The Lordstown, Ohio, assembly plant has quickly become a vulnerable facility. The plant produces just one vehicle, the 2018 Chevrolet Cruze sedan, and General Motors has moved the plant from three shifts to just one in the last couple of years.
Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown (D) has pressed the automaker for explanations on why the Lordstown plant is underutilized, and local ABC news affiliate WYTV reported on Tuesday that Senator Brown and GM CEO Mary Barra recently spoke about the plant’s situation. Barra would not ensure the plant’s future, according to the report.
Brown also asked Barra why the Lordstown plant wasn’t considered to build the 2019 Chevrolet Blazer, which will instead be built in Mexico. Barra reportedly answered it would be “too expensive” to retool the plant for Blazer production. Lordstown builds the Cruze, which rides on GM’s D2XX platform. The Blazer will share the C1XX platform with the GMC Acadia and Cadillac XT5. The Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave ride on extended versions of the platform. Each of the crossover SUVs is built in the U.S.
The Ohio senator has reportedly spoken to President Trump about the situation and pressed the president for assistance.
Comments
Let’s put more info on the table here.
Mr Brown is running for re-election. His concern here is not so much jobs but re-election. He should have been well aware of this going on at Lordstown but now months out from relection he has now not gotten interested in this.
This is also Rep Tim Ryans area but he should be the one heading this up. He lives near by and at least has a clue. More so than Brown.
Brown or as we call him Sherrfraud is up against a popular state Rep Jim Rennaci who even once was a GM dealership owner.
GM is looking for deals from the goverment and if they bring a new model here it will be bid on by the UAW like any of their other plants.
The new vehicle has to be on the right platform and it needs to be when GM is ready to introduce it. Then they will offer bits to open plants and the most competitive will get the contract. The Lordstown UAW has been working well with GM and that will grant them favor more so than Mr Brown.
If this was not an election year Mr Brown would be out of sight and ducking for cover. He is a career politician and never had worked a real job or run a buisness.
He should let Tim Ryan work this as he at least has a clue about it.
Right now it is all about time and cooperation with a GM and the UAW. The political grand stander is going to have little effect here.
Mr Brown could not tell you the first thing about GM platforms.
Did I read you correctly?
Politicians should be protecting American jobs, but not if they’re Dems in an election year. If they’re Dems in an election year, they should NOT be going around protecting American jobs. Right?
So if you have a job at Lordstown, you better on down to Brown’s office and tell him to stop protecting your job until either he crosses to Republican membership, or the election year ends. That’s the ‘sensible’ thing to do, right?
Partisanship = don’t do anything right until the right person does it at the right time. Unless that rare combination happens, then NOTHING right must be allowed.
I finally got it…
Trump should be protecting Lordstown in 2020. That’s the Right thing to do.
Of course, by then, Lordstown will be a ghost town full of unemployed ghosts. And Trump will sing long-n-loud about how he “would have” protected those jobs and how Brown is the fault that lost them.
See that? No jobs, except for Trump having his own job saying how good his thoughts are without having to do any actions. Sooooo Republican.
Where was Sherfraud all the other times it was not an election year.
Boner you are such an idiot. You may note Tim Ryan is a Democrat.
Trombone this is not a case of left or right it is a case of a professional politician that is show boating for publicity.
When my job was on the line in non election year Tim Ryan showed up and I even met him in my office. On the other hand Sherrfraud was no were in sight.
I live here I see just what politicians do and what ones do not do anything and Sherrod Brown is only in it for headlines and himself.
You and Sherrod would get along fine. He would easily fool you because of your partisanship BS.
Brown has constantly been roaming around NEO the last few years visiting companies and pressing for better opportunities for people around here.
He just doesn’t suddenly pop up during an election cycle.
Get real.
Just what has he accomplished for NEO that benefited a group larger than a hand full of people.
He is mostly Schumer’s lap dog.
Well what has he really accomplished.
I guess he has done so much you two have a hard time finding it?
Brown is a grandstanding professional politician. Both parties gave them and they all are worthless as dirt. In this case worthless Brown dirt.
Move the production of Cruze Hatch from Mexico to Lordstown.
