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GM to Close 4 Truck/SUV Plants, Reassess Hummer

Public taste turns away from big cars

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Jun 3, 2008 8:44 AM CDT

(Newser) – GM will close four of its North American truck and SUV factories, the company announced today, as the public interest in gas-guzzlers wanes. The Hummer brand is also under “strategic review,” with all options on the table, "from a complete revamp of the product lineup to a partial or complete sale of the brand." The fully electric Chevy Volt, on the other hand, “is a go.”

Plants will shut down in Canada, Mexico, Ohio, and Wisconsin. It’s unclear how many jobs will be lost. CEO Rick Wagoner said the moves are "all in response to the rapid rise in oil prices and the resulting changes in the US, changes that we believe are more structural than cyclical."

Four used sport utility vehicles that were traded in are pictured at a car dealership, Thursday, May 1, 2008 in Danvers, Mass.
Four used sport utility vehicles that were traded in are pictured at a car dealership, Thursday, May 1, 2008 in Danvers, Mass.   (AP Photo/Lisa Poole)
In this Feb. 18, 2008 file photo, the General Motors Building is seen in New York.
In this Feb. 18, 2008 file photo, the General Motors Building is seen in New York.   (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
A group of GMC Yukons sit unsold at the Ray Laethem GMC Trucks dealership in Detroit, Mich., Tuesday, April 29, 2008.
A group of GMC Yukons sit unsold at the Ray Laethem GMC Trucks dealership in Detroit, Mich., Tuesday, April 29, 2008.   (AP Photo/Gary Malerba)
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