportunities."

"You are seeing quality products made in Kansas," Brownback said. "It's something different and will help bring GM ahead in the marketplace."

Moore added that the plant is a sign that economic recovery might be closer to a reality.

Since Fairfax will be the sole producer of both the LaCrosse and Chevy Malibu, a third shift will begin to operate at the plant next January.

The General Motors Fairfax plant celebrated the launch of the 2010 Buick LaCrosse today.

Here are some photos of the launch. A recap and video will be available later on this afternoon. More photos are available after the jump.

After an announcement of more jobs and a third shift, more good news for the General Motors Fairfax plant was formally announced today.

Beginning in late November, the plant will be the only producer of the hot-selling Chevy Malibu.

GM Group Vice President GM Global Manufacturing and Labor Relations Tim Lee made the announcement at this afternoon's launch of the Buick LaCrosse.

With initial sales of the LaCrosse doing well, Lee said the Fairfax plant provides a crucial role for the recovery of the national GM brand.

"We are proud of what we're doing here," he said. "We will be completely sold out of every product made here."

The other Malibu-producing plant will convert into a "small cars" producing plant and will compete with international models.

A recap of the LaCrosse launch available soon.

A number of local and state-wide dignitaries will celebrate the launch of the Buick LaCrosse with General Motors Fairfax employees on Monday.

The newest product constructed at the Fairfax plant will be celebrated at 11:40 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 26.

Among the following guests expected to speak at the event:

• U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS)
• U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore (D-KS)
• Unified Government Mayor/CEO Joe Reardon
• Tim Lee, group vice president of manufacturing and labor relations
• Diana Tremblay, GMNA Vice President
• Brian Czape, UAW Coordinator
• Rex Blackwell, plant manager at Fairfax
• John Melton, UAW Local 31 Chairman

Earlier this year, former Kansan staff member Sam Hartle produced this video on the LaCrosse.

The Kansas City Star is reporting this morning about a third shift being added to the Fairfax General Motors plant in Kansas City, Kan.

The shift will create around 1,000 additional jobs, which will help Wyandotte County avoid a double-digit unemployment percentage. Earlier this summer, the county eclisped the 10 percent mark. However, this month's report indicated the number had dropped below that amount.

In a tough economy locally and nationally, it's good to see one of Wyandotte County's largest employers continue to expand.