Eight months after adding a third shift at the facility that produces a variety of ICE and EV crossovers for several GM brands, The General has eliminated the third shift at the GM Ramos Arizpe plant in Ramos Arizpe, Coahuila, Mexico.
A representative from GM informed Automotive News that only two shifts will operate at the plant starting in January 2025, while 800 jobs have also been cut at the site.
The total number of vehicles built at Ramos Arizpe in 2024 added up to more than 350,000 units. Production ran at 25,000 vehicles per month during the first five months of year when two shifts were operational, rising to an average 32,300 units monthly once the third shift was activated in May 2024.
Vehicles produced at the facility include the Chevy Blazer, Chevy Blazer EV, Chevy Equinox EV, Cadillac Optiq, and Honda Prologue. The Prologue is underpinned by the GM BEV3 platform and is notable for outselling all GM EV crossovers during 2024 on an individual basis. A total of 33,017 Honda Prologue crossovers sold last year, with the closest GM model – the Chevy Equinox EV – selling 28,874 units, or slightly over 4,000 fewer vehicles.
Dropping the third shift appears to be related to reduced demand for both GM and Honda models. The General says that it “changed the plant’s production schedule to increase efficiency following the decision by Honda to reduce Prologue volumes.” However, it also noted that “an adjustment in the mix of production of GM vehicles at the site” influenced the third-shift elimination as well.
For its part, the Japanese automaker said it is “quite normal to our business to make production adjustments during the year.” It noted that it will “continue to carefully manage
production and inventory for our entire product lineup to meet anticipated demand in 2025.”
Out of the 350,000 vehicles built at Ramos Arizpe in 2024, 46,505 were Honda Prologue EVs, accounting for about 13 percent of overall production.
Comments
Let’s see if tariffs will impact production. Want to pay more for a vehicle?
We’re paying more and more regardless of whether there are tariffs or not. The whole concept of free trade was created and promoted by Wall Street. They send our jobs to the 3rd world, we get cheaper goods. That works until you export so many domestic jobs that the economy is a hollow shell made up of retail, service workers, and public employees. Free trade policies gave the US 40 years of cheap imports that reduced inflation. But we have reached the end of that era. The money is inflating and there are fewer and fewer jobs to offshore. The most desperate are even importing 3rd worlders from India to work as indentured servants.
Totally false, and you know it.
You got it right Thomas, I for one will not pay an additional 25% for any vehicle, plus terrible interest rates right now. Thanks Trump for adding 25% to everything from Mexico and Canada. Before the Biden haters hit me, thanks Biden for the high interest rates.
You had the first part right you had the 2nd part wrong. Matters not who is in office regarding interest rates. And if ya want to stick to the spiel…then go back to what started causing inflation! Try the first 7T the umpa lumpa gave away between tax breaks and covid money. I am always amused how the country behaves during relative good economic times. What would they do if they had the 1970s and 80s to deal with interest rates were really high for a much longer time! LOL. OK go…
Evidently you do not understand who has the power of the purse. You blame trump but Congress is the one that writes up those lovely spending bills and passes them. The COVID relief bills were packed with hundreds of millions of non COVID related junk thrown in by the demoncRATs.
Since Biden had a demoncRAT Congress he was able to spend more than trump and raised the debt by more than trump did. At least Trump’s debt was money given to America and Americans not Ukraine and any other nation who put their hand out.
Biden certainly fueled inflation. The $1.9 trillion dollar American “Rescue Plan” and the Inflation Reduction Act were nothing but inflation fuel. Remember that “transitory” inflation that was anything but transitory. They shoved through the Green New Deal disguised as “relief” and “inflation reduction”. They knew the spe ding and inflation would go out of control, but they shoved it through the federal government anyways.
I too get amused at folks complaining about the interest rates. I financed a home in the late 70s at 14%. My RV loan in 99 was something north of 8%. The “high” rates in effect now are not even close to the rates I have paid in the past.
Interesting you said that back in 1982 banks were charging 17% for an auto loan as my dad found out when he was trying to buy a 1982 Cadillac Seville, and my dad has a near-perfect credit score. Fortunately, he found a friend who charged him 11%.
In 1981, I purchased a brand new 1981 Chevrolet Impala, 3-year loan at 13.5% interest.
So, GM builds the $60,000+ Cadillac Optic in a low wage nonunion shop and yet prices it as if it were built in a UAW shop, this is another way Mary Buick Envision Made in China-Barra overcharges automobile buyers. No surprise here that the Honda Prologue is outselling all GM EV Vehicles since Hondas are much more reliable than any GM vehicle.
What do you think every Asian country has been doing for the last 6 decades?
This all seems like a dream/nightmare, I wish i could wake up and it could all be gone. And we could be back in the days of America loves baseball, hotdogs,apple pie, and Chevrolet. With songs like ~~from sea to shiningggggg sea~~
Damn Trump.
When it comes to interest rates we have Jerome Powell to thank for that. Federal reserve chairman. Donald Trump appointed Jerome during his term. Now Jerome was a lifelong Republican Bankster. His 12 year term started by raising America’s interest rates 5% during a democratic administration. Seems to me like a move spurred by pay to play all to get a Republican back in the White House.
All vehicles made in China should have a 100% tariff, that includes the Buick Envision and the Lincoln Nautilus.