General Motors Corp. (GM) announced recently that it will invest $370 million to build a new manufacturing plant in Flint, MI, that will produce efficient 4-cylinder engines.

The plant will be the sole North American facility to produce the 1.4-liter naturally aspirated engine used in the Chevrolet Volt , GM’s plug-in hybrid vehicle that is touted to travel up to 40 miles without using gasoline or producing emissions.

GM unveiled the production version of the Chevrolet Volt this month and expects to begin building the vehicle in 2010. GM also expects to build the 1.4-liter turbo engine for the Chevrolet Cruze, an efficient, compact car expected for global release in mid-2010.

In addition to producing efficient engines, the facility itself will be LEED-certified. The plant will also be landfill free; all waste from manufacturing operations will be recycled, reused, or converted to energy.