Shreveport also built the now defunct Hummer H3.
General Motors is the first auto company to announce that it will stop production at a U.S. plant due to a parts shortage resulting from Japan’s tripe tragedies of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdowns.
GM’s Shreveport Assembly in Louisiana will be closed next week.
The GM plant makes Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon mid-size pickup trucks. The GM statement did not specify what part or parts were responsible for the closing.
All other GM plants in North America are running.
“We will resume production at Shreveport as soon as possible, and at this point, we have sufficient vehicles to meet customer demand. Employees should use specified plant communication hotlines for updates about future production schedules,” GM said.
Production of the current Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon in Shreveport is scheduled to end when the plant closes by no later than June 2012 after a deal to sell the plant to the Chinese fell through.
Shreveport also built the now defunct Hummer H3. The plant was a victim of the GM bankruptcy, as well as rising gasoline prices in 2008 which caused truck sales to plummet.
All automakers are now trying to understand the increasingly grave implications of the ongoing tragedies in Japan, as most of the Japanese auto industry and its suppliers remain closed.
“Like all global automakers, we will continue to follow the events in Japan closely to determine the business impact, working across the organization to maximize flexibility, supply the most critical operations, and effectively manage cost. Our hearts and prayers are with the people of Japan and their families as they work to recover from this disaster,” GM said. (See also New Chevrolet Colorado Concept Begs the Fuel Economy Question: Where oh Where is Ford’s Small U.S. Pickup?)
