By James R. Healey
Updated Aug 28, 2012
USAToday:
General Motors is halting, for a month, the manufacture of its well-known Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric car.
Automotive News, citing unnamed sources, reports the Detroit-Hamtramck plant will suspend production from Sept. 17 until Oct. 15.
Leaders of the UAW told the plant's 1,500 union workers about the scheduled downtime last week, the source said.
It would be the second interruption in production for the Volt, which can go 38 miles on battery power before needing a recharge from its gasoline engine. GM late Monday disputed published reports that the move is because of slow Volt sales. GM sold 10,666 Volts through July, way up from the 2,870 sold during the same period a year earlier.
"We are not idling the plant due to poor Volt sales. We're gearing up for production of the new Impala," Chevy spokesman David Darovitz said in an email.
The 2014 Impala, a complete redesign, is an important model for Chevy, and GM wants to take extra time preparing the factory to ensure a high-quality launch, he said.
The plant also builds some new-design, 2013 Chevy Malibu sedans, though most come from GM's Fairfax, Kan., factory.
"We are comfortable with our current inventory levels of these products, which allows us to take time for launch readiness of the Impala. This may include making certain areas of the line more efficient, address space constraints for incoming materials, provide additional training and more," Darovitz said in the email.
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