GM shocker: Here are the plants, cars destined for demise

It didn’t take long after GM announced its massive downsizing and demise of several vehicles to provide specific details of plant closings and the dates for production stoppages.

The Chevrolet Volt, Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse will stop being produced in March 2019. The Cadillac CT6 will end its production June 1, 2019, followed by the Chevy Impala and Cadillac XTS in the fourth quarter of 2019 — at least in the United States.

GM announced November 26 its severe layoffs and its plans to close five North American manufacturing facilities.

According to a report by Jalopnik, the global fate of the Cruze, CT6 and LaCrosse hasn’t been specified. Those vehicles are made in several countries, and GM is only expected to stop making the vehicles available in the United States.

The Impala, manufactured in three time frames beginning in 1958, is only manufactured in North America, and it appears doomed.

The Volt, which GM strongly marketed as part of the future of green technology, has been less important as a gas/electric hybrid as the company had decided to focus on the all-electric Bolt.

GM’s decision mirrors the decisions by other manufacturers. Chrysler has stopped producing small sedans. Ford has stopped making all sedans.

Here are some facts & figures of the six GM vehicles affected by the manufacturer’s announcement:

Buick LaCrosse
January – September sales: 13,409, down 14.2 percent.
Sales plummeted as Buick continues its shift toward crossover vehicles.

Cadillac CT6
January – September sales: 7,270, down 10.6 percent.
The least popular Cadillac is the only vehicle in the brand with the semi-autonomous driving technology.

Cadillac XTS
January – September sales: 12,664, up 15.6 percent.
Often a specialty vehicle used as a limousine or taxi, the XTS had a recent update and sales were brisk, but not via total numbers

Chevrolet Cruze
January – September sales: 109,662, down 26.5 percent.
Highly rated by Consumer Reports in 2017, the Cruze’s reviews stumbled this year with the top compact reviews going the Toyota Corolla.

Chevrolet Impala
January – September sales: 43,952, down 13.4 percent.
Another top pick by Consumer Reports as a large sedan, but its sales are horrid and the segment sales as abysmal.

Chevrolet Volt
January – September sales: 13,243, down 13.7 percent.
The Volt was highly touted as the Chevy’s major moved toward greeen car technology. But the electric-gas hybrid has been overshadowed in marketing priority by the all-electric Bolt.