GM | The Ohio Star

Electric Vehicle Market Share Plummets in First Quarter as Consumers Sour

April 4, 2024 Ohio Star Staff

Growth in sales for electric vehicles (EV) slowed in the first quarter of the year as consumers remained wary of the product even though growth in sales of new vehicles remained strong, leading to a drop in EV market share, according to The Associated Press.

Sales for new vehicles grew 5 percent in the first three months of the year, but EV sales grew only 2.7 percent as more consumers chose traditional vehicles due to cost and product concerns, according to the AP. The average sales price declined 3.6 percent year-over-year to $44,186 in March as dealers looked to offload built-up inventory.

Top U.S. Automaker Reports $1.7 Billion Loss on Electric Vehicles in Fourth Quarter

January 31, 2024 Ohio Star Staff

General Motors reported a $1.7 billion loss on Tuesday in its fourth quarter earnings call in the production and sale of its electric vehicle line, despite having positive net income growth in the quarter.

The automaker’s net income for the fourth quarter rose 5.2% year-over-year to $2.1 billion despite a reduction in revenue over that time frame of 0.3%, according to GM’s fourth quarter earnings report. The losses on EVs accompany a $1.1 billion total loss from a six-week-long strike by the United Auto Workers that partially halted operations, with the union gaining a new work contract that could raise labor costs in the coming year, according to the company’s investor earnings call.

Report: UAW, General Motors Reach Tentative Agreement to End Auto Strike

October 30, 2023 The Center Square

The United Auto Workers union and General Motors have reached a tentative agreement to end the auto strike, a report says, marking the possible end of a 45-day historic strike against the Big Three Automakers.

UAW Expands Strike Against GM Hours After Reaching Deal with Rival Stellantis and Ford

October 30, 2023 Ohio Star Staff

The United Auto Workers (UAW) union on Saturday expanded its strike against General Motors (GM) after it reached an agreement with its competitors on Wednesday and Saturday, the union confirmed in an X post.

The UAW and Stellantis (formerly Chrysler) reached a deal similar to the four-year agreement reached on Wednesday between Ford and the UAW, which provides a 25 percent pay increase and cost of living adjustments, as well as the ability to strike over plant closures. It was expected that GM would also make a deal with the union after Stellantis on Saturday, but instead employees at a Tennessee GM factory received orders to expand the company’s strike, the local union posted on X.

Potential UAW Strike Looms in Michigan

September 12, 2023 The Center Square

Up to 146,000 United Auto Workers could strike starting this week if the Big Three auto companies don’t reach a new union contract agreement by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday.

UAW Union President Shawn Fain has repeated his mantra “record profits mean record contracts.” He says Big Three executives at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis have received hefty pay raises while inflation has eaten away at UAW workers’ paychecks.

‘Sustainable’ Electric Cars Are Getting Junked Over Minor Damage

March 21, 2023 Admin

Insurers are being forced to write off many electric vehicles with only minor damage to battery packs, sending the batteries to scrap yards and hindering the climate benefits of going electric, Reuters reported.

Battery packs typically represent roughly half the cost of an electric vehicle, sometimes costing tens of thousands of dollars, often making it more economical for insurers to consider a car as totalled than replace a battery pack, according to Reuters. While many carmakers, including Ford and GM, told Reuters that their battery packs were repairable, many are unwilling to share key data with third-party insurers to help assess damage.

General Motors Funds Transgender Programs in Elementary Schools

January 3, 2023January 2, 2023 Admin

General Motors (GM) gave a grant to an organization that supplies elementary schools with books promoting the transgender ideology.

The automotive manufacturing company donated money to the Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network’s (GLSEN) “Rainbow Library Program,” according to a 2021 Social Impact Report published by GM.

Trump Uses Presidential Powers, Forces GM to Make Ventilators

March 29, 2020March 28, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

U.S. President Donald Trump signed a $2.2 trillion stimulus bill Friday to bolster the economy while he also used government powers to compel General Motors to manufacture ventilators to help COVID-19 patients as the United States became the first country in the world to surpass 100,000 coronavirus cases.

1,100 New Jobs Expected From GM and LG Chemical’s $2.3 Billion Investment in Northeast Ohio

December 7, 2019December 6, 2019 Zachery Schmidt

General Motors (GM) and LG Chemical say they will invest up to $2.3 billion in northeast Ohio to make battery cells for electric-powered vehicles, which will create 1,100 jobs in the area.

General Motors Sells Lordstown Assembly Plant to an Electric Car Company

November 8, 2019November 7, 2019 Beth Lear

Auto maker GM announced Thursday that indeed – as President Trump tweeted in May – the Lordstown facility in Ohio would be sold and reopened to manufacturer the Workhorse electric vehicle called the Endurance. GM declared their intent to idle the plant a year ago, and shut the lights out on March 6th after 52 years of business.

