Sunday, December 17, 2023

GM says goodbye to a popular model after 57 years

GM is laying off hundreds of workers at two of its plants.
THE STREET
Dec 15, 2023 

General Motors (GM) - Get Free Report, according to documents filed with the state of Michigan, will lay off just over 1,300 workers at two of its Michigan plants early next year.

The larger round of layoffs — 945 workers at GM's Orion Assembly plant, which produces Chevrolet Bolts — won't begin until Jan. 1. The company, however, scheduled the final date of production at the plant for the week of Dec. 18.

GM said in October that it plans to convert the Orion plant to electric vehicle production in 2025. The company had initially planned to bring the electrified version of the plant online in 2024, but pushed the date back to protect profit margins.


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GM said at the time that Orion employees will be "offered other opportunities in Michigan."

The automaker will additionally lay off a further 369 workers at its Lansing Grand River Assembly/Stamping plant due to the company's decision to end the production of the Chevrolet Camaro, which is produced at the Lansing plant.

The layoffs at the plant will begin Jan. 2.

The company said in a statement that it "anticipates having job opportunities for all impacted team members per the provisions of the UAW-GM National Agreement.”

The decision to end the production of the Camaro, Brad Franz, director of Chevrolet car and crossover marketing, told the Detroit News, was the result of an evaluation of the company's "portfolio offerings for progress toward our EV future and sales demand."

"We’re not announcing an immediate successor at this time. But performance remains an important part of Chevrolet’s DNA," he said.

GM's self-driving unit Cruise also announced in an internal memo obtained by CNBC on Dec. 14 that it is laying off 900 employees, or 24% of its workforce.

The staffing reduction comes in the wake of safety concerns that resulted in Cruise temporarily shuttering its operations.

“GM supports the difficult employment decisions made by Cruise as it reflects their more deliberate path forward, with safety as the north star," the company said in a statement.

Shares of GM closed the previous session up more than 6% at a price of $36.25.

General Motors slashing workforce at two Michigan plants

Stepheny Price, Chris Pandolfo
Thu, December 14, 2023 

General Motors will lay off a total of 1,314 employees at two factories in Michigan in connection with ending production of vehicles, according to the Detroit Free Press.

GM filed a WARN notice posted on Thursday that said the Orion Assembly plant's expected layoff date will take place on January 1, cutting 945 jobs.

In a second WARN notice, the automaker said it will cut 369 jobs at Lansing Grand River Assembly/Stamping as GM ends production of the Camaro muscle car built there. The cuts will happen in phases that begin January 1 and end in March, according to the notice.

Those cuts are related to GM's October announcement that it was delaying production of two all-electric pickups at the plant by a full year and transferring nearly 1,000 workers to other GM facilities in Michigan.

GM’S CRUISE CUTTING 24% OF WORKFORCE, FIRES 9 EXECS AMID ROBOTAXI SAFETY PROBE

General Motors stated that it would offer employees affected by the cuts jobs elsewhere in the company.

General Motors' self-driving vehicle unit, Cruise, announced the layoffs on Thursday morning amid an ongoing safety investigation into its robotaxis, impacting nearly one in four employees.

The announcement came shortly after GM let go of nine Cruise executives amid the safety probe, including Chief Operating Officer Gil West, FOX Business confirmed.

This all comes as GM announced on Wednesday that it was making several changes to its product development team and promoting executives to lead the next phase of the company's growth strategy.

"We are committed to full transparency and are focused on rebuilding trust and operating with the highest standards when it comes to safety, integrity, and accountability," the memo said. "As a result, we believe that new leadership is necessary to achieve these goals."

The automaker stated that it would offer employees affected by the cuts jobs elsewhere in the company.

General Motors laying off 1,300+ workers in Michigan

Amber Ainsworth
Fri, December 15, 2023


LAKE ORION, Mich. (FOX 2) - More than 1,300 General Motors employees in Michigan will be out of work indefinitely to start the new year.

In Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notifications (WARN) notices filed with the state, the automaker said it would be laying off workers at its Orion Assembly in Lake Orion and Lansing Grand River Assembly and Stamping.

In Lake Orion, 945 employees will be laid off, while 369 are being laid off in Lansing.

GM's first WARN notice for Orion Assembly was filed in October, and included more than 900 workers. Additional layoffs, which bring the number of impacted employees to 945, were noted in a WARN notice filed last week.

The layoffs will be in phases beginning Jan. 1, 2024.

These layoffs come after the company said it would be delaying electric pickup truck production at Orion Assembly. GM said in October that it would start making electric Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups in late 2025.



Lansing GM assembly plant to see layoffs as Camaro production comes to end

Dan Basso and Jamie L. LaReau, Lansing State Journal
Updated Fri, December 15, 2023 

General Motors Co. employees work the line Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, at the Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant in Lansing.

LANSING — More than 350 Lansing autoworkers will be laid off beginning Jan. 1, General Motors announced Thursday, and city officials are urging the company to find new products to build in mid-Michigan.

The the company issued a Workers Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice that it intends to cut 369 jobs at Lansing Grand River Assembly/Stamping as GM ends production of the Camaro muscle car built there. The cuts will happen in phases that begin Jan. 1 and end in March, according to the WARN notice.

“I am deeply disappointed to hear about this decision by GM to layoff so many Lansing autoworkers," Lansing Mayor Andy Schor said in a prepared statement. "I look forward to hearing what GM has planned for LGR’s future and fully expect these jobs to return when GM replaces the Camaro line with a new product."

According to General Motors, LGR Assembly has 1,405 workers overall. The plant builds the Camaro, as well as the Cadillac CT4 and CT5 models.

GM announced earlier this year that it was ending Camaro production at the plant with the 2024 model year.

