GM To Pause Production At 5 Plants As Car Supply Inflates

General Motors has decided to close five U.S. assembly plants for one to three weeks in January as its supply of cars swells, reports The Detroit Free Press.

Due to the increasing demand for SUV and crossover models, sales of passenger cars have fallen across the industry leading to burgeoning supplies at dealership lots. For example, GM dealers held 84 days’ supply of the Chevrolet Malibu at the end of November, significantly more than the 60 day supply most carmakers aim for.

As such, the Detroit-Hamtramck and Fairfax plants will be shut down for three weeks in January. Additionally, the Lansing facility responsible for building the Cadillac CTS and ATS will be idled for two weeks while production at the Lordstown and Bowling Green plants will halt for a week, affecting Chevrolet Cruze and Chevrolet Corvette production.

At the same time, the company’s pickup truck plants in Flint and Fort Wayne will be running at full production throughout January.

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