GM plans to axe plants; Chevy Volt, Impala, Cadillac XTS, Buick LaCrosse on chopping block

[FeedBot]

General Motors announced Monday significant changes in North American car production. The company is expected to slow or altogether end production of some models, and shutter some assembly facilities. The Chevy Impala and Volt, Buick LaCrosse, and Cadillac CT6 and XTS sedans likely will end production some time next year due to slowing sales...

View the full article

[Ringo64]

Interesting that the electric game is going the other direction it seems than the 2023 plan. Guess that is the free market and people don't want electric cars just yet.

[Frosty]

Tree huggers and legislatures from all over the country have been demanding electric vehicles for decades, touting its zero emissions qualities - so called zero emissions vehicles (ZEVs). However, no one seemed to ask the public if they truly wanted them or were willing to pay the high cost of obtaining one. It proves once again that you cannot legislate public demand.

What's more ironic is the public is staying away from large and small cars in droves too, opting for larger / more versatile (and profitable) SUVs and trucks. So when the next large up turn in gas prices comes around and people start screaming where are the econo-boxes, the Big Three are collectively going to tell people to go screw themselves since if they won't buy them now, why should they sell them then, especially if they can't make money on them.

Edited November 26, 2018 by Frosty

[Frosty]

This article talks about how demand for passenger cars has changed since 2012.

https://www.aol.com/article/finance/2018/11/26/gm-to-slash-jobs-and-production-cancel-some-car-models/23601258/

The Warren Michigan plant produced FWD and AWD-variant transmissions (a.k.a. the old Versatrak) - 4T60s. These transmissions are becoming passe with the introduction of the larger gear shift transverse transmissions.

Interesting that Detroit-Hamtramck is on the chopping block considering all the investment GM has put into it for both large cars (DTS, STS, CTS) when it opened and then re-did for the Volt. As GM assembly plants go, its one of the newer ones in the US. The Lordstown plant is amongst the oldest. Lordstown has traditionally built small cars, the Vega, Cavalier, Cobalt, and Cruze.