If more U.S. citizens buy the Chevy Cruise instead of all the Japanese and Koreans sedan, that GM will do that!
Im with you, us citizens dont support their own companies, but continue to buy Japanese and S.Korea cars believing that are from another planet, without recalls, service bulleting, perfect engine, ect… One perfect example are the Tacoma, the Tacoma are no better than the Colorado, but because is Toyota people continue to buy them and is outselling the twins like 5 to 1.
Exactly. When our own folks head over to the Hyundai dealership and buy a Korean small car, which is no better than a Cruze, right they put our own workers at risk. Where I work, I’ve been working with our fleet managers to put more GM product in our fleet. The Cruze is a perfect vehicle for our salespeople. We attended a GM Fleet Preview last month and we’ll look to put some demos in circulation for our folks to try. I’m betting, once they drive one, they’ll want them. They are excellent small cars. Our current fleet has Civics and Sentras. They really don’t compare, feature wise to a base Cruze, other than perception. The Cruze has so many more features than what we’re getting now at a lower cost. The last group of Sentras we got were absolute junk. One of them spent more time at the dealer than it did in service.
I agree that people are like sheep, they gravitate towards brands they think are ‘better’. I own a ‘16 Colorado. It’s been nearly flawless, with one small problem that required a radio reprogram. I’d stack my truck up against any Tacoma, Frontier or the new Ford Ranger any day of the week. It’s just that good.
Also, if GM built a better Cruze as well. It is boring looking. Terrible interior materials compared to the competition and the all new Jetta. No LED Headlight options. No Sport edition. Come on now. We need to be honest about this.
Your right too. It looks that GM doesnt want to lead, just follow.
Yes support could be better but the truth is they do not like hatches as well as other markets and car sales are down no matter the brand.
The reality of the American market is the CUV has displaced hatches, wagons and cars. All three are in the tank.
Build it better, cheaper and faster is not going to change the buying habits.
No one is buying sedans, period. The move to crossovers is in full effect. That’s 75% of the reason this is happening.
Meanwhile, Toyota, Honda and Nissan continue to move record numbers of Civics, Accords, Camrys, Corollas, Sentras and Altimas.
Chevrolet needs better interior materials. The Sonic, Cruze, Malibu compared to the Honda Jazz, Civic, Accord is a complete joke. We need to stop making excuses for GM. Period!!!
Chevrolet’s absolutely need better interior materials. This has been going on forever… They have the worst plastics in the industry by far. The interiors all just feel so cheap. I get GM thinks they need to cheapen and dumb down all Chevrolet products to justify Buick & GMC’s existence but really all they’re doing is ruining Chevrolet. Chevrolet’s just aren’t as nice nor do they offer the options of their direct competition. From the Cruze to the Silverado, it’s a problem that needs fixed.
Also to note the Hyundai comment above, I have family who only buy Hyundai’s and it’s the 10 year powertrain warranty that sucked them in from the first purchase. I wish Chevrolet would up their game on this as well. They need to sell consumer confidence to get buyers to buy.
No they aren’t. Accords, are down, camry is probably even same with civic. corollas, Sentra and Altimas are rental queens. so those are just easy sales like GM use to do.
I think Lordstown issue is two fold. It cost a lot to change a plant to be universal or build another vehicle that is completely different. Second is the quality coming out of Lordstown is nothing to write home about. Yes the Union works with GM but if quality is not there because of employees its hard to justify keep the plant. Yes they could do more with the cruze, a coupe would probably help a lot.
In the first half of 2018…
Corolla (cumulative sedan and hatch) is down 8.5 percent
Camry is up 1.1 percent
Accord is down 14.7 percent
Civic is down 1 percent
These are all very strong numbers in what everyone is describing as the death of the sedan… which is clearly exaggerated. Chevy’s sedans are down more than all of that because the product is sub-par.
Exactly. I think the real problem depends on many factors. But GM have partly the fault for this happening.
Until quit recently Detroit sedans were terrible! Now GM has Buick and Chevrolet in the top five of JD Power’s initial quality (Ford and FCA are both at the bottom) & it will take years for word to spread.
People trust Honda, Toyota and love Mazda. I favor GM but find Cruze dull compared to Civic and even think Dart had a sleeker design.
