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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

GM’s move to Woodward is the right one — for the company and for Detroit

Back in 2018, Chevy invited me to attend the Detroit Auto Show on the company dime to get an early preview of the then-newly redesigned Silverado. The trip involved a stay at the Renaissance Center — just a quick People Mover ride from the show. IÂ’d been visiting Detroit in January for nearly a decade, and not once had I set foot inside General MotorsÂ’ glass-sided headquarters. I was intrigued, to say the least. Thinking back on my time in the buildings that GM will leave behind when it departs for the new Hudson's site on Woodward Avenue, two things struck me. For one, its hotel rooms are cold in January. Sure, itÂ’s glass towers designed in the 1960s and '70s; I calibrated my expectations accordingly. But when I could only barely see out of the place for all the ice forming on the inside of the glass, it drove home just how flawed this iconic structure is.  My second and more pertinent observation was that the RenCen doesnÂ’t really feel like itÂ’s in a city at all, much less one as populous as Detroit. The complex is effectively severed from its surroundings by swirling ribbons of both river and asphalt. To the west sits the Windsor tunnel entrance; to the east, parking lots for nearly as far as the eye can see. To its north is the massive Jefferson Avenue and to its south, the Detroit River. You get the sense that if Henry Ford II and his team of investors had gotten their way, the whole thing would have been built offshore with the swirling channel doubling as a moat. This isnÂ’t a building the draws the city in; itÂ’s one designed to keep it out. Frost on the inside of the RenCen hotel glass. Contrasted with the new Hudson's project GM intends to move into, a mixed-use anchor with residential, office, retail and entertainment offerings smack-dab in Detroit's most vibrant district, the RenCen is a symbol of an era when each office in DetroitÂ’s downtown was an island in a rising sea of dilapidation. Back then, those who fortified against the rapid erosion of DetroitÂ’s urban bedrock stood the best chance of surviving. This was the era that brought us ugly skyways and eventually the People Mover — anything to help suburban commuters keep their metaphorical feet dry. The RenCen offered — and still offers — virtually any necessity and plenty of nice-to-haves, all accessible without ever venturing outside, especially in the winter, but those enticements are geared to those who trek in from suburbia to toil in its hallways.

Train derailment leaves Jeep, GMC, Chevy pickups damaged in Nevada

An unfortunate train derailment is causing some inevitable delays for pickup truck customers west of Nevada. Yesterday morning, 33 train cars derailed in Lincoln County, and the cargo that was being transported consisted of new Jeep Gladiators and Wranglers along with Chevrolet Silverados and GMC Sierras, judging from the photos released by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. The train derailment also caused the adjacent road to be closed, and local law enforcement recommends the area is to be avoided as long as it takes to clean it all up. In the photos, damaged Jeeps and other trucks sit either on their wheels or shiny-side-down as the incident is being assessed. Available information says there were thankfully no personal injuries, but itÂ’s not likely any of these trucks will end up in customer hands, even with a significant discount. Pre-registration transport damage, significant or not, has often resulted in scrapping complete vehicles so that manufacturers can steer clear of liability issues. Hooniverse.com, which also reported on the incident, notes a couple of interesting things. Firstly, the upended Gladiator seems to have a pretty sturdy support structure for its glasshouse, thanks to its new rollbars. Another matter is that the GM trucks, also pictured, wear discreet and temporary transport steel wheels instead of fancier items, perhaps to deter thieves eager to grab a shiny set from trucks on their way to the dealer. Still, itÂ’s a shame these vehicles could never fulfill their hauling purposes in the hands of new owners. Perhaps the manufacturers can at least use the damage for data-gathering purposes. Related Video: