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GM plans to restart production in Mexico on May 20

MEXICO CITY — General Motors is tentatively planning to restart operations at its auto assembly plant in the Mexican city of Silao on May 20, according to a message to workers seen by Reuters on Sunday, as the car industry prepares to exit the coronavirus lockdown. Separately, the president of GM's Mexican unit advised suppliers to prepare to resume operations. “We are now beginning a new phase given the Mexican governmentÂ’s official announcement earlier this week to consider the transportation manufacturing industry as essential for the countryÂ’s economy,” Francisco Garza, president ofGeneral Motors de Mexico, wrote in an email to suppliers dated on Friday that was viewed by Reuters. The reopening of the plant  in Silao would be a positive signal for the auto sector in North America, whose supply lines are highly interconnected between the United States, Mexico and Canada. The plant in the central state of Guanajuato has been idled for weeks due to the coronavirus outbreak. Workers had previously been told to plan to return to their jobs on May 18. A GM spokeswoman said the company could not confirm when it would restart operations at any of its facilities in Mexico because it is awaiting more guidance from the government. The message to the plant's workers came after the government on Friday clarified when the industry could begin easing restrictions imposed because of the health emergency. On Wednesday, the government said automakers could start going back into production from May 18. It then withdrew that advice and suggested the new start date would be June 1. Finally it indicated the sector, which forms the backbone of Mexican manufacturing, could begin operating as soon as next week if companies had the required safety measures in place. U.S. officials and its auto industry have pressed Mexico's government to get its factories open again because American operations depend heavily on parts from south of the border. However, some politicians are wary of opening too fast. Mexico registered its first case of coronavirus weeks after the United States and Canada and the toll of daily infections and deaths in the country reached new peaks over the past few days. The Silao production facility, which makes highly profitable pickup trucks for GM, is one of the biggest automotive plants in Guanajuato, a major Mexican carmaking state. Related Video:

GMC's Bronco-slaying SUV will remain a dream, report says

GMC won't help rival Ford in its quest to dethrone the Jeep Wrangler, according to a recent report. The body-on-frame off-roader the firm planned as an alternative to the upcoming Bronco and the fourth-generation Wrangler allegedly fell victim to a top-down restructuring plan implemented recently by parent company General Motors. Citing anonymous inside sources, Muscle Car & Trucks reported the rugged SUV remained part of GMC's long-term product plan until November 2018. It was shaping up to be one of the company's most distinctive models in decades. It should have arrived as a dedicated off-roader developed and sold exclusively by GMC; it wouldn't have had a twin in the Chevrolet portfolio. The problem, according to the report, is that the off-roader (which might have revived the heritage-laced Jimmy nameplate) should have been built on the 32XX platform designed to underpin the next Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon twins. General Motors canceled that project to save money, so the SUV was consigned to the attic before we even spotted prototypes testing on and off the pavement. The updated pickups will instead arrive on an evolution of the frame found under the models currently found in showroom. There's no word on why that architecture can't support a Wrangler-like SUV. GMC never confirmed plans to build an off-roader aimed at the Jeep Wrangler and the upcoming Ford Bronco, so it certainly won't validate reports claiming it has canceled the model. This isn't the first time we've heard about a body-on-frame SUV made by a brand in the General Motors portfolio, though. Hummer was supposed to take the fight directly to Jeep with an off-roader accurately previewed by the 2008 HX concept, but it shut down before it finished developing the model. Rumors of GMC picking up where Hummer left off have come and gone on a shockingly regular basis over the past few years, yet the Wrangler remains in a class of one.

Surprise! GM putting aluminum in next-gen pickups

Last month, General Motors launched a series of ads touting the benefits of steel over aluminum – specifically, with regard to the Chevy Silverado versus the Ford F-150. (Kind of. We're not sure what a grizzly bear has to do with anything.) We took issue with the ads, with editor in chief Mike Austin saying they "reek of insecurity, and distract from the Silverado's strengths that could be used for positive advertising." But what bothers us more, is that yet another report surfaced claiming anti-aluminum GM will indeed use the weight-saving material in its next-generation fullsize trucks. On Tuesday, GM announced a $877-million investment for its truck plant in Flint, MI. But Reuters says that huge overhaul is because the trucks will use "substantially different equipment than the tools GM uses today." The report specifically states, "People familiar with the company's plans say GM's next-generation pickups and SUVs will make use of various materials, including aluminum and lightweight steel, to shed weight and gain fuel efficiency to meet tougher federal standards." The Silverado already uses a few aluminum components in the engine and hood, and if more widespread use will help GM build its best fullsize trucks ever, then that's great. Honestly, we have no reason to doubt that aluminum will be used in the next Silverado and GMC Sierra. We just hope GM remembers that nothing is ever truly deleted from the bowels of the Internet when it launches the subsequent "look how great aluminum is!" campaign. Related Video: News Source: Reuters Green Plants/Manufacturing Chevrolet GM GMC Truck aluminum steel