BARRA SHOULD MOVE TO MEXICO. SEDANS ARE STILL SELLING. WHY ISNT THE HATCHBACK CRUZE MADE AT LORDSTOWN.RETOOLING WOULDNT BE AN ISSUE. GM MADE 12 BILLION DOLLARS LAST YEAR. I AM SURE THEY CAN AFFORD RENOVATIOS AT LORDSTOWN. DONT FORGET GM AMERICAN TAX DOLLARS KEPT YOU IN BUSINESS.
DAVID THE HATCH IS MADE IN MEXICO AS MOST OF THEM ARE SOLD THERE AND CENTRAL AMERICA.
ONLY A SMALL NUMBER ADE SOLD HERE AND MOVING THE AMERICAN MARKET ONES HERE WOULD ADD VERY LITTLE TO PRODUCTION AND ONLY ADD MORE COST.
THEY NEED TO HANG IN AND BID ON A FUTURE SUV OR CUV MODEL.
LORDSTOWN IS ONE OF GMS LARGEST PLANTS AND IT IS AMAZING IT SURVIVED THIS LONG. THE UAW IS IN GOOD WITH GM AND THIS MAY HELP IN THE FUTURE.
GM only needs to move one job to Mexico. Chief executive officer, and cut her pay to $20,000 a year.
So why then, isn’t the Blazer being manufactured at the Spring Hill, TN facility along with the GMC Acadia and the Caddy XT5?
Same Platform. Add a shift.
I thought we already heard news that the new Cadillac third row was going there?
Ramos Arzipe manufactures the Cruze, Sonic and Equinox. None of which use the C1XX platform. So I can’t see that as a reason.
“Loosing” money at a US plant is great for the GM bottom line. Lordstown can be used as a tax write off. Paying non unuin Mexicans really cuts costs, too. ( Mexicans are needy and won’t rise up in strike for a fair wage).
In addition, Blazer is set for export and Mexico is a free trade hub.
GM is adding the Holden Acadia to the Springhill line now too. Not much room there for a higher volume model like the Blazer on top of everything else.
It’s not that simple. Spring Hill is already running at three shifts and full capacity, hence the reason to make the new Blazer in Mexico.
Even if Spring Hill had some available capacity, it would not be a smart move to make the Blazer there – since that capacity would be extremely limited. Making the Blazer at a completely different Mexico plant enables GM to make significantly more of them there, while potentially adding the Acadia or XT5 (or perhaps a new midsize Buick CUV off the C1 platform) to that plant, expanding capacity further… which might be necessary given the boom in crossovers.
The factory that will make the Blazer made the Cadillac SRX until the XT5 came out and production was shifted to Spring Hill. The plant in Mexico is already setup to be a SUV plant. To change Lordstown from a car to a SUV plant would require a lot of money. The Spring Hill plant is running at full capacity. Chevrolet is already having a hard time keeping up with production on the new Traverse and it is not even at Spring Hill. Putting the Blazer in Spring Hill would cause problems for the other models there.
I don’t know what some of you people want CRUZE does have a sport model .The styling, exterior and interior is just as competitive as anything japan puts out ,and the Americans taught them everything but we still do it better . if I’m not mistaken everyone of those foreign craps all have warranty departments so the customer could bring them back to be repaired .. no matter what the American manufacture puts out , the foreign car lover will put down . just like the dems
TOM G EXCELLENT PERSPECTIVE. WAIT UNTIL THESE LATE MODEL JAP MODELS NEED REPAIR ALSO VW HORRIBLY EXPENSIVE.MANY REPAIR SHOPS WONT EVEN WORK ON THEM. NOTE NISSAN CVT TRANSMISSION CAN BREAK A PERSON AT REPAIR TIME. GM CARS ARE STILLL A SAFER BUY AND CONSIDERABLY MORE ATTRACTIVE.
