GM Closing Oshawa, Other Plants

[RealG]

Is anybody really surprised? The redesign Camaro ugly and not selling ,
the brand new Chevy blazer is just wrong on so many levels and won’t sell. They desperately just put a four cylinder in their full-size Silverado truck which won’t sell. General motors has the same problems it’s always had internal government like bureaucracy they can’t get anything done efficiently and will Ultimately fail, Because nothing was really changed after their collapse. So history will repeat.
Timing is good news for the media and GM as they will blame President Trump for all GM problems now.

[mlee]

Really sad news for the thousands of GM employees affected.

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by 90503

This can't be right.???....No U.S. sales of what is made there?...Hmmm I dunno about that one...

Unless they mean that those plants build cars that are sold outside the US in addition to domestic production, its wrong. For example: the Volt is made in Detroit-Hamtramck & is sold in the US. Ditto with the Impala & XTS. Lordstown builds the Cruze.

[18ss376]

And just three years ago, Oshawa took a hit when GM moved production of the Chevrolet Camaro to Michigan, slicing 1,000 jobs in Ontario.

[DC5]

Originally Posted by Bongos2U

I do not care if GM is one of the largest automobile manufacturers. I remember Rick Wagoner bragging that they were number one in sales (not profit) while GM was losing money hand over fist.

I do mourn what the auto industry is morphing into. The American dream consisted of owning a nice car and exploring the open road. Those days are going the way of the dinosaur. I also feel sorry for the thousands of people who will lose their jobs. GM will probably heavily invest in their assembly plants in Mexico now.

I agree, especially as it pertains to the approximately 2800 workers who will be affected by this particular plant closure. And, like you, I fear what the global economy will bring us for future vehicle offerings.

[DenverTaco07]

Infrastructure and expertise available for a startup!

who's in?

well, the market sure seems to like this move.

[90503]

Originally Posted by DenverTaco07

Infrastructure and expertise available for a startup!

who's in?

well, the market sure seems to like this move.

Tesla should fill the void and get some needed personnel! Canada should help out Tesla before he closes up and moves to China...

[Chevmaro]

Do we need to start a letter writing campaign to save the Camaro?

[RenegadeXR]

Originally Posted by Chevmaro

Do we need to start a letter writing campaign to save the Camaro?

I don't think that realistically enthusiasts could save the car if they decide to get rid of it. Unlike the Mustang, there's no pressure to maintain an unbroken heritage, since the Camaro was out of production for several years in the mid 2000's. Chevy also has the Corvette to carry the flag. Ford has the GT, but thats a different beast and is limited production.

[craigss50]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeROC

More sterile, ugly, boring, slow, POS commuting pods like this...

You left out reliable, well built and economical. We looked at the Impala and Malibu but with all the issues with owning a GM car we bought an Accord Touring for thousands less with the same space and more content. GM doews not make good cars and is the reason for poor sales. Accords and Camarys are still selling pretty well.

[KMPrenger]

wow...some very interesting opinions in this thread. lol

Well here's another.

I hope for one they don't just toss out the voltec platform. In my mind, the Volt is still the option that makes the most sense for people that want to go full electric, without range anxiety. Why in the world GM has still not put this in a small/mid size CUV is beyond me. Is it just sheer cost...and maybe they feel buyers of small CUVs won't pay the price? I know the platforms are different, but the Equinox and Terrain already ride on a car platform (Cruze), so why not create a Volt CUV (that doesn't scream "Hey look, I'm green!!!" on the outside). If I could get my 2018 GMC Terrain using voltec technology, I'd be in right now.

[MackSteelPrivateEye]

Originally Posted by Bongos2U

Just another example of "The Incredible Shrinking GM" ? Will Lordstown be next? ...

https://nationalpost.com/news/canada...a-plant-report

Oshawa assembled the fifth gen. Camaro.

Balt. Md. is next.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/business...126-story.html

[Doc]

Originally Posted by Chevmaro

Do we need to start a letter writing campaign to save the Camaro?

Unfortunately it may already be too late. If they knew how to save the Camaro, they would have done it already. The lead time takes too long to make significant changes and they need to make significant changes.

For the last few years in Camaro5 and this forum, I've been harping on the need for them to get a vision of what a great pony car is and should be, and reinvent it. I got all kinds of flak from the fan boys who insisted they loved the bunker housing cabin, big hips, transformer toy looks. That's great except it completely misses the mark. GM priced the Camaro out of the range of its former Camaro base, and we saw the effects of that last year when 4 months of unsold inventory was sitting on dealer's lots. Those cars didn't begin to sell until they drastically reduced the prices, which probably didn't make any money for GM and made it clear price was an issue.

GM is a business, not an emotional passion club. If it doesn't make money they aren't going to continue it, as we've seen in the announcements today. By making the Camaro an expensive track toy, they nailed the 2% of the market base that wants that, which is most of what's in here. It's probably not enough to keep the car alive. They could keep those cars, but should have also (maybe they are but we haven't seen it yet) reinvented the pony car and made it affordable again for the market base they used to have; the 98% that isn't/didn't buy the Camaro as it is now.

They're caught in old-school thinking of one-customer, one-vehicle buyers. That's no longer the case today. Yes SUVs and trucks are selling, but those buyers also have more than one vehicle. If they'd position a reinvented pony car as a second or third car choice, and put it in a price range that makes it appealing for that purpose, they'd see a lot more sales. This won't be a track monster; there won't be videos of it at the 'Ring setting lap records. The 98% doesn't even know what that is, nor do they care. They're never taking a car to the track. While appealing to them might seem like sacrilege to those in here, if the 98% decide to buy in big numbers, that's what will keep the Camaro track cars in business that you guys like and buy.

GM is in real trouble. What they announced today wasn't a growth strategy. Blaming Trump or anything else is a fatal mistake; the problem lies within. They're carrying a huge amount of retirement costs. They're not leading anymore, they're following; design by trend rather than by vision. What they announced today is their plan to make the company appear profitable by amputation. That has absolutely no vision for future growth.

I saw this coming and was warning about it years ago; it makes me terribly sad to see it happening. I feel terrible for the employees; there's nothing like finding out you're losing your job right before Christmas.

GM... don't blame; think and change. GM execs... drive around neighborhoods and notice what customers are actually buying. Don't put all your eggs in the SUV/truck basket because that basket is getting close to saturation. Think; look ahead. People aren't going to be replacing those expensive SUV/trucks every year. That market is going to experience an adjustment, and it'll be pretty severe. If you think electric is going to save you, take a look at Tesla; business-wise it's a crap sandwich. It can't stand on its own without subsidies. If you're going electric, you need to start NOW with a dealer/support/charging infrastructure so that by the time you go 'all-electric' the way you think you want to, it will work. As a poster already said in this thread, how is the electricity generated? You want to sell electric? Make solar charging stations at every GM dealer, and make it free to charge there; that would be a good start. Start negotiating NOW with a major gas company to invest in solar charging units at their gas stations. You have to do more than follow trends, or you'll follow them right over the cliff.

[MackSteelPrivateEye]

Originally Posted by Bongos2U

Just another example of "The Incredible Shrinking GM" ? Will Lordstown be next? ...

https://nationalpost.com/news/canada...a-plant-report

Oshawa assembled the fifth gen. Camaro.

Its what happens when Americans invest in offshore owned products. It kills home based businesses that keep America strong. If we didn't have Big 3 manufacturing strength in the 1940s, today we would be either dead or speaking German and Japanese. Convenience today for long term death.