General Motors has announced they’re shutting down several
assembly lines in North America. Plants that are closing include Oshawa Assembly in Canada, Detroit-Hamtramck in Detroit, Lordstown Assembly in Warren, OH, Baltimore Operations in Maryland, and Warren Trasmission Operarions in Warren, MI. Over 15,000 employees will be laid off as well.
With these shut downs, come the loss of many
once-popular nameplates as well. The Chevrolet Impala, Chevrolet Cruze, Chevrolet Volt, Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac XTS, and Cadillac CT6 will all end production in 2019. The prior generation Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra will also phase out in 2019. While the old trucks ending production is no surprise, GM’s sedans going away is somewhat disappointing.
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| All of GM's vehicles slated to end production in 2019 - mostly 4-door cars. |
By now, you have probably noticed that crossovers are taking over. GM’s future strategy calls for them to focus on more trucks and CUVs, like Ford. But unlike Ford, most of these GM cars aren’t that old in their respective segments - most are actually pretty recent products. The oldest of these models going away is the XTS, and it just got a facelift for 2018. Chevy’s Cruze also got a facelift for 2019, and the CT6 as well. The Buick LaCrosse was redesigned in the last few years, and the Impala is a sharp, well-rounded large car that gets good reviews. Since the market is also shifting towards electrification, you would think the Volt would stick around, perhaps becoming a crossover eventually or becoming an autonomous test vehicle in the future. But apparently not so. It seems like although GM is claiming they’re preparing for the future, there’s got to be something deeper... They’ve invested so heavily into some of these products it’s kinda baffling they’d kill them ALL off.
...And perhaps no car embodies this more than the Cadillac CT6. Simply put, it’s a damn good car. One of my favorites coming out of GM right now. I’ve had a few opportunities to get in the CT6, and I see the 2019 facelifted model driving around regularly where I live. It’s a surprisingly agile and fun car to drive given it’s large size, especially with the 3.0L twin-turbo V6 with 404 HP. And let’s not forget that there’s a 4.2L 550 HP twin-turbo V8 model that was shown! Cadillac says this model is still on track to enter production, but that means it will only see production for a few months before being killed off. So, then what happens to that V8 under it’s hood? That’s a “Cadillac-exclusive” engine after all! What will be the new “top-of-the-line” Cadillac sedan if the upcoming CT4 and CT5 are smaller ATS and CTS replacements? Why invest so much money in getting something right just to pull the plug on it? So many questions... But this sounds like an old pattern GM has been been criticized about for a long time now. See - Pontiac G8 and late 2000s Saturn.
Nonetheless, I guarantee you that the CT6-V will be a future classic.
Connecting the Past to the Present and Future
The closing of Detroit-Hamtramck is ironic in particular, as there was an entire neighborhood there before it was built in the 1980s. The Poletown Neighborhood was diverse, containing both African-Americans and Caucasians. Many of the whites that lived there were actually first-generation Polish immigrants and Albanians in America. While the neighborhood was considered to be industrial working-class and in decline by the time the plant was scheduled to be built, thousands of people and hundreds of businesses were displaced in the process, despite protests. In the time since this, Detroit-Hamtramck has churned out some interesting flagship models, such as the Cadillac DTS, and most recently, the Chevrolet Impala and Buick LaCrosse.
Fast-forward to today, and in places such as Lordstown, Ohio, residents are feeling left out after President Trump promised manufacturing jobs would return during his visits. Some politicians are also pushing back against GM’s job cuts, since the company received a tax break last year and also accepted bailout money back in 2009 (which the company did pay back). President Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on all imported cars previously, and doubled down on those threats following this announcement. This would hit Buick pretty hard, since as I noted on my Adam’s Autos Facebook page awhile ago, most of Buick’s lineup is foreign. The only two models made in America are the Enclave and LaCrosse - one of which is on the chopping block remember... Given that most cars have globally sourced parts, a full-on tariff may only result in higher prices, slower sales and more job cuts - thus displacing communities again. But it’s funny how history can repeat itself, huh?
End of an Era
Although I went and got a new car that’s not a sedan (*cough* crossover) this year for my own specific reasons, I’m personally sad to see several of these models go. Especially the CT6. Its very well-rounded and unique, and it looks like it will continue production in China with a new "Tripower" engine as well... I don’t think I’ve been this disappointed since Oldsmobile went away... The CT6 V-Series model is an instant collectors item already, and once all of these models and various others drop after 2019, you won’t be able to get a full-size, mainstream American sedan from any manufacturer except FCA (300, Charger). I’m going to boldly predict based on sales trends that the Charger will be the final full-size sedan on sale in the U.S. and that the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry will duke it out until the very end for midsize sedan king. But we’ll see how things progress.
Who would think this day would come so soon? Are you surprised? Perhaps we shouldn’t be, as Cruze sales are down almost 30% - an omen perhaps. For now, get them while the going is good, and pour one out for your favorite large GM sedan. My eye is on the Cadillac CT6 V-Series for my garage someday, as it may very well be the last V8 American sedan from Cadillac for who knows how long.
The sedan apocalypse is VERY REAL, and coming to a town near you. #sedanapocalypse
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