GM plant in Shreveport stays open; Hummer H3T work continues

[Ming]

Some good news, for a change.

Flashback:
GM Shreveport Assembly May Be Shuttered
Reuters
February 14, 2008 - 3:40 pm ET
NEW YORK (Reuters)-- General Motors on Thursday warned analysts that the future of its light truck assembly plant in Shreveport, LA is in flux citing concerns over lagging sales of the product assembled there and a shifting marketplace complicated by the housing downturn and credit crisis. General Motors, in a prepared statement to the media, stated that it would strongly consider importing a light duty vehicle to replace the slow selling Chevrolet Colorado and sister GMC Canyon. Sales of the two nameplates are down by over 70% since compared with the previous generation S10 pickup and GMC Sonoma

TODAY:

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

GM plant in Shreveport stays open; Hummer HT3 work continues

The Associated Press

SHREVEPORT, La.— The General Motors plant in Shreveport will remain open and continue work on the new Hummer H3T pickup truck, a company spokesman said Tuesday after the automaker announced it is closing four other plants that make big vehicles.

CEO Rick Wagoner said earlier before GM's annual meeting in Delaware that the company will close four truck and SUV plants and will review the iconic Hummer brand, which might be revamped or sold. The announcement came as surging fuel prices hasten a dramatic shift to smaller vehicles.

Spokesman Anthony Sapienza from GM headquarters in Detroit said it was too early to speculate on potential effects of GM's review in Shreveport, where General Motors currently makes Hummer H3s and two mid-sized pickup trucks - the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon.

"The Hummer is only a portion of what they build. I don't believe it's even half of what they build," he said. "I think it's a third."

Sharon Brock, acting president of United Auto Workers Local 2166 in Shreveport, could not be reached immediately for comment.

GM had announced in January that it would put about $73 million into the Shreveport plant to prepare for production of the Hummer H3T, featuring a crew cab and a separate 5-foot-long bed.

"Certainly there's a shift in consumer trends from trucks to cars and crossovers," Sapienza said. "But clearly some consumers still have a need in their work or in their personal life to have a truck to haul something. ... People will always need them."

He did not know if all of the manufacturing changes have been made for the HT3, but said workers are getting ready for the launch.

"When you get to the plant, they are building the vehicle, preparing it for production. They aren't building it for sale. But they are working on getting this vehicle ready for production," he said.

The company said in January that the truck is scheduled to arrive in dealerships this fall, with production starting in the third quarter. It will be bigger than a midsize pickup, but smaller than full-sized pickups such as the Ford F-150.

No price was given, but the 2008 H3 starts at $30,595.

Article: http://www.telegram.com/article/20080603/APF/806030916

Also See: How Can GM Sell Other Small Shreveport Trucks When None are In Dealer Inventory?

[prototype66]

Holy Moneypit Batman!
They invested Shottons of money developing the GMT 900 and now ..............
lets hope they can improve the mpg on the two mode and keep it affordable!

[The Law]

if people stop buying trucks there will be a need for a company to rent these pick up trucks to people that need to haul stuff.
I think should stop producing so many brands of trucks, and just have GMC & Hummer, with Hummer being more like Jeep off road .

[paul8488]

Assuming there's still a market going forward for this size of SUV and truck, GM needs to move the Trailblazer to this platform, add the H3 truck, and maybe an H4. I don't think anyone can argue that, if some sort of midsize SUV is going to survive, it HAS to be on the same platform and share the same mechanicals, front styling, and interior as the midsize trucks. They need a diesel option and a hybrid option, and better economy on the gas engine. They need to make them a bit smaller and a bit lighter if there's any hope of keeping this type of vehicle going.

[Slideways]

Has anyone priced a Canyon or Colorado lately? I have. They are decent trucks, but they're a bit Spartan when compared to the fullsize trucks, and they aren't much cheaper. Big surprise that they're not selling as well.

[Kennyboy]

GM really needs to update the Colorado and Canyon. The interior needs a total re-vamp and bigger engines.

[parakleets]

I hope this all forces GM to rethink the necessity of GMC and Chevy Trucks. You don't need two divisions selling trucks and large SUVs when the market for it is dried up. GM might also reconsider having soooo many large crossover SUVs. Seeing GMC Acadias and Buick Enclaves sitting side by side at B/P/G stores makes this redundancy obvious. Unfortunately for Hummer, which is one of GM's few well-defined and well-focused brands, the future does not look so rosy.

