On Tuesday, General Motors made a major announcement surrounding its South Korean operations and delivered the news that the Gunsan assembly plant would shut down by May 2018 amid restructuring efforts. Shortly after the announcement, President Donald Trump spoke on the matter and said his administration’s pro-business policies led the closure and that GM is moving “back from Korea to Detroit.”
That’s not the case, according to David Albritton, GM’s executive director of product development and international communications.
“That announcement in particular was about our Gunsan plant closing and our need to restructure the business in South Korea,” he told The Detroit Free Press in a report published yesterday. He added that 100 percent of the South Korean announcement has to do with Korea and it does not translate to additional jobs in the United States.
President Trump touted the news during an infrastructure meeting and said, “You don’t hear these things except for the fact that Trump became president. Believe me, you wouldn’t be hearing that. So they’re moving back from Korea to Detroit. … Also you saw Chrysler moving from Mexico to Michigan, and you have many other companies, they all want to be where the action is.”
Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles is not shutting down its Mexican factory, but it will move Ram Heavy Duty production to the Warren Truck Plant. Since 2015, GM has invested well over $5.4 billion in U.S. manufacturing.
The Gunsan plant, which builds the Chevrolet Cruze and Orlando, has run at 20 percent capacity for the past three years, per GM. A local South Korean outlet added high wages, union battles and lower productivity has hurt GM Korea in recent years. Per the report, it takes about 3 hours longer to assemble a car in South Korea than in the U.S.
GM said it has a concrete plan for GM Korea stakeholders, which include the government and unions, to continue operations in the country. Now, the future of the automaker’s presence rests in the hands of those entities, Albritton said.
Comments
All politicians are slime and will say anything to look good, but Drumpf is just an idiot, and it shows like a beacon of light in the darkest of night when he goes off-script…
The “idiot” beat Hillary Clinton and all those “smart people” that proclaimed she had a “96% chance of winning.”
The humiliation must be hard that a guy who never took part in one election or held office, EVER, beat your 40-year career criminal, uh, politician.
Since Trump was elected President, here is just a sample:
– 100+ record stock market highs, which means your pensions are worth more
– Tax Cut bill success when the lefties said it would never pass. Companies are giving bonuses to employee in the billions.
– Economy the strongest it has been in 20 years. MANUFACURING at 17-year highs.
– GM, Ford, Chrysler, and Toyota/ Mazda all in
– Apple is bringing back $350 BILLION in offshore profits and investing over half a billion dollars in America and Americans
– African-American unemployment rate the lowest EVER in history.
– Hispanic- American unemployment rate lowest in HISTORY.
– Food stamp usage lowest in history
– Unemployment rate lowest in decades
– Thousands of MS-13 and pedophiles arrested and/ or deported
…
I could go on, but all you have is grade-school name-calling of “Drumpf”?…How sad, no wonder you lost to President Trump..
– thousands of children saved from pizza rings
– Republican witches tossed out of Covens in Delaware
– Ford Focus saved from Mexico by moving production to China only a few days after Ivanka met with Xi
– all new jobs in tech for FB ad-checkers chasing rooskybots at $3/h
– markets are ok today, but yesterday, and tomorrow… (all market tanks are preceded by volatility)
– swamp draining every day, actually every hour, at the White House (is it really swamp draining if you keep replacing them with more swampies? When will Trump appoint someone who he won’t fire?)
– government closed for business, just when the markets need regulations cut
– less than 1/3 of government presidential appointees made, therefore regulation-cutting still remains in the hands of Obama appointees…
“Starting with Trump’s inauguration, the Dow has risen from 19,827.3 to 25,075.1 — an increase of 26 percent. That’s impressive.
But it’s not as impressive as its performance during the equivalent period under Obama. Under Obama, the Dow increased from 7,949.1 to 10,572 — a rise of 33 percent.
In fact, the Dow’s rise was even more impressive under Obama if you start measuring at the market’s low point, on March 9, 2009, during the depths of the Great Recession. That day, the Dow closed at 6,547. Between then and Jan. 5 — a 10-month period — the Dow rose by a stunning 61 percent. That’s more than three times faster than Trump’s rise over the same period in his term.”
Politicafacts
Oh, and Obama handed Trump a stable Wall Street. That he spent years fixing from another fumbling moron Republican. And remember —
— Republican Presidents crash economies with fiscal insanity and then Democrats get yelled at for spending 8 years fixing them.
Happens every time. Funny — why aren’t the fascists complaining about the debt now? You know — the one their tax plan just dramatically added to?
children…
You would have a point if your timing wasn’t so off. 45’s economic policies are just getting traction so all those wonderful stats you highlight are a direct and residual result of the tenure of President Obama.
So that you’re clear, 45’s economic policies just went into effect January 2018 so come this time next year, one can look back and then give a summation of the impact of such.
Yep
Obama wasn’t slime. Just children that shoot up Florida schools think so. And the apologists which support them.
We get it Sean, you are butt-hurt that your candidate lost. Okay, actually humiliated. The 40-year career politician that outspent President Trump by a factor of 4-to-1, had all the mainstream media in bed with her, and the pollsters (all Democrats) proudly claimed the little lady had a “96% chance of winning”, says a lot about people like you.
