The General Motors Lordstown, Ohio, car plant will fall to a single shift after today. On Monday, only a single shift of workers will report for duty to build the 2018 Chevrolet Cruze sedan.
The plant once ran three shifts to keep up with demand for the Cruze compact car, especially during the height of the U.S. economy’s recovery and soaring fuel prices. GM announced the third shift would end in November 2016. Last April, the automaker said it would end the plant’s second shift as well. The third shift saw 1,200 jobs lost, while the second shift will take 1,500 jobs.
However, hundreds of Lordstown employees reportedly took buyout and early retirement offers, so the final layoff figure likely won’t reach 1,500.
Early retirees will receive up to $60,000, while buyout takers are eligible for up to $50,000 depending on the length of time employed.
The layoffs also come after GM revealed the 2019 Chevrolet Blazer and the news it will be built in Mexico.
Comments
Chevrolet sold 8,207 of the Cruze in March 2018; but as the old adage goes.. numbers don’t lie and it say buyers want to buy a CUV more and apparently fuel economy does not play a role in the decision as Chevrolet sold 31,940 of their Equinox CUV in March 2018 while the smaller Trax only managed 8,207.
Just give the Cruze the capabilities to be a real civic/ corolla contender, more options, better interior, more powerful engines and why not a sporty version and an all road break. All of them built in Lords Town.
Exactly. Wake up GM.
Make it more competitive and it will sell better.
Is there any reason why the Blazer can’t be built at Lordstown instead of Mexico ??
GM needs a wake up call . The previous gen. was an inch higher roof , more vertical windshield and more open interior . This hotter ? look is meaningless . Make this model easier to enter and exit . I suggest raising the suspension up a notch .and adding a coupe model , like the Cavalier featured . Also make a hotter engine available to attract the young driver . Open up the interior to the max with slimmer pillars and max sightlines all around . People have switched to CUVs mainly due to ease of entry/exit access and visibility . Wakey , wakey GM !
“People have switched to CUVs mainly due to ease of entry/exit access and visibility”
Well that should tell you all you need right there. Your proposals for the current Cruze wouldn’t mean anything if people weren’t going to even consider the car because it wasn’t a crossover/SUV.
I believe many who buy SUV’s do it to keep up with others. The U.S is full of sheeple. He-He.