Steel Markets

GM Confirms Downtime at Bowling Green, Ky., Assembly Plant

Written by David Schollaert

April 24, 2022

General Motors will take a week-long downtime at its Bowling Green, Ky., assembly starting Monday, April 25, a company spokesperson told Steel Market Update (SMU).

“Only plant down next week is Bowling Green,” he said. “Last-minute issue popped up – a part shortage, not chip-related.”

The plant specializes in assembling GM’s Y-body sports cars. The week-long pause will also disrupt part of Chevy’s Corvette production.

The news from the Detroit-based automaker comes after Toyota slashed its April production by an estimated 47,000 vehicles because of the chip shortage. That brought Toyota’s total to 157,000 vehicles since the start of 2022. And most automakers continue to regularly adjust production schedules based on parts availability.

Microchip and parts shortages have been a drag on the North American auto industry for the better part of two years.

This week, however, most other automakers reported it was business as usual.

Stellantis, Chrysler’s European parent company, said all assembly plants were operating except its Jefferson North plant in Detroit. The facility is undergoing a $900 million retooling and modernization project.

Ford, Honda, Nissan, Daimler, and Subaru all reported normal production.

By David Schollaert, David@SteelMarketUpdate.com

 

David Schollaert

David Schollaert is a senior analyst for Steel Market Update. David joined SMU after more than a decade in the metals and mining industry in a myriad of different roles. Much of his early experience and expertise were within the coverage and analysis of steel-making raw materials and served previously as senior editor of the CRU Prices Service. Most recently, however, before his return to market analysis, David held roles as a metals buyer and an operations manager for raw material suppliers. Based in CRU’s Pittsburgh office, David can be reached at david@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-720-1008.

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