GM to Halt Vehicle Production Due to Surplus

byCaleb Jacobs|
GM to Halt Vehicle Production Due to Surplus
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General Motors' Detroit-Hamtramck facility will cease production for three weeks at the beginning of 2017. This plant is responsible for the production of the Buick Lacrosse  as well as the Chevrolet Volt and Camaro.. 

This comes as a result of producing 874,000 units this year, a substanital leap from 2015. The Detroit company reportedly has stock to support an 87-day supply, a large excess that surpasses the 60-70 day regular. This causes quite the congestion for the manufacturer, leading to the delay. The Detroit News states that this is the most inventory GM has held in 8 years, despite sales in November being the highest in 2016 during the same span.

The overstock contributes to an ever-growing large vehicle market in which consumers are swaying towards SUVs, trucks, and crossovers. GM already held a 170+day supply of Camaros and Corvettes earlier this year, while they can hardly keep enough Colorado and Canyon pickups en route to showrooms. This has become much of the same story across the board as we've seen even the most unlikely manufacturers develop SUVs to suit the progressing demographic. As the automotive scenery changes, so will vehicle production -- something that the company is learning right now. 

With this news, GM joins the rest of the Big Three and their production woes. Amidst  a sea of facility alterations, manufacturing setbacks, and funding shortages, Fiat Chrysler and Ford have both faced their fair share of issues in 2016.  Along with the Detroit-Hamtramck facility, the company's Lansing-Grand River plant has faced similar production overages. Sales are up .5 percent over 2015, helping to move these extra units just a bit faster.

The production halt will affect a slew of jobs and employees at the plant, though the total number is unclear. 

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