Another day, another report about GM’s plans to move production from its South Korean plants to Europe, China and the U.S.
Following the official announcement that it will shift production of the next-generation Cruze from South Korea to Europe and a report that it is considering the manufacturing of the next-generation Aveo in China and the U.S. instead of South Korea, GM is now purportedly considering a similar move with the Opel Mokka.
According to German business daily Handelsblatt, GM is mulling moving a large part of the production of the small crossover model from South Korea to Spain. The report cited sources within the U.S. carmaker saying that this is due to the success of the Mokka, as strong demand has led to production bottlenecks and long waiting lists for the SUV.
To solve this problem, GM is looking to produce the Mokka in Opel’s Zaragoza plant in Spain, which is not running at full capacity. The move would also help lower losses at GM’s ailing European unit.
A spokesman for Opel confirmed that GM was looking for additional capacity to build subcompact SUVs, but declined to comment specifically on plans to move Mokka production to Zaragoza. As for the Chevrolet Trax, a sister model of the Mokka that is also made in South Korea, a Chevrolet spokesman said there were no plans to move production from the Asian country.
Opel made it clear earlier this year that it plans to build the next generation Mokka in Europe.
By Dan Mihalascu
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