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GM extends production cuts, affects Cadillacs, Camaro and Acadia

General Motors is extending production cuts at some of its North America factories due to a chip shortage that has roiled the global automotive industry, the U.S. carmaker said on Thursday. The move's impact has been baked into GM's prior forecast that the shortage could shave up to $2 billion off this year's profit. GM's Lansing Grand River assembly in Michigan will extend its downtime through the week of April 26. The plant makes Chevrolet Camaros and Cadillac CT4 and CT5 sedans. It has been out of action since March 15. GM's Spring Hill assembly in Tennessee will shut down for two weeks starting the week of April 12. The plant makes the Cadillac XT5, XT6 and GMC Acadia. The company said it has not taken downtime or reduced shifts at any of its more profitable full-size truck or full-size SUV plants due to the shortage. The news was first reported by CNBC. Reporting by Ankit Ajmera in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel and Sriraj Kalluvila

GM to trim Russian output, raise prices amid currency woes

General Motors is shutting down its factory in Russia's second largest city, St. Petersburg, from the middle of March until the middle of May as the country's currency, the ruble, continues to give economists fits. The ruble's value has plunged due not only to western sanctions, but a precipitous fall in oil prices. We knew these factors were already impacting the auto industry there, as Ford reported in its 2014 earnings statement, and now they're forcing GM to cut production at the factory, shown above, that is responsible for production of the Chevrolet Cruze and Opel Astra. Meanwhile, Automotive News is citing Russian outlet Kommersant as saying that GM has hiked its prices in the country by an average of 20 percent over the past two months. While a GM spokesman confirmed the St. Petersburg plant would be shut down for the two-month span reported by Kommersant and AN, he would not confirm the price increase. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Alexander Nikolayev / AFP / Getty Images Earnings/Financials Plants/Manufacturing Chevrolet GM Opel opel astra

Chevy Bolt will go into production in Michigan in 2016 [UPDATE]

While nothing official has been announced, it appears that General Motors may actually put the all-electric Chevy Bolt into production next year. That's the rumor that Reuters is reporting, citing two sources at suppliers for the upcoming $30,000 EV (although that $30,000 number bears some scrutiny). This rumor does fit in with earlier comments that the Bolt would arrive on the market in 2017. If it gets built, the Bolt will share more than a similar-sounding name with the Chevy Volt: the EV will be put together in metro Detroit. Reuters says the 200-mile electric car (and an Opel version) will be made in "an underused small-car plant north of Detroit," which means the Orion Township plant. GM could make between 25,000 and 30,000 Bolts a year there, if what the suppliers are saying is true. We have asked GM for a statement on this story and will update it if we hear back. UPDATE: General Motors manager of electrification technology communications, Kevin Kelly, told AutoblogGreen that, "Bolt EV Concept is just that – a concept. We're currently evaluating the vehicle program, but do not have any production announcements to make at this time."