The only thing you did get right in your “article”/ political propaganda is you addressed President Trump correctly by his title. The rest, well, as Q Anon would say, “These people are stupid!” No wonder you/ they lost.
spooks,
This is not an opinion piece. This is news. These are facts. Nor am I voicing any political preference here—this isn’t a property for that. My job is to report the facts. These are the facts straight from General Motors. It doesn’t get simpler than that.
Thanks for reading,
-Sean
Triggered, Sean?
If you havent noticed, we readers are tired of your sneaky (and not so sneaky) “articles” that essentially veiled political propaganda pieces. We know you hate President Trump and seem to be very bothered by this, but your own automotive state of Michigan disagrees with you…The majority voted President Trump in, including a majority of union households. In fact, auto union heads met with President Trump several times and are very please working with. Might have something to do with thousands of new manufacturing jobs, huge auto company investments or reinvestments, and a overall increase in the economy that affect all Americans positively.
Will you also write about President Trump’s many amazing accomplishments as easily as you write only negative things? Still waiting, as are many who support GM on here…We are not fooled, Sean.
Tired, sneaky, veiled, propaganda, not fooled…
The standard vocabulary of the triggered, accusations in every second word. Oh, and the triggered also incessantly accuse everyone else of being, y’know, “triggered”.
If you voted for Trump, it’s because Hillary and Putin triggered you. If you are conservative and voted without being triggered, you would have voted for Kasich.
We get it Spooks, you are butt-hurt that your candidate is failing miserably in office. Okay, actually humiliatingly failing. The 50-year career businessman that could only beat Hillary by less than 2% in the Electoral College, and actually lost to Hillary by over 3% nationwide, humiliating figures that even Jeb would have crushed. 2% win, even though he had Hillary to beat (the easiest gimme of all time) and had the mainstream Fox media in bed with him (literally, on three screens) and don’t forget Fox is owned by an Australian with deep, deep ties to the English Royals. Fox national network, Fox cable, Fox radio, Fox web, that’s MAINstream, controlled outside of America. Says a lot about people like you that Rupert Murdoch is your truth.
It’s so freakn obvious that you hate Americans who don’t vote according to Australian/English orders.
This is hilarious! You’re actually here defending Clinton. You voted for her! I get it that you don’t like Trump. Fine. But you actually wanted Clinton in office! God have mercy!
No I didn’t want Hillary as Pres. Nor did I say that. Reading, it’s for thinkers…
and Bernie sanders sold out to the devil herself, just another reason why he will never get my vote in 2020
Killary and nobama are a joke.
Apple is still investing $350 billion in US manufacturing. Thank you President Trump!
Dont forget the hundreds of millions being brought back by Apple from foreign countries that will benefit Americans. Cant say i am an apple guy but still great news for America
No spam intended but i always check Maga (dot) com for Trump updates. Lets hope our economy keep going up like it has this past year. Great for America and my kids. Time to work together as Americans
You guys believe the Apple advertising, and yet you say you are immune to mainstream media. Yeah, right….
So angry, so miserable, so sad. Seek help.
So bot
So, the misinformed miscreant that only chooses to troll Trump articles on an automobile website (GM Authority) calls me a bot? LOL! When is it time for your next dose of lithium?
You’re so bad at originality and humor that you look like a bot. Automatic responses from you, every time. Like a triggered mouth.
I am a GM union guy, been my whole life and father too. Times have changed and I can proudly say I was one of the majority in Michigan who voted for Trump. you would be very surprised how many brothers and sisters did including union bosses
I am now off to another state with my family to soon begin working at another auto plant that STAYED in the USA because of our President. Thx Trump! Wish me luck and lets hope we can see some positive news on here about our president too.
So you won’t be building the Ford Focus then…
Perhaps we should call it the Ford conFucius now, right?
Read Alfred P Sloan “My Years at GM” and read how PROUD he was to have GM plants around the world. Sloan would have worked to defeat Trump, there is zero doubt on that.
Fool
Typical “very stable genius” comments spewing out of this excuse for a president’s mouth.
That whole butthurt, sore loser shtick hopefully subsides soon…Or it is going to be a long 7 years for you.
“96% percent chance of winning”, eh?
Your comments are still sore from 8 years of Obama. Get over it.
It’s not a political judgement – the Prez got his facts wrong.
That’s all – other presidents have misspoken. Moving on …
Agreed.
“I’ve visited all 57 states.”.
-Barry Soetoro
donnie making incorrect claims? Nah i dont believe it.
I love watching the Russian troll farms come to life to defend their treasonous boy.
I some how don’t think this was a mistake.
If you want GM to move production to America you put them on the spot.
By saying they are moving it here GM now has to explain why they are or are not doing and why.
This is a good way to put the media on GM and maybe force them to do something to control the PR damage.
We saw him do this all through the election and it destroyed Repubs and Dems alike.
Statements true or not put people on the spot and puts them in a weak position where they have to be honest or at least offer something to make a negative into a positive.