“As we prepare to say goodbye to the current generation Camaro, it is difficult to overstate our gratitude to every Camaro customer, Camaro assembly line employee and race fan,” Global Chevrolet Vice President Scott Bell said at the time. “While we are not announcing an immediate successor today, rest assured, this is not the end of Camaro’s story.”

Leaders of Lansing's UAW Local 652, which represents workers at the plant, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Schor said the LGR factory's location means it is well-positioned to aid GM's move toward an electric vehicle future.

"It is the perfect location, close to the new Ultium battery plant, for transitioning to electric vehicle production and I am hopeful that we can look to the future of this plant and these incredible autoworkers," Schor said. "I plan to meet with GM as soon as possible to talk about this announcement and any potential future plans."

The Ultium plant represents a $2.6 billion investment in Delta Township. The plant is a joint venture between General Motors Co. and LG Energy Solution Michigan Inc. It could begin producing electric vehicle batteries by the end of 2024.

General Motors' announcement said it will lay off a total of 1,314 employees at two factories. GM also filed a WARN notice Thursday that said it will cut 945 jobs starting Jan. 1 at its Orion Assembly plant in Orion Township.

Those cuts are related to GM's October announcement that it was delaying production of two all-electric pickups at the plant by a full year, which will idle the factory at the end of this year. The company will transfer about 1,000 workers to other GM facilities in the state.

GM had planned to start production on the Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV next year at Orion, but GM said it will "retime the conversion" of Orion Assembly plant to EV truck production and restart the plant in late 2025 instead.

The automaker says it will offer affected employees jobs elsewhere in the company.

The planned cuts come on the heels of a more than month-long strike that affected Lansing's auto plants.


That's All, Folks: Chevy Camaro Production Officially Ends

Caleb Jacobs
Fri, December 15, 2023

That's All, Folks: Chevy Camaro Production Officially Ends photo


Endings are hard, even when you know they're coming. Such is the case with the Chevy Camaro as the sixth-generation driver's car has exited production. It's unclear what's next for the iconic nameplate, but all signs point to something drastically different from the Camaro we've known for more than half a century.

GM Authority wrote earlier this week that December 14 would be the Camaro's final day, and a General Motors spokesperson allegedly confirmed that to American Cars and Racing. I reached out myself and a GM rep told me the same, providing the following statement:

"Camaro is a passion product. It has developed a fan base across the world and has brought people into Chevrolet dealerships for generations. The sixth generation specifically represented athleticism and composure—exuding confidence on the road and dominance on the track."


There's been a lot of buzz surrounding the Camaro, as you'd expect with a performance model whose history spans nearly 60 years. The thing is, not much of the hype came from GM. Sure, the automotive giant released a few special editions, but the car kinda went out with a whimper instead of a bang. At least we got that ZL1 Garage 56 tribute.

While Chevy has made clear that there's no immediate successor lined up for the sixth-gen, "this is not the end of Camaro’s story." You can bet that whatever is next will be electrified, though it's unclear if the Bowtie brand will make it a hybrid or fully battery-powered. It's people's worst fear that it will be something with four doors, though the Dodge Charger was successfully revived as a sedan in 2006. Maybe GM could do it in a similar way that doesn't depart too far from the Camaro's ethos.

Sales of the Camaro spiked 110% through the second quarter of 2023 as people clamored to get one while they could. The decision was already made to move on from the sixth-gen after nine years, however, so the surge came too late. It's a shame as the Camaro has been consistently praised by critics for its performance and driving feel; customers just preferred the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger.

We'll stay tuned in to see what's next for the Camaro, but in the meantime, we'll be reminiscing. Maybe they'll make a modern Catfish design? On second thought, nah. Better not.


It seems like end of road for iconic American car as Chevy Camaro production stops

Patrick Hilsman
Fri, December 15, 2023 

According to multiple industry sources and trade reports, General Motors has stopped production of its iconic Chevrolet Camaro this week. File Photo by David Silpa/UPI


Dec. 15 (UPI) -- According to multiple industry sources and trade reports, General Motors has stopped production of its Chevrolet Camaro this week.

GM Authority, citing an unnamed source, reported that Dec. 14 was the last day of production. Road and Track reports that a GM representative confirmed the end of production.

The earliest version of the Camaro was produced in 1966, with multiple generations following. Camaros are known as "pony" cars, which are sporty commercial models.

The current sixth generation of Camaros was introduced in 2016.

The end of Camaro production comes as General Motors, Chevrolet's parent company, revealed plans to lay off 1,314 workers from two Michigan factories in a notice to Michigan's Labor Department

General Motors ended the production of the Chevrolet Camaro this week, according to multiple media outlets. File Photo by James Atoa/UPI

"Camaro is a passion product. It has developed a fan base around the world and has brought people into Chevrolet dealerships for generations," a GM spokesperson told The Drive.

The end of the Camaro line, for at least the time being, was announced in March, with the company saying at the time that production would cease in January.

A Chevrolet Camaro is parked on a side street in central Beijing in 2018. File Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI

"After nine strong model years in the market, with hundreds of thousands sold, the sixth generation Chevrolet Camaro will retire at the conclusion of the model year 2024. The final sixth generation will come off the assembly line at the Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant in Michigan in January 2024," Chevrolet said in a press release in March.

The company also suggested that further Camaro models would appear on the market at an undetermined time.

A customized 1969 Chevy Camaro built by Bradley Gray is displayed during the 2019 SEMA Show in Las Vegas in 2019. File Photo by James Atoa/UPI

"While we are not announcing an immediate successor today, rest assured, this is not the end of Camaro's story," Global Chevrolet Vice President Scott Bell said.

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