GM Pleas with Suppliers for More SUV Parts

General Motors Co.'s purchasing chief tells reporters he has called dozens of the company's biggest suppliers, urging them to increase output so GM can build more large trucks and SUVs, The Detroit News reports.

Steve Kiefer, GM's head of global purchasing and supply chain, says demand has overwhelmed the company's projections. Sales of Cadillac Escalade SUVs in the first quarter of 2014 have more than doubled the volume in the same period last year, Chevrolet Suburban SUV sales jumped 77%, and deliveries of Chevy Tahoe and GM Yukon SUVs are up 33% and 63%, respectively, according to Autodata Corp.

All four nameplates are produced at GM's big truck plant in Arlington, Tex. GM reportedly is considering a $1.3 billion expansion for the facility.

Kiefer says GM hopes to avoid production bottlenecks and gain access to advanced technologies by awarding key suppliers contracts than stretch as long as 10 years and cover two generations of a model.