Photo: Chevrolet
Slumping U.S. car sales in sectors other than utility vehicles have prompted the United Auto Workers to have a chat with General Motors about where the automotive industry is heading toward. And as per a new report, the future of at least six nameplates is enveloped in uncertainty.
From Automotive News: “GM is reviewing whether to cancel at least six passenger cars in the U.S. market after 2020, including the Chevrolet Volt hybrid, which could be replaced in 2022 with a new gasoline-electric crossover model.” Color me unsurprised, but if the consumer continues to embrace both the SUV and electrification, then the writing is on the wall.
A glimpse into what a Volt-inspired utility vehicle has been given by General Motors in 2010, when the golden bowtie took the wraps off the Volt MPV5 Concept at the World Expo in Beijing. The styling of the plug-in hybrid one-off may not be on par with Chevrolet’s current model lineup, but the Volt MPV5 Concept serves as a testament that the idea of turning the Volt into a utility vehicle of sorts is at least seven years old.
The cited publication further points out to the Cadillac CT6, Cadillac XTS, Chevrolet Impala, Chevrolet Sonic, and Buick LaCrosse as slow-selling vehicles in need of fresh thinking. As a response to subsequent reports according to which the CT6 full-size luxury sedan would be axed, Cadillac’s head honcho made it clear that’s not the case. In fact, the CT6 prepares to welcome an all-new V8 engine, twin-turbo’d and everything.
The bottom line is, General Motors is in dire need of fresh thinking for its future products. Unless the biggest of the Big Three can turn around the fate of these six passenger cars, General Motors can already start thinking about closing plants such as Hamtramck in Michigan and Lordstown in Ohio.
Over at Cadillac, salvation will come in the form of a $250 million investment that will see the Fairfax, Kansas plant add the XT4 crossover to its production line. The compact-sized utility vehicle is expected to go official in 2018.
A glimpse into what a Volt-inspired utility vehicle has been given by General Motors in 2010, when the golden bowtie took the wraps off the Volt MPV5 Concept at the World Expo in Beijing. The styling of the plug-in hybrid one-off may not be on par with Chevrolet’s current model lineup, but the Volt MPV5 Concept serves as a testament that the idea of turning the Volt into a utility vehicle of sorts is at least seven years old.
The cited publication further points out to the Cadillac CT6, Cadillac XTS, Chevrolet Impala, Chevrolet Sonic, and Buick LaCrosse as slow-selling vehicles in need of fresh thinking. As a response to subsequent reports according to which the CT6 full-size luxury sedan would be axed, Cadillac’s head honcho made it clear that’s not the case. In fact, the CT6 prepares to welcome an all-new V8 engine, twin-turbo’d and everything.
The bottom line is, General Motors is in dire need of fresh thinking for its future products. Unless the biggest of the Big Three can turn around the fate of these six passenger cars, General Motors can already start thinking about closing plants such as Hamtramck in Michigan and Lordstown in Ohio.
Over at Cadillac, salvation will come in the form of a $250 million investment that will see the Fairfax, Kansas plant add the XT4 crossover to its production line. The compact-sized utility vehicle is expected to go official in 2018.
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