[Ming]

Originally Posted by Kennyboy

GM really needs to update the Colorado and Canyon. The interior needs a total re-vamp and bigger engines.

The truck horsepower wars are going nowhere at $4.00 / gallon. They don't need "bigger" engines - they need more efficient engines that make the small pickups do what they were designed to do, while using the least amount of gasoline possible. If those engines end up being bigger, then so be it. But after seeing what a 3-cylinder pickup is capable of hauling in China and Japan, I don't think "bigger" is really needed for the small trucks in GM's lineup. If the trucks are so heavy that 50 more horsepower in the 4-cyl. than an S-10 had is still "not enough" then something is wrong with the weight of the trucks. And that is why the first article mentions a steep decline in sales. Too many compromises, not enough benefits, and apparently not enough of a profit margin for good rebates.

Having a 4-cyl. or 5-cyl that gets the fuel economy of a 6-cylinder --- now that's where GM needs to step in and fix things.

I do hope that the H3 can also "cut the fat" and get those MPG numbers up without playing the horsepower wars game that is best left in the earlier part of this decade.

[member12]

Hummer is a well defined brand and it should stay, but instead of being a big heavy bling mobile it needs to be a real truck for real off roaders and GM (and the dealers) need to understand that these are not going to sell like hotcakes. They are a niche model and should be sold with the Cadillac franchise. I fell sorry for the people who have stand alone HUMMER dealerships, but GM needs to manage their franchises a lot better.

Originally Posted by paul8488

Assuming there's still a market going forward for this size of SUV and truck, GM needs to move the Trailblazer to this platform, add the H3 truck, and maybe an H4. I don't think anyone can argue that, if some sort of midsize SUV is going to survive, it HAS to be on the same platform and share the same mechanicals, front styling, and interior as the midsize trucks. They need a diesel option and a hybrid option, and better economy on the gas engine. They need to make them a bit smaller and a bit lighter if there's any hope of keeping this type of vehicle going.

I agree. I think the days of a BOF SUV on it's own frame are over. The Trailblazer, HUMMER H3 and H4, Envoy, Colorado, and Canyon should all be on one shared chassis...hopefully all can be made in one plant.

I hate to see GM complain of lagging sales when there isn't a GM dealer around that stocks more than one configuration of the truck.
GM hasn't even given enough effort in this rig anyways.

[Supernoma]

I think GM had it right with the S-trucks (for their time), and they screwed it up on the 350s.... They wont fix this problem, at best they will import a Brazilian or a Thai truck, worst is they abandon the market altogether. Its a shame too, these trucks would be competitive w/ a revised interior and an improved drivetrain

[member12]

In all fairness, the competition was lame when the S10 was on sale. GM needs to do like Toyota and Nissan and sell a worldwide truck where, if sales fall flat in one market, more reasources can be diverted to other markets. They are trying to do this (on small scale) with the Trailblazer.

That's no longer the case. GM has to put more effort in this segment.


By the way....what happens to CAFE when this crude bubble bursts? I am guessing the government might feel a little pressure to adjust it.

[Gagarin]

Now this HT3 is the kind of look that would make GMC really HELP GM..kill Hummer but keep this and badge it as GMC.

Why sell one style of truck through two brands when you can divide and conquere with 2 different strategies and use the same base engineering? They really could compete in a way the other companies can't if they went beyond the grille replacement tactic.

[69Firebird400]

Ming, you have a typo in the headline - should be H3T and not HT3. Damn alphanumerics!

[Butz]

But after seeing what a 3-cylinder pickup is capable of hauling in China and Japan

I've seen those things, they barley move. Americans expect 0-60 in less than 10 seconds in their trucks not in 20 or so seconds.

[Z16monte]

I much prefer my Colorado over the S10s I've driven. No, the interior isn't "Accord" quality, but it looks to be durable. The sheetmetal seems kinda flimsy but the frame is incredible. Fully boxed, bumper to bumper. Seems heavier than even the ZR2 frames of the S10s. Fuel mileage is at least as good as my co workers v6 Xcab S10 and mines a CC 5cyl. I tend to keep cars long term, Got rid of my 87 Monte with 300,000 miles to buy the Colly. What I'm not happy with is the number of times it's had to go in for service, inluding an oil leak and trans failure. All warrenteed but... still have to make arrangements to drop it off and pick it up
Ed