Department of Commerce Awards $600,000 to Help Northeast Ohio Address Economic Downturn

July 6, 2019July 5, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

The U.S. Department of Commerce recently announced a $600,000 investment to help Northeast Ohio address the economic downturn in the region caused by the closure of the General Motors Lordstown facility and the decline in the coal economy. In a press release, the DOC said its Economic Development Administration…

Last of Lordstown Auto Parts Manufacturing Ends Two Months Early: More Layoffs to Follow

April 18, 2019April 17, 2019 Andrew Shirley

The last manufacturing orders left for the rapidly shuttering Lordstown Auto Plant finished up on April 5. The project – metal stamping replacement parts for the Chevy Cruze – was slated to last until June, ensuring work for those few employees still not laid off. With the job wrapping up…

More Layoffs for Lordstown Auto Workers as GM Accelerates Closure

April 5, 2019April 4, 2019 Andrew Shirley

One of the primary service providers to the Lordstown plant in Ohio announced Thursday another round of layoffs for their beleaguered factory workers. Leadec Industrial Services is a German-based service provider of “janitorial, mechanical, and maintenance services” to GM’s Lordstown Auto Plant. In an initial letter, sent on Feb. 13,…

Beto Slams Trump Over Lordstown Comments During Visit to Ohio

March 24, 2019March 24, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

During his recent visit to Ohio, 2020 Democratic hopeful Beto O’Rourke slammed President Donald Trump for his criticisms of Lordstown union leader David Green. Green is president of United Auto Workers Local 1112, which represents the workers at Lordstown’s General Motors plant. After the plant was unallocated earlier this month,…

President Trump Pushes GM CEO to Reopen Lordstown Auto Plant

March 19, 2019March 18, 2019 Andrew Shirley

In a series of tweets from Saturday to Sunday, President Donald Trump made it clear that he was aggressively advocating for the reopening of the Lordstown Assembly Complex in Ohio. Because the economy is so good, General Motors must get their Lordstown, Ohio, plant open, maybe in a different form or…

After 50 Years, Ohio’s Lordstown Assembly Complex Ceases Production

March 7, 2019March 6, 2019 Andrew Shirley

COLUMBUS, Ohio– On Wednesday, with dignity and uncertainty, the workers of Lordstown Assembly Plant assembled their last vehicle. The plant will still make certain parts but the Chevy Cruze, which had been produced and assembled at the plant since 2011, will no longer be produced in Ohio. As previously reported, in November of last year…

GM Pulls Trigger on Mass Layoffs Throughout the Country

February 5, 2019February 4, 2019 Andrew Shirley

General Motors announced Monday that the long-dreaded nationwide mass layoffs finally began. In November of last year, GM announced that they intended to significantly scale back their workforce. Most jarring for many was their plan to close five manufacturing plants across the country, including the Lordstown Assembly complex in Warren, Ohio. Since…

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine Continues Predecessor’s Fight to Save Lordstown Auto Plant

January 21, 2019January 20, 2019 Andrew Shirley

For many Ohio families, the fight to save the Lordstown Assembly Plant is about more than the roughly 1,500 jobs that will be lost; it’s a life-or-death struggle for their community. Thursday during a speech in Akron, newly-elected governor Mike DeWine announced that he had met with General Motors CEO Mary…

UAW Launches ‘Drive It Home’ Campaign in Attempt to Keep Lordstown Plant in Warren

December 3, 2018December 3, 2018 Admin

Auto workers, union members, community organizations and activists in Warren, Ohio are coming together to try to pursuade General Motors to keep the factory open after last Monday’s announcement the company would “unallocate” the fifty-year-old facility in 2019. “General Motors will accelerate its transformation for the future, building on the comprehensive strategy it laid…

Trump Shows Support for Senator Brown’s Auto Bill

December 1, 2018December 1, 2018 Ohio Star Staff

After exchanging verbal jabs, President Donald Trump and Ohio’s Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) spoke one-on-one to find a solution to the impending closure of General Motors’ Lordstown plant. Trump threatened to cut GM’s subsidies if the company follows through on its plan to shut down five North American branches, including…

Ohio Republican Warns Trump Against Cutting General Motors Subsidies

November 29, 2018November 29, 2018 Anthony Gockowski

President Donald Trump recently tweeted that his administration is looking at “cutting all” subsidies for General Motors (GM) after it announced plant closures across the country, but Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) is advising the president against doing so. “Very disappointed with General Motors and their CEO, Mary Barra, for closing…

Ohio Lawmakers Put Trump in the Hot Seat After GM’s ‘Disastrous Decision’

November 27, 2018November 27, 2018 Anthony Gockowski

Ohio’s lawmakers are turning up the heat on President Donald Trump after General Motors announced Monday that it will be halting production at five facilities across North America, one in Lordstown. In what one politician is calling “Black Monday,” General Motors plans to stop production of three of its Chevrolet…