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Chevy Onix Production Resumes At GM’s Gravataí Plant In Brazil

Several weeks after stopping vehicle assembly at the facility, General Motors has just resumed production of the Chevy Onix at the GM Gravataí plant in Brazil.

Chevy Onix on the assembly line at GM's Gravataí plant in Brazil.

The automaker restarted production of the Chevy Onix earlier this week at the Gravataí plant, which had been closed since Thursday, May 2nd, due to heavy rains and flooding that severely affected the state of Rio Grande do Sul in the first half of the month. After two and a half weeks of inactivity, the company was able to resume activities at the complex while the authorities continue to address the emergency situation.

As reported by the president of the local Gravataí metalworkers union to Automotive Business, on Monday, May 20th, about 1,000 employees returned to work on the lines of the Brazilian GM plant and resumed production of the Chevy Onix on a single shift. This figure represents barely 20 percent of the factory’s metalworker payroll, which amounts to 5,000 employees in two shifts.

GM Gravataí plant managers figure that the second Chevy Onix production shift at the facility would restart sometime next week, although the measure will depend on the development of the road opening and debris cleaning works carried out by the Rio Grande do Sul state authorities. In any case, GM seeks to normalize production activities at the complex as soon as possible.

The heavy rains that hit Rio Grande do Sul in recent days caused serious flooding in several cities in southeastern Brazil, in what is considered the worst environmental catastrophe in the history of the Brazilian state. The dramatic emergency situation severely affected activities in the region, stopping production in the main industries, while shipments of the entire supply chain that will take several weeks to stabilize.

The GM Gravataí plant exclusively manufactures the second-generation Chevy Onix in its two body styles, which has racked up several consecutive years as the best-selling vehicle of the automaker and the entire Brazilian automotive market. The complex also houses the largest supplier center in the regional industry, so the forced stoppage of all activities will negatively impact GM’s business performance.

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Deivis is an engineer with a passion for cars and the global auto business. He is constantly investigating about GM's future products.

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Comments

  1. Brazil is a South American nation, so GM can import tbe Chevy Onix to the U.S. to compete against Europesn and Asian imports.

    Reply
    1. But sadly the dopes don’t want to.

      Reply

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