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GM may kill 6 car models as it works with UAW to tackle sales slump

The president of the United Auto Workers union said on Thursday the union is talking with General Motors about the potential threat to plants and jobs from slumping U.S. car sales. GM's response will be more trucks and SUVs, and sources say at least six slow-selling car models may be killed off. "We are talking to (GM) right now about the products that they currently have" at underused car plants such as Hamtramck in Michigan and Lordstown in Ohio, and whether they might be replaced with newer, more popular vehicles such as crossovers, Dennis Williams told reporters. "We are tracking it (and) we are addressing it," Williams added. GM has cut shifts at several U.S. plants this year as inventories of unsold cars have ballooned. Industry analysts said more jobs could be at risk as the automaker wrestles with permanently shrinking production of small and midsized sedans. GM is reviewing whether to cancel at least six passenger cars in the U.S. market after 2020, including the Chevrolet Volt hybrid, which could be replaced in 2022 with a new gasoline-electric crossover model, Reuters has learned from people familiar with the plans. Other GM cars at risk include the Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac CT6, Cadillac XTS, Chevrolet Impala and Chevrolet Sonic, sources said. Some analysts have singled out GM's Hamtramck plant in Detroit as one of the most vulnerable because of plummeting car sales. The plant, which opened in 1985, builds four slow-selling models: Buick LaCrosse, Chevrolet Impala, Cadillac CT6 and Chevrolet Volt. In the first half, it built fewer than 35,000 cars, down 32 percent from the same period in 2016, according to suppliers familiar with GM's U.S. production schedule. The typical GM assembly plant builds 200,000-300,000 vehicles a year.COMING ATTRACTIONS: TRUCKS AND SUVS GM must "create some innovative new products" to replace slow-selling sedans "or start closing plants," said Sam Fiorani, vice president of AutoForecast Solutions. The auto maker already has begun to shift future production plans from cars to trucks, according to Morgan Stanley auto analyst John Murphy. He estimates that fewer than 10 percent of the new vehicle models that GM will introduce over the next four years will be passenger cars, with the rest divided among trucks, SUVs and crossovers. GM plans to add production of the new Cadillac XT4 crossover next year to its Malibu sedan plant in Fairfax, Kansas.

GM will recall more than 3.3 million vehicles in China for suspension defect

BEIJING (Reuters) - General Motors' joint venture in China, Shanghai GM, will recall more than 3.3 million Buick, Chevrolet and Cadillac vehicles stating Oct. 20 because of a defect with the suspension system, China's market regulator said on Saturday. GM Shanghai said in a text message to Reuters that the suspension arm may be deformed under extreme operating conditions, but there are no known casualties related to the issue. The recall includes cars produced between 2013 and 2018, the State Administration for Market Regulation said in a statement. GM will contact those affected and repair the vehicles free of charge, it said. (Reporting by Josephine Mason and Hallie Gu; additional reporting by Yilei Sun; Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Michael Perry)Related Video: Image Credit: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Recalls Buick Cadillac Chevrolet Safety

Early 2024 Buick Envision pricing is out, and there's some good news

Early price guide data is out for the refreshed 2024 Buick Envision, although we're still waiting for the Envision to emerge for behind-the-scenes drama. The automaker announced its handsome midsizer with a single photo last June, promising the debut of Super Cruise and more information before the end of the year. There have been no official updates since then. The last unofficial update came from GM Authority, the rumored intel being GM pushed the Envision's market launch to the end of this year, and Super Cruise had been nixed from the menu.  Autodata reported not long after the online reveal that Buick was culling front-wheel-drive Envision trims, and that's borne out by pricing. This move usually raises prices by four figures before inflation, the profit motive, and Wall Street obligations exert their pressure; such is the case here, too. The 2023 Envision Preferred FWD still shown on the Buick retail site starts at $34,745, but the early MSRPs show buyers will need another $2,500 for a chance to open the door on a 2024 Envision. However, there's good news for everyone who wanted an AWD Envision. Assuming destination holds steady at $1,395, the AWD base prices and their differences from 2023 AWD trims are: Preferred: $37,295 ($1,150 less) Sport Touring: $39,795 ($900 less) Avenir: $48,395 ($460) Hard to complain about two of three trims costing less, and the flagship trim only costing $460 more. Oh, and the middle trim was called the Essence in 2023, we'll eventually learn if the name change to Sport Touring involves a new feature set.   As to changes, Buick designers gave the SUV's front end a complete overhaul up front. A bigger grille is positioned lower on the front fascia, there's reworked bright trim, and the new Buick emblem on the hood. Headlights are now integrated into the bumper, Jeep Cherokee-style, and LED daytime running lights replace the outgoing Envision's headlights. The revamped look brings the Envision in line with other recent additions to the Buick range, like the Encore. Because Buick released one picture for the summer reveal, we still have no idea what the Envision's back end and interior look like. In our previous post on the delay, we mused that GM might get good news and move the production date up from year-end. GMA says that's what's happened, production now slated for Q1 of this year at one of Buick's plants in China.