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GM Will Idle U.S. Detroit Assembly Plant for 6 Weeks

General Motors Co. plans to suspend car production for six weeks starting in mid-November at its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant, sources tell The Wall Street Journal.

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General Motors Co. plans to suspend car production for six weeks starting in mid-November at its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant, sources tell The Wall Street Journal. The move is intended to help balance supply with shrinking demand.

The factory makes four sedan models: the large LaCrosse large car, Cadillac’s flagship CT6 luxury sedan, the fullsize Chevrolet Impala and the midsize Chevy Volt extended-range hybrid, all of which have piled up excess dealer inventories.

In January-August, the facility made 75,400 vehicles, down more than 40% compared with the same period in 2016, according to Automotive News. GM dropped a production shift at the plant in March. Next month’s suspension will idle about 1,500 workers.

When production resumes at the end of the year, output will be at a rate 20% below the current pace, sources tell the Journal. The newspaper cites data from WardsAuto.com that describes the 32-year-old factory as GM’s least productive assembly plant in North America.

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