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With Production Ahead Of Schedule, Final Chevrolet Cruze Built At Lordstown Plant

The General Motors Lordstown plant is ahead of schedule and the final Chevrolet Cruze will instead leave the assembly line today, Wednesday, rather than March 8, the automaker confirmed.

GM told local ABC News affiliate News 5 that Wednesday would, indeed, be the final day for production. A representative told the news affiliate it will be “an emotional day” for the 1,400 workers that remained at the plant after GM previously laid off the third and second shifts in the past few years. GM will also not provide media access to the plant on the final day.

GM Lordstown Plant Exterior Home of the Chevrolet Cruze poster

Of the 1,400 employees, around 400 of them have taken transfer opportunities to GM plants in need of workers. Said plants build crossovers and trucks that are in high demand right now. The Lordstown plant only built the Chevrolet Cruze with no other vehicles allocated to help filter the impact. The other 1,000 employees will be left with tough choices to relocate or stick it out in the Mahoning Valley that has relied on the GM plant as its income epicenter since 1966.

The ripple effects have already started in the area. Two suppliers to the plant have announced they will either close entirely or idle production until GM and the United Auto Workers figure out the plant’s final fate. Under the current labor contract, GM cannot close any facilities. The automaker was careful to call the Lordstown plant “unallocated” for 2019, though that didn’t stop the UAW from filing a lawsuit claiming GM breached the agreement.

Final Chevroelt Cruze at Lordstown plant 02

GM has given no indication it plans to put another vehicle in the Ohio plant and the governor reportedly said the automaker is actively seeking another company to take over the plant.

For now, it closes a chapter for GM as it exits the compact car segment for good.

Former GM Authority staff writer.

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Comments

  1. Killing this car off eliminates a compact sedan and hatchback choice along with a stick and diesel from the lineup. Honda, Toyota and Mazda must be singing all the way to the bank

    Reply
    1. Those brands have been laughing all the way to the bank with the majority of sales in that segment for years already anyway, and they always will be. It’s not like GM is killing the car for no reason. Nobody will care about the Cruze being killed because they didn’t care enough to buy it in the first place.

      Reply
      1. I cared I’m on my second one Gen2 is amazing

        Reply
  2. Nissan, Kia, Hyundai, and VW. Did I miss anyone?

    Reply
    1. Mazda

      Reply
      1. Mazda was brought up by Joe Yoman. I was adding the ones he left off HAHA

        Reply
    2. Subaru.

      Reply
      1. Yes correct. My bad

        Reply
  3. Interesting.

    The web CEO’s here cried for a Hatch to fix it all. They got a Hatch that fixed nothing.

    They add a diesel that the web CEO’s cried for and yet nothing.

    Sales of nearly all sedans are declining so unless you are selling . only if you are moving a lot of cars now will you see much volume as most models and brands are in decline in a contracting market. Also you need to sell them globally now to make back the investment.

    Or you can move to the CUV market that has been growing and more profitable and sell a half million Equinox a year.

    Honda, Toyota and Mazda Nissan, Kia, Hyundai, and VW are looking to invest more and more in the CUV segments as they are getting as good MPG and are much more usable than a sedan you have to un box items to get them into the trunk.

    Gee where would a smart company place their money???

    Reply
    1. Interesting.

      The REAL CEO cried for a Hatch to fix it all. They got a Hatch that fixed nothing.

      They add a diesel that the REAL CEO cried for and yet nothing.

      Reply
      1. My loaded 2018 diesel LT is wonderful.

        Reply
    2. And what about killing the ‘new’ Buick Regal Sportback as an alternative to the European premium sedans?
      When will GM get it right. I live in NYC and not seen EVEN ONE Regal on the road. My lease was up last May and I COULD NOT FIND a dealer willing to work with me to either find or build one!! How can GM introduce a great cat like this and not offer competitive leases. I had to lease a 2018 Volvo S60 which is a great vehicle. What a disgrace to abandon the sedan market. Even the Buick Tour X wagon wasn’t marketed correctly or should I say, AT ALL!!

      Reply
      1. That’s what GM is best at the past 10 years or so; building great cars but completely forgetting to market them, or doing so and failing terribly. The Chevy SS sedan was an excellent car, one of the best in the performance sedan market, if not the best when taking into consideration the excellent value. Did it sell? No. Because nobody knew what the hell it was. Everyone who ever saw one just thought it was a Malibu. Chevy could have fixed that, but they didn’t.

        Reply
  4. How can you write an article like this and not mention the real reason GM is getting out of the economical car business. When Trump canceled the Obama mandate that our car manufacturers have a fleet average of 45 mpg by 2025, the need for the Cruze was eliminated. His disregard for our planets enviroment devastating for future generations but for Lordstown Plant employees, the damage is now!

    Reply
    1. The government should not force people to buy efficient cars. If I want a truck; god dammit I’m buying a truck!

      I think GM is stupid for exiting a segment, but at the same time whether it was mandated or not the car just aint selling. And forcing people to buy it is just not an option.

      Reply
      1. That is not true. Chevy sells at least 100K every year.
        They made a lackluster of a car in a Hotly contested shrinking segment that has the Civic, Corolla, 3, Elantra, Forte, and Jetta. GM just wants to sell Big Trucks and hot selling SUV’s, which is fine but if the shift ever happens back to smaller sedans GM is done. Huge risk.
        Lets see how serious they are about placing the R&D money into EV’s. Because the Bolt is decent at best.

        Reply
        1. It was GM’s 4th biggest seller.

          Reply
          1. Exactly.

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        2. Dealers are dropping Bolt prices drastically to fight the supposed 35k Tesla. Some new as low as $27.8k.

          Reply
  5. But I’m gonna bet trumpet got a lot of votes from the rust belt because he told the voters that he was gonna bring back the coal industry. So far nothing. I wonder how many votes he got from the UAW members

    Reply
  6. Just wondering if the magna plant around the corner of lordstown plant that supplied the seating parts, will close to now , I used to haul into there for a trucking company from the plant in Shelby twp. In Michigan

    Reply
  7. There’s an old saying, what goes down will come up. GM will regret offing the Cruze. I say it will bite them in the ass down the road. The Cruze sales were 142,617 in 2018. In comparison, all 8 of Ford car models only totaled 457,414. That only averages 57,176 per month.

    Reply
    1. Only way they won’t regret this decision is if GM is serious about spending what it takes to become a leader in the EV space. Obviously Tesla is the leader as of right now but VW/Audi are way ahead of GM. VW has stated numerous times they want to become the leader. The one thing that everyone is not understanding is that the Government in China and Europe is backing and financially supporting EV’s and our Government is not. I personally could care less what party everyone votes for so I will make this really simple. If the Government that doesn’t supports a certain technology but others are, which companies do we think will actually succeed? I fear our Big Three might be doomed if EV’s are truly the future of the Auto World. And we will have our Government to blame. Both sides.
      On a side note, I don’t have too much faith GM will get this right. I mean the Bolt was a decent attempt at best.

      Reply
  8. seeing all these working AMERICAN MEN AND WOMAN being forced out of work because of demented MARY and her cronies is a disgrace as it is also stupid to cancel all sedans. ALL PEPOLE DO NOT WANT SUV”s , ev, or self-driving cars . I guess she feels proud

    Reply

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