10,000 to be affected by GM closures
WILMINGTON - General Motors Corp. is closing four truck and SUV plants in the United States, Canada and Mexico, affecting 10,000 workers, as surging fuel prices hasten a dramatic shift to smaller vehicles.
WILMINGTON - General Motors Corp. is closing four truck and SUV plants in the United States, Canada and Mexico, affecting 10,000 workers, as surging fuel prices hasten a dramatic shift to smaller vehicles.
Chief executive officer Rick Wagoner said yesterday before the automaker's annual meeting in Delaware that the plants to be idled are in Oshawa, Ontario; Moraine, Ohio; Janesville, Wis.; and Toluca, Mexico. He also said the iconic Hummer brand would be reviewed and potentially sold or revamped.
Wagoner said the GM board had approved production of a new small Chevrolet car at a plant in Lordstown, Ohio, in mid-2010 and production of the Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle in Detroit.
Wagoner announced the moves in response to slumping sales of pickups and SUVs brought on by high oil prices. He said a market shift to smaller vehicles was permanent.
The cuts will affect 10,000 hourly and salaried workers. Many will be able to take openings created when 19,000 more U.S. hourly workers leave later this year through early retirement and buyout offers.