GM says Chevy Cruze output to remain idled
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DETROIT -- General Motors said today it will not resume output of the Chevrolet Cruze at an Ohio assembly plant later Thursday as planned.
"A further process review shows General Motors is not ready to resume production of the Chevrolet Cruze at the Lordstown Complex as announced earlier," the automaker said today in a statement.
GM said late Wednesday it had resolved a parts shortage and production was scheduled to begin again with the 3rd shift on Friday, which actually starts at 10:30 p.m. today.
The parts shortage that has idled Cruze output at the Ohio plant since Monday also has affected production of the Buick Verano compact sedan at a factory in Michigan.
GM didn't identify the components, but sources familiar with the problem cited a shortage of struts used in the suspensions of both vehicles.
GM said first and second shifts at its Orion Township plant near Detroit have been affected by a parts shortage, according to a recorded message for employees at the factory.
"It has impacted our model mix," Kevin Nadrowski, a spokesman for the Orion plant, said Wednesday. "We're adjusting our rate of building the Verano."
The Verano and Cruze are assembled using the same GM platform and share many parts. GM also assembles the Chevrolet Sonic subcompact at the Orion plant.
It's unclear how long the Michigan plant has been affected by the matter and when output there will return to normal.
The Lordstown, Ohio, assembly plant was idled for a third straight day on Wednesday as the automaker scrambled to solve the problem.
The shutdown follows a one-week idling of the Lordstown plant during the week of Nov. 28, which GM ordered after its Cruze supply shot up from a 33-day supply on Sept. 1 to 73 days on Nov. 1.
You can reach Mike Colias at mcolias@crain.com.
