GCD1962

The future of Bowling Green has been thrown up in the air with the annoucement that Solstice and Sky will not be made there.

http://www.courier-journal.com/artic...0210015/-1/rss

Plans announced last year to move 2,000 General Motors jobs from Wilmington, Del., to Bowling Green to build the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky by 2012 appear to be on hold, United Auto Workers Local 2164 President Eldon Renaud said today.

“The future does not look good for that right now,” Renaud said. “The talk we are hearing is those vehicles will not be built here,”

Renaud's comments came as GM announced plans to cut 10,000 of its white collar staff of 73,000. GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson said today it was too soon to discuss how those cuts could affect individual plants like Bowling Green.

“We are just starting to roll this out,” Wilkinson said in an interview.

Wilkinson did not immediately return a call seeking comment on the company’s plans for production of the Solstice and Sky.

Debuted in 2004 to acclaim, the sleek Solstice was one of the vehicles championed by Bob Lutz, who announced his retirement yesterday as GM’s vice chairman.

Shut down since before Christmas, the Corvette plant resumes production Feb. 23, Renaud said.

Making only 11 Corvettes and Cadillac XLR vehicles per hour, the factory will run at the slowest pace Renaud said he has observed in 41 years with GM. In better times, the Corvette plant would produce up to 3,000 sports cars a month, or 18 vehicles per hour.

The Bowling Green plant now employs about 800 blue collar workers, Renaud said. Layoffs will reduce those ranks to about 575 people by the end of April on one production shift, he added.

“At what point are we in jeopardy of losing our plant and moving it?” Renaud said. “People are very worried.”

Lucifer13

So according to this they are re-opening the plant as planned on the 23rd and cars will start rolling out about a week after that.

AORoads

"Plans announced last year to move 2,000 General Motors jobs from Wilmington, Del., to Bowling Green to build the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky by 2012 appear to be on hold, ..."

"Renaud said. “People are very worried."

The first and last sentence are key.
Let's hope it's not the sky is falling...

Never Say Never

I never thought I would say this. Things look bad. GM made the deal with the Devil and has to comply. And the devil is a lot harder to deal with since 01/20. Times are going to get real bad. I see no Corvettes being made in a government caused depression. We are getting closer everyday.

ATC399

what?..... back to the general section

Never Say Never

The money GM took from the government. Living under a rock? GM laying off workers per agreement with government.

trivette

The big picture concern as I see it is where will the additional 'Vette sales come from once the current bulging inventory of '08/'09's is reduced? The incentives needed to move these cars will only hurt resale values on all C6's (and C5's) making the 'trade up' to an '09 or '10 an even more costly proposition for those who haven't done it already. Many forum members talk of holding on to their current cars for many years, and a lot of these comments were made even prior to this whole economic meltdown. Throw in no significant styling/performance changes and it becomes harder to justify buying a newer model. If BG and the 'Vette are to survive it will likely be at lower production numbers. If this eventually becomes economically prohibitive, the doomsday forecasters may be correct...just my take on the situation.

Never Say Never

Well said. I really thought this would not be the case. Today the senate agrees to the stimulus and the market is way down after the announcement. Things look worse every single day.

Dick4295

If cars aren't selling, they need to produce fewer cars which means they need to lay off workers. Laying off workers makes sense in this issue as painful as it is.

rjwoerheide

Say it ain't so!!!

Rocketmanwpb

I work for a GM subsidiary and have been looking for a job, I have no confidence that the company will survive.

turmat

Exactly. The big, overriding emphasis today is productivity cost. If orders are off 33% (as with our company), you cannot keep the same labor hours on the books.

We laid off another group today due to very soft Diesel sales. If no one is buying, you cannot continue to produce. The government is not directly involved go with this decision.

calmtgguy

The end of the Corvette was alluded to by Jay Leno at the auction of the first ZR1. For the guys that don't have one or want to upgrade to a 2008 or 2009, now is the time. For the rest of us that have ours, take real good care of them and make them last.

BigKitty

Buy now!

Never Say Never

The point is this may be more than just laying people off. We are talking entire factories and towns. This is just the tip of the iceberg. This country is headed down a direction it has not seen since the 1930's. Don't believe it? Watch any news program you want tonight, any channel, any network. It is getting real bad.

AORoads

I understand. And I hope it isn't so, but at some point of production, the Corvette plant being the SMALLEST that GM operates, there has to be a number where it is no longer feasible.

I think I'm wrong, but if the UAW chief in the area says he and the workers are worried, then I'm worried, too.

jdurhan

They should bring the Camaro to BG and get it out of Canada, build it in the USA.

GotVett?

Don't have the newest but mine will be paid for not too long from now. I guess that's a good thing.

Never Say Never

Great idea. Wont happen. But, great idea.

rjwoerheide

Great idea, yes, but would it be feasible?