GM Reducing Production to Align with Market Demand - Corvette Dates

[Ken Fichtner]

Yesterday GM announced plans to reduce production effecting multiple assembly centers, nameplates and production weeks. Troy Clarke, GM NA President, stated, “We’re taking aggressive steps to accelerate our inventory initiatives that have worked well since the first of the year. While sales have been performing at or close to our plan estimates and dealer inventories have been reduced accordingly, we want to more closely align inventories with even more conservative market assumptions. By reducing our inventories even more aggressively we reduce pressure on GM and our dealers, and set ourselves up well for a clean 2010 model year start-up.” In the actions announced yesterday, the assembly plant down weeks are staggered and vary in duration based on current inventory levels and expected demand for products. For planning purposes the table below summarizes yesterday’s and previously announced (July Summer Shutdown) actions by GM Assembly Center, corresponding brands, number of schedule down weeks, actual downtime weeks and any change in 2009 Model Year Build-Out and 2010 Model Year Start-Up dates. These scheduling actions attempt to avoid and / or minimize impact associated with the launching of new products like the Chevrolet Camaro & Equinox, Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac CTS Wagon & SRX and etc. Please be advised of the following order related items: • As these plans are incorporated into GM’s production system Target Production Weeks (TPW) could be inaccurate and / or fluctuate. Where possible GM will work to reflect accurate TPW’s as promptly as possible. For planning purposes the table below includes an “April Cons Prod. Timing” column to help identify the planned production month(s) for the April Consensus Cycle. • In most instances orders sufficient to support the remaining production prior to each plants down weeks have been received and are already scheduled. For this reason GM does not anticipate an ability to accept and / or prioritize current or incremental orders for production prior to the down weeks. Select dealers who may require incremental inventory during this period are encouraged to utilize the GM locator and gminventory.com tagging web site or to contact your zone representative as a sufficient number of new and unused vehicles are available. Should any changes occur to the table below dealers will be notified as soon as practical. GM Assy Center Bowling Green # Down Weeks 9 Scheduled Downtime Weeks 5/4, 5/11, 6/1, 6/8, 6/29, 7/6, 7/13, 8/3, 8/10 Revised 2009 buildout date 7/28 Revised 2010 startup date 7/29

[Zippy]

Short version from Paul Graham (BG assy Mgr) on Saturday, (4-25-09):

Bowling Green assembly will shut down for three weeks, only one more than their usual two weeks. That's good news IMHO, when other GM plants are going down for 9 weeks.

Zippy

[vetdude]

Originally Posted by Smallblock427

Short version from Paul Graham (BG assy Mgr) on Saturday, (4-25-09):

Bowling Green assembly will shut down for three weeks, only one more than their usual two weeks. That's good news IMHO, when other GM plants are going down for 9 weeks.

Zippy

Then unless I missed something, you're saying that the following that was stated in the newsletter above is false?

GM Assy Center
Bowling Green

# Down Weeks
9

Scheduled Downtime Weeks
5/4, 5/11, 6/1, 6/8, 6/29, 7/6, 7/13, 8/3, 8/10

[jwight]

Once GM goes into Chapter 11 who knows what the schedule will be?

[Zippy]

Originally Posted by vetdude

Then unless I missed something, you're saying that the following that was stated in the newsletter above is false?

[/b]

No, all I'm saying is what I remember from 4-25-09 at the 2010 debut.