GM Will Halt Volt Production for Four Weeks

General Motors Co. confirms it will suspend production of the Chevrolet Volt extended-range hybrid sedan at its Hamtramck, Mich., assembly plant from Sept. 17 to Oct. 12.

GM says it wants to shrink excess Volt inventory. Automotive News, which first reported the story, estimates the company had an 84-day supply of Volts in the U.S. at the beginning of August. A 60- to 65-day supply is considered ideal.

GM also idled Volt production from mid-March to mid-April after inventories swelled to a 154-day supply.

CEO Dan Akerson initially predicted Volt sales would reach 45,000 units this year. By June he said the total might be as low as 35,000. GM sold 10,700 Volts from January through July.

The Hamtramck factory also will suspend production of the Opel Ampera variant of the Volt and the Chevy Malibu midsize sedan. A GM facility in Kansas City, Kan., is the main source of Malibu output.

The company says the Hamtramck plant will use the downtime to prepare for the 2014 Chevy Impala fullsize sedan that will go into production there early next year.