GM to suspend production of Chevy Volt (Temporarily lays off 1,300 workers)

Washington Post ^ | 03/03/0212 | Brent Snavely

[SeekAndFind]

DETROIT — General Motors Co. has told 1,300 employees at its Detroit Hamtramck plant that they will be temporarily laid off for five weeks as the company halts production of the Chevrolet Volt and its European counterpart, the Opel Ampera.

“Even with sales up in February over January, we are still seeking to align our production with demand,” said GM spokesman Chris Lee.

Lee said employees were told Thursday that production would put on hold from March 19 to April 23.

The Chevrolet Volt, an extended-range electric car, is both a political lightning rod and a symbol of the company’s technological capability.

Chevrolet sold 1,023 Volts in the U.S. in February and has sold 1,626 so far this year.

In 2011, Chevrolet sold 7,671 Volts, but fell short of its initial goal of 10,000.

GM had planned to expand production of its Volt plug-in hybrid to 60,000 this year, with 45,000 earmarked for the United States.

Last fall, the GM and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration spent several weeks trying to explain why two Volts caught fire at least a week after their batteries were punctured.

NHTSA determined that the range-extended electric Volt is as safe as any gasoline-powered vehicle on the road.

[SeekAndFind]

Wall Street Journal also reports:

GM to Idle Chevy Volt Output as Sales Slow

See here:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203986604577257681918603106.html

[SeekAndFind]

Note: The halt on production is only for 5 weeks.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/la-fi-autos-gm-volt-20120303,0,6739843.story

EXCERPT:

The automaker informed employees at its Detroit Hamtramck plant Friday afternoon that they would be without work for five weeks — from March 19 to April 23. The move comes despite a jump in sales of the car in February. GM sold 1,023 Volts last month, compared with 603 in January.

The temporary halt is necessary because the company has surplus Volts waiting to be sold, GM spokesman Chris Lee said. “We’re going to build to meet market demand, and while we’re optimistic, we’re not able to maintain regular production.”

Jessica Caldwell, a senior analyst at the auto research site Edmunds.com, said that the manufacturer had set “aggressive target” of selling 60,000 Volts in this year, and that it’s not a surprise sales are falling short.

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[ronnie raygun]

Lets see...............car needs electricity to run, electricity to charge car is produced by oil, coal, nuclear and hydro which are being eliminated. Thank god we have Valarie Jarret reassuring us every now and then how Obama is so brilliant he lights up the night sky.

[bray]

Their goal is to sell 60,000 and on target to sell around 20,000. Don’t you love central planning.

Pray for America

[PGalt]

The neo-fascists can’t FORCE enough dolts to drive the Volts, yet?

[EGPWS]

The Chevy Volt is a WONDERFUL thing!

Is it perfect?....No

Can it be made better?......yes

We need to invest more into the volt to make it a better vehicle so we can save the planet and make other countries love us more....it's only fair.

Can I run for POTUS as a dimocrat now?

[GunsareOK]

From what I’ve seen, the plug in Prius (just out or soon to be) is a better, more proven version of this at less cost. And most likely, the electricity comes from coal at a time when the EPA is forcing 60 coal fired electric plants to close around the country.

[EGPWS]

Lets see...............car needs electricity to run, electricity to charge car is produced by oil, coal, nuclear and hydro which are being eliminated. Thank god we have Valarie Jarret reassuring us every now and then how Obama is so brilliant he lights up the night sky.

This time we don't have Ronald Reagan waiting to come in and clean up the mess that has been created however.

[codder too]

Does this mean the employees don’t have to buy the volts they aren’t making.HUH

[EGPWS]

The neo-fascists can’t FORCE enough dolts to drive the Volts, yet?

A Volt for every dolt? LOL!

[EGPWS]

Does this mean the employees don’t have to buy the volts they aren’t making.HUH

How about issuing government granted "rebates"? ; )

[Proud2BeRight]

“Can I run for POTUS as a dimocrat now?”

Not until you can find a way to blame the GOP for the rotten Volt sales.

[RightLady]

Hang on there—Obama has promised to buy one as soon as he leaves the presidency. Don’t disappoint him!

[TwelveOfTwenty]

This time we don't have Ronald Reagan waiting to come in and clean up the mess that has been created however.

Funny thing is, in 1980, the Democrats were licking their chops over how easy it would be for Carter to beat an "idiot" like Reagan. We can always hope for a repeat.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

When UAW workers get "laid off," they collect 90% of their pay for a year.

Boo-hoo.

[NRG1973]

When UAW workers get "laid off," they collect 90% of their pay for a year.

That is no longer the case. Before GM went bankrupt the UAW agreed to end that practice.

[Caipirabob]

They should have gone bankrupt to begin with. The actual shareholders could have gotten some ROI. The company could have renegotiated labor contracts and they might be seeing a brighter future in a few more years with a new president.

But no. They have decided to hunker down in the bunker, for better or worse with the fuhrer.