Chevrolet Camaro Launch Threatened by Supplier's C11

Reuters (and everyone else) reports that GM is suing bankrupt parts maker Cadence Innovation to recover the bits it needs to build/launch the new Chevrolet Camaro. Both more and less specifically, Cadence makes consoles, door panels and “other parts.” GM wants all of it, bad. So they’re suing, asking a Delaware Court for permission to access Cadence’s factory to recover the necessary tooling and parts to craft their Canadian retro-muscle car. “Even one day’s disruption in supply of certain Component Parts could cause a shutdown of GM assembly operations,” The General’s lawsuit proclaims, using German capitalization to emphasize the seriousness of their demands. A refusal to do so would end up “disrupting not only GM’s business, but the operations of countless suppliers, dealers, customers, and other stakeholders.” Countless? That’s a lot, right? And once they’re being both vague and alarmist, GM said the damages from Cadence’s refusal to surrender machines and parts “would be substantial, but difficult, if not impossible to calculate.” GM reckons it needs the parts-making machines by January 12th. Or a plague of locusts will descend upon the earth and boils will fester on muscle car collectors’ butts. But there’s more to this story than first meets the, uh, eye…

GM court papers reveal that it had an “accommodation agreement” with Cadence requiring the auto-parts supplier to continue to manufacture the Camaro parts and provide tooling and equipment for same. So, one wonders what happened to that “working relationship.” Perhaps, perchance, there’s a little problem with GM’s payment schedule? You know, as in money’s too tight too mention? Did Cadence, bankrupt though it may be, demand cash-on-the-nail? Did GM refuse to honor IT’S side of the bargain?

We’ll know more when we hear Cadence’s side of the story. Meanwhile, WHAT WILL GM DO WITHOUT A CAMARO TO SELL? Same thing they’ve been doing since they revealed the concept in 2006: hype the Hell out of it.