Actually it is a clever hard nosed NYC move.
You have it all wrong. Like everything else he does this is not about the country or reality, this is all about him. He is the reason the plant is shut down so all the voting fools can assume that those cars will now be produced in the US. The reality is that the plant was producing at 20% and the cars produced weren’t even for the US market.
The con man has fooled you again.
The truth is it was shut down due to very difficult unions and higher production cost vs China.
The sound bite was not to get Korean production here but to get any kind of positive or move GM will make to cover his comment.
He knows people don’t know better but GM will need to try to cover the statement because they are clueless as to production.
Did not fool me as I see what he is doing.
Business is like a chess match. Every move has a reaction and consequence no matter the move.
It is like the old joke on asking someone when did you stop beating your wife. They may never laid a hand but yet they are on the defensive.
He’s not a business man but a con man. He inherited a fortune that his father made screwing the US government. Then he screwed a whole bunch of people and contractors while still managing to go bankrupt 6 times.
He has no plan and is just ridding people who are stupid enough to stroke his ego.
Show me someone in political office that is not a con person.
The last election gave un Zero choice. Not a one damn in was honest or worthy so stop your crying.
At least with this one he is shaking up the bigger con that is taking over our country on both sides of the spectrum.
People in this country are tired of the BS of the last 25 years.
They are now finally expecting results no matter the party and those not giving them with a better economy and strong defense will be kicked to the curb.
To this point tossing out all the claims yet no real proof is just going to make things worse for the.
The BS Russian story is running out of time. If they had something it would be over. The reality is the Russians have tried to influence our elections since WW2. The other fact is we have tried to influence their politics since then too. Nothing new there.
When they come up empty they are only going to look bad as he said it was BS from the start.
When you go after a president you had better have major evidence as he small stuff will not lead to anything. Just look at what the Clintons got away with.
Show you someone in political office who isn’t a con-man?
Ike Eisenhower
Jimmy Carter
Jerry Brown
Gavin Newsome
Amy Klobuchar
Kirsten Gillibrand
Elizabeth Warren
Jeb Bush
John Kasich
Mitt Romney
Rocky Anderson
Jeff Flake
Thomas Massie
Bill Di Blasio
Joe Biden
So many to choose from, and what did we get? Trillary….
I’m just a car guy, and love GM products.
It’s appalling that REAL Americans want to attack a president, who is for American made automobiles!
Secondly, I’m disappointed that the Moron’s above are using an auto blog to push their political views – you’re a bunch of losers.
If you’re not “Pro-American”, then go visit a Kia blog!
Go USA & Make America Great Again!!!
And yet, there are people that down vote a comment about being Pro-US and Pro-US jobs. Either they’re basement dwelling trolls that get off on this kind of childish nonsense, they really do hate the United States or it’s a combination of the two. You decide.
Or this is a little website in the tubes of the net with even more obscure commenters below the line that only we cross over, where we have only each other to troll. Not a grand political movement here, Scott Infamous, but hey, your trigger can say whatever it wants to your brain…
If you want to see real anti-American, just look at Trump’s appointment of Jared Kushner to trade and intel jobs WITHOUT A SECURITY CLEARANCE. That is anti-American, folks. So is using Ivanka to do all the deals with China. Is it pro-American to get the presidency and then hand all the power over to your child and her choice of partner? No that’s NOT American, it’s freakn ROYAL.
It just takes 1 person using proxy sites to up or down vote posts as many times as he/she wants. Very easy to do!
Sara, another conspiracy?
Or maybe the votes are in fact legitimate. Unlike Putin’s puppet who isn’t legitimate at all.
You never heard of fake patriotism? Which is when your words only serve to benefit your own personal interests.
Trump is probably not thinking of immediate jobs as much as the possibility of jobs especially when General Motors moves to EV in the next 3-5 years and maybe Trump had a conversation with General Motors CEO Mary Barra.
It’s great to see the new posters here realize the significance Michigan and blue-collar-types could play in the next election cycle and are here to support your candidate. Welcome! (You’re not really obvious or anything.)
If Sean were to do a story on Trump’s plan to raise the gas tax, which he rightly should, you would see 60% of the benefits of the Trump/republican TEMPORARY “tax cut” to individuals go poof. But, like I said shortly after the man took office (pun intended), it’s ALL part of the bigger plan/con to shift the weight of what’s left of my country’s tax burden onto the backs of the poor and middle class (which, coincidentally, benefits our good friends in Russia, grows our deficit, and insures China’s economic dominance for the foreseeable future).
BTW, the tax cut to corporations is PERMANENT. Why stop at a one time bonus? Make America Think Again.
https://slate.com/business/2018/01/no-apple-is-not-creating-20-000-jobs-because-of-the-tax-bill.html
But Reggie, thinking is in direct conflict with GUT feeling. God gets his message to real Americans through a special telephone in their gut, and the brain is just a resistant organ getting in the way of gods message.
Proof? Read Kahneman Tversky confirmation bias, Dunning Kruger confidence/dumbness correlation, and Jon Haidt moral disgust research.