2004 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 Ls Sport Utility 4-door 5.3l on 2040-cars

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GM to idle car production at five factories as Americans continue CUV love affair

In case you needed another reminder that Americans have fallen out of love with sedans, General Motors today announced plans to idle five factories in January in a bid to cut its inventory to 70 days. Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly ( Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac CT6, Chevrolet Volt and Impala) and Fairfax Assembly in Kansas ( Chevy Malibu) will stop production for three weeks. Lansing Grand River ( Cadillac ATS and CTS, and Chevy Camaro) is going down for two weeks, while Lordstown, OH ( Chevy Cruze) and Bowling Green, KY ( Chevy Corvette) will go idle for a week each, Automotive News reports. GM's shutdown reflects a broader problem with the company's supply – at 847,000 vehicles, the company's supply increased unsteadily from a low of 629,000 units in January of 2016. That's more than a 25 percent increase in the past year. Citing information from Autodata, The Detroit News reports that at the end of November, GM had a 168-day supply of LaCrosses, 177 days' worth of Camaro, 170 days of Corvette, 121 days for Cruze, 119 days for ATS, 132 days for CTS, and 110 days of CT6. Meanwhile, inventory of the company's more popular vehicles is actually below the professionally accepted 60- to 70-day supply, The News reports. The Trax, Colorado pickup, and GM's full-size SUVs are sitting below 50 days and experiencing year-over-year sales increases. GM needs a rethink of its inventory levels, which is something that's apparently coming. "We're going to be responsible in managing our inventory levels," GM spokesman Jim Cain told The News. Another unnamed spokesman told Automotive News the company's day-to-day supplies would "fluctuate before moderating at year-end." But at least one analyst thinks this won't be the last time Detroit needs to stop production to level things out. "Incentives are elevated, residuals are declining, and rates are rising," Brian Johnson, an analyst with Barclays, told The News. "And while GM in particular may benefit in the months ahead from new product launches, it's important to recognize that GM's inventory is elevated at the moment, and it wouldn't surprise us if they need to announce another production cut – which could pressure the stock." Related Video: News Source: The Detroit News, Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Paul Sancya / AP Plants/Manufacturing Buick Cadillac Chevrolet GM GMC Crossover SUV Sedan bowling green cadillac xt6 fairfax

Suzuki recalls 2 million cars globally

Suzuki is recalling two million vehicles across the globe, including a number of Chevrolet Cruze sedans that it builds for General Motors, because the ignition switches may begin to smoke. None of the Cruzes being recalled were sold in the US, though. This recall is limited to the Japanese, European and Australian markets. In Suzuki's home market, 1,873,000 vehicles are being recalled, including the Cruze and a number kei cars built for Mazda (the Carol and AZ-Wagon), as well as the automaker's own Alto, Wagon R and Swift. Affected vehicles were built between 1998 and 2009. The remaining 133,000 vehicles include Cruzes and other Suzuki products sold in Europe and Australia. There have been no reports of injuries or accidents due to the 67 reported incidents, all of which come from the Japanese market, a Suzuki spokesperson told Automotive News. Related Video:

GM recalls nearly 340,000 large SUVs to fix daytime running lights

General Motors has initiated a recall campaign for more than 338,000 of its large SUVs to address a potential defect in the onboard computer software that controls the daytime running lights. In some cases, the DRLs may remain on even when the headlights are enabled, which creates additional glare for oncoming drivers at night and fails to comply with federal regulations for headlight performance.  "GM determined that the body control module (BCM) software in these vehicles, under a combination of certain pre-conditions, may fail to deactivate the DRLs when the headlamps are on," GM's recall report said. "A regulatory assessment was conducted to evaluate whether the condition presented a potential noncompliance with the DRL activation requirements in S7.10.5, Table I-a. of FMVSS 108. On October 27, 2022, GM’s Safety Field Action Decision Authority (SFADA) decided to conduct a recall for potential noncompliance with this standard." GM says the recall covers the 2021 model year GMC Yukon and Yukon XL, 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, and 2021 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV. The company says all models produced within that operating window include the improperly programmed body control module, meaning all vehicles within the recall population may exhibit the problem. The issue was discovered by a GM engineer during validation testing in August, prompting a deeper investigation and eventually leading to the recall itself.   The module's software can be updated by GM dealers, so it should be a quick fix for customers. Notifications will be mailed to owners in December.  Related video: Recalls Cadillac Chevrolet GMC Ownership Safety SUV Luxury