Photo: Chevrolet
After Honda confirmed production adjustments for the Accord and three other nameplates, it’s the turn of General Motors to trim the output. This time around, it’s crossover utility vehicles such as the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain taking a step back.
The Trax is also affected, and if you were wondering, these production cuts come at a time when U.S. sales of new cars have been slowing down for the second time since the great recession. The Detroit Bureau reports that General Motors “plans to drop one of the three crews working at its San Luis Potosi plant in Mexico,” the factory where the three nameplates are manufactured.
GM also makes the Equinox in Ingersoll, Ontario, a factory that will be idled for a week during September 2019 over low demand for the compact crossover. As fate would have it, these cuts come during a period when Equinox sales are 110.3 percent up in July 2019 compared to year-ago numbers.
Spokesman Dan Flores told The Detroit Bureau that General Motors is “focused on profitable sales and things that make good business sense.” Matching production to consumer demand is nothing new in the automotive industry, but then again, GM also happens to make some of the poorest vehicles in the United States because of the company’s infamous cost-cutting measures.
Bob Lutz, who was once a big shot at General Motors, blasted the Silverado 1500 for the woeful interior of the light-duty pickup. A few motoring publications highlighted how poor the ‘Rado rides, and as if that wasn’t enough, the 2.7-liter Tripower turbo four-cylinder is not as efficient as the 5.3-liter V8 out on the highway. As far as build quality and engineering are concerned, there’s no denying that GM could do better if it weren’t for those bean counters.
Turning our attention back to those three crossovers, it should be mentioned that GM also happens to price them competitively. The 2020 Chevrolet Trax can be had from $21,300 excluding destination charge while the Equinox and GMC Terrain are $23,800 and $28,400, respectively.
GM also makes the Equinox in Ingersoll, Ontario, a factory that will be idled for a week during September 2019 over low demand for the compact crossover. As fate would have it, these cuts come during a period when Equinox sales are 110.3 percent up in July 2019 compared to year-ago numbers.
Spokesman Dan Flores told The Detroit Bureau that General Motors is “focused on profitable sales and things that make good business sense.” Matching production to consumer demand is nothing new in the automotive industry, but then again, GM also happens to make some of the poorest vehicles in the United States because of the company’s infamous cost-cutting measures.
Bob Lutz, who was once a big shot at General Motors, blasted the Silverado 1500 for the woeful interior of the light-duty pickup. A few motoring publications highlighted how poor the ‘Rado rides, and as if that wasn’t enough, the 2.7-liter Tripower turbo four-cylinder is not as efficient as the 5.3-liter V8 out on the highway. As far as build quality and engineering are concerned, there’s no denying that GM could do better if it weren’t for those bean counters.
Turning our attention back to those three crossovers, it should be mentioned that GM also happens to price them competitively. The 2020 Chevrolet Trax can be had from $21,300 excluding destination charge while the Equinox and GMC Terrain are $23,800 and $28,400, respectively.
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