GM Extends Summer Shutdown At Orion Assembly

ORION TWP. (WWJ) - A summer shutdown has been extended at General Motors' Orion Township Assembly plant.

The automaker is making the move to thin the number unsold Sonic cars, according to Plant Communications Manager Javier Guzman Barcenas. He added that extension will have no impact on production plans for the Chevy Bolt electric vehicle.

More than 9,000 workers will be affected by the temporary layoffs that began last month and are to run into August.

Reuters says GM has also extended summer vacation shutdowns at plants in Lordstown, Ohio, near Kansas City, Missouri, and in Oshawa, Ontario.

Generally, GM says, shutdown periods vary by plant based on launch timing of new or refreshed models across the portfolio and the company's ongoing efforts to align production with market demand.