Right on, David. I’ve gone with the General 28 times in 50 years. (Had a momentary brain fart with two Jeeps – never again). GM new and used. From a 57 Buick to a 16 Camaro SS and LaCrosse. Had ONE I wish I’d never bought – a 75 Cutlass. Other than that, never had a vehicle with anything but a (very) minor problem. You can’t support any quality issues by me. If GM builds a inferior product, I haven’t found it yet. The Asian vehicles are not appealing to me. And, and being patriotic, I have no problem with placing America first, especially now when the majority of the vehicles I see on the side of the road are non-U.S products. Encouraging to build more vehicles here in the U.S. is the right thing to do. I think I’d feel even better about a 2019 CUV/SUV, knowing Americans were employed and prospering.
Scott3,
I always look forward to your comments! You have excellent writing skills .. you could write a book you know! Your insight/ perspective is spot on for me! Also, that all cap response was my absolute best laugh in two days .. thank you!!
Keep up the good fight!
Just thought he was hard of hearing.
Just trying to keep it real. Thanks Andy.
If the crossover SUV market is growing so strong then why not build the equinox or trax in Lordstown? Shares the same platform as the cruze does.
DOES ANYONE CONSIDER THAT THE SUV MARKET MIGHT A TEMPORARY FIXATION. IF GAS PRICES CONTINUE TO ELEVATE,THEY MAY NOT STAY AS ATTRACTIVE. THIS IS STILL A VERY FICKLE MARKET. AT FOUR DOLLARS A GALLON CARS LIKE THE CRUZE WOULD BECOME A MORE FEASIBLE BUY. DONT FORGET THE SUV IS NOTHING MORE THAN AN ADVANCED VERSION OF THE OLD STATION WAGON.
DAVID PEOPLE SAID THE MINI VAN WAS ALSO JUST A FAD AT GM BACK 30 PLUS YEARS AGO AND WE ALL KNOW HOW THAT ENDED UP.
THE CUV IS NOT GOING ANYWHERE. IN THIS DAY OF SMALL CARS UNABLE TO FIT A SQUARE BOX IN THE TRUNK OPENING AND THE HATE FOR HATCHES IN THIS MARKET THE CUV HAS FOUND ITS PLACE IN MOST HOMES.
THE GAS COST ISSUE NO LONGER APPLIES NOW THAT WE HAVE A NUMBER OF MODELS ALL GETTING 20 MPG AND OVER 30 MPG NOW. MY ACADIA NOW GETS 20 CITY AND 27 HIGHWAY AND CARRIES 6 PEOPLE WITH 310 HP AND AWD. THE NOX AND TERRAIN BOTH DO EVEN BETTER,
THE TALLER ROOF ADDS MUCH TO THE UTILITY OF THE VEHICLE AND THE TALLER SEATING ALSO HOLD MUCH APPEAL TO MANY OWNERS ANYMORE TIRED OF LOOKING AROUND THE OTHER CUV MODELS.
PEOPLE ARE NO LONGER ABOUT STYLE IT IS ABOUT SPACE AND USABILITY ANYMORE.
MY FATHER NEVER OWNED A TRUCK NEVER NEEDED TO. HE HAS A SERIES OF CHEVELLES THAT NOT ONLY WERE FAMILY SEDANS FOR 6 BUT ALSO COULD HAUL A BIKE IN THE TRUNK AND SEVERAL SHEETS OF PLYWOON ON THE ROOF WITH NO DAMAGE.
TODAY PUT ONE SHEET OF PLYWOON ON THE ROOF AND YOU HAVE MAJOR DAMAGE. THE TRUNK TODAY NEEDS TO HAVE THE ITEMS UNBOXED TO FIT.
MY WIFE IS A CONVERT AND SHE IS GETTING MORE MPG THAN ANY CAR SHE HAS OWNED AND CAN HAUL MANY THINGS FOR WORK WITH LITTLE EFFORT. I WILL NEVER GET HER IN A CAR GAIN.
If the Cruze is so bad, why does it have a 5 out 5 safety rating? And the people who say the Cruze is ugly, you obviously must be hard to impossible to satisfy. Obviously you haters have not seen how Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai have ruined their cars with horrible looking massive front grilles. Hideous. And Honda Civics have the worst rear ends with the tail lights zig zagging and sticking out. Horrible. There is not a damn thing wrong with the Cruze. Sure it could be improved on. But so could most people lives.