1974 Chevy Nova Custom 2 Door + 350 4 Bolt Main Project/collector on 2040-cars

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Cadillac CT6 production ceases January 2020 as part of D-Ham layoffs

General Motors filed paperwork under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act with Michigan's Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity this week, detailing events to come at the automaker's Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant. Starting February 28, 814 salaried and hourly workers at D-Ham, as its called, will be laid off. The 753 workers represented by the UAW will begin receiving offers in January to relocate to facilities in Michigan and Ohio, or buyout offers. As the 4-million-square-foot plant winds down through April 3 to a skeleton crew, the Cadillac CT6 ceases production in January 2020, and the last Chevrolet Impala comes off the line on February 28. The loss of the CT6 represents the end of Cadillac's latest brief, and highly regarded, adventure into flagship sedans. It might also mean the end of the 4.2-liter Blackwing twin-turbo V8 engine, at least for the moment. Both casualties are calamities. The death of the Impala closes the door on a nameplate in production for 52 years since 1957, having started off as a top-tier trim for the 1958 Bel Air known as the Bel Air Impala, once advertised with the line, "Lets you know you're the boss." As part of the new four-year labor agreement with the UAW, GM is keeping D-Ham open to build a new line of battery-electric vehicles, ultimately investing $3 billion and tripling employment to 2,225 workers when fully operational. The agreement described the coming EV as a "van" that would commence production in late 2021, but various reports say what's actually coming is a range of premium EVs in pickup and SUV bodystyles under the program codename BT1. The easy predictions put an electric GMC Sierra and Cadillac Escalade among the EV fold, but not until 2023, according to auto industry forecaster LMC Automotive. Before that, LMC claims an electric van will debut in late 2021, along with a battery-powered rebirth of the Hummer brand in pickup and SUV forms, also in late 2021. 

Chevy to offer new Cruze as a hatchback in the US

Chevrolet plans to offer a five-door hatchback version of the new Cruze in the United States, according to the latest intel from Automotive News. In addition to the sedan form we're familiar with, the outgoing Cruze was offered as a hatchback in some markets overseas, but not in America – a decision which Mark Reuss, GM's EVP in charge of product development, characterized as "a pre-bankruptcy planning mistake." The new Chevy Cruze is set to debut later this week. Although the American automaker has yet to confirm which bodystyles will be offered where, AN reports that a five-door model was already shown to dealers at their national meeting in Las Vegas last week. AN points out that the Ford Focus with which the new Cruze will be contending is offered as both a sedan and hatchback in America, with the latter accounting for some 40 percent of sales.

GM 8-speed transmission lawsuit granted class action certification

A story on Autoblog about potentially faulty 8-speed automatic transmissions from General Motors in 2019 has, as of the day this was published, 166 comments, mostly from owners of cars and trucks who say they are experiencing "a hesitation, followed by a significant shake, shudder, jerk, clunk, or 'hard shift' when the vehicle's automatic transmission changes gears." At the time, lawyers were seeking statewide classes in at least six states. As of today, the Detroit Free Press reports that a judge has granted class action status to a lawsuit brought by 39 plaintiffs across 26 states covering the transmission issue. The lawsuit specifically applies to vehicles that are equipped with GM's 8L90 or 8L45 8-speed automatic transmissions made between 2015 and March 1, 2019. Both of these transmissions are similar units, the 8L45 being slightly lighter version used in fewer vehicles than the beefier 8L90, and are designed for front-engine, rear- or all-wheel drive applications. The lawsuit alleges that the erratic transmission behavior makes some vehicles unsafe to drive. Ted Leopold, partner at Cohen Milstein and the court-appointed lead counsel for the case, said in a statement, "General Motors knowingly sold over 800,000 eight-speed transmission vehicles, which they knew to be defective for years, and yet made the business decision not to tell its customers before purchase." He added, "Dealers were directed to tell the customers that harsh shifts were ‘normal' or ‘characteristic.Â’ Such decision making is both highly irresponsible and emblematic of what GM believes it can get away with." The vehicles included in the court order with potentially faulty transmissions includes: 2015-2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2017-2019 Chevrolet Colorado 2015-2019 Chevrolet Corvette 2016-2019 Chevrolet Camaro 2015-2019 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV 2016-2019 Cadillac ATS, ATS-V, CTS, CT6, and CTS-V 2015-2019 GMC Sierra, Yukon, Yukon XL, and Yukon Denali XL 2017-2019 GMC Canyon Some additional details of the lawsuit can be found at the Cohen Milstein site, including claims that "since 2015, GM has issued thirteen versions of a “technical service bulletin,” or “TSB,” related to this shifting issue alone." The statement from Cohen Milstein says that a "second action regarding GM vehicles with 8L transmissions is also underway in Battle v. General Motors, LLC, 2:22-cv-108783.