I read in another story that they were also killing the Volt. To me this all sounds like a ploy to appease the stockholders. They don't give a damn about the thousands of employees this will affect.There aren’t any official closings as of yet, but the manufacturer will not allocate new products to three assembly plants and two propulsion plants next year. Locations include assembly plants in Lordstown, Ohio, Detroit-Hamtramck, and Oshawa, Ontario. Propulsion plants in White Marsh, Maryland and Warren, Michigan are also on the list. It’s expected current operations at these locations will continue through 2019, but with no new product allocations after that, the future of these locations – and the jobs associated with them – are certainly in question.
Additionally, no new product allocations also means that vehicles associated with these plants will likely be going away, and it looks like GM is following Ford's footsteps by killing sedans. The Cadillac XTS, Buick LaCrosse, Chevrolet Cruze, Cadillac CT6, and Chevrolet Impala are seemingly among the vehicular casualties.
The catalyst for this is GM’s grand plan to transition deeper into advanced technologies, which in this day and age generally means electric and autonomous development. There’s also no denying the shift in sales from sedans and compact cars to SUVs and crossovers of all sizes, not to mention pickup trucks. Ultimately, GM hopes the changes will free up $6 billion by the end of 2020.
“The actions we are taking today continue our transformation to be highly agile, resilient, and profitable, while giving us the flexibility to invest in the future,” said GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra. “We recognize the need to stay in front of changing market conditions and customer preferences to position our company for long-term success.”
Unless we fix our infrastructure, electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles are never going to make mainstream. We need to be able to charge cars easily. Autonomous cars will also need to talk to one another somehow. I also think we need to place sensors in the roads.
I think the death of the American Sedan is sad. I don't understand why everyone wants an SUV. They really aren't that practical. A minivan has more utility than the average SUV. Consumer pick-up trucks have gotten really expensive. I don't know who's able to afford a new one. Gas will eventually go up again and we'll probably have to bail out the Big 3 again once SUV sales plummet.