This is not the first time General Motors has idled Chevrolet Volt production (see here and here) but it is perhaps the most unexpected. According to Automotive News, the Volt’s Detroit-Hamtramck plant will be shut down for four weeks – from September 17 until October 15 – starting next month. This will affect about 1,500 workers.
With this news, it seems that GM must be sitting on more Volt inventory than we suspected. Earlier this year, the plant was shut down because GM had a 150-day supply of Volts, but sales have been good this summer. Still, AN says, as of August 1, GM had an 84-day supply. Another clue that there are more Volts around than people want, some Volt lease deals have surfaced recently that are considered underpriced. A spokesman told AN that, “We don’t comment on production schedules. We continue to match supply and demand.”
