GM Wants To Unload Its French Transmission Plant - Again
In a reminder of the dark days of 2008, GM did put its Strasbourg, France, transmission plant up for sale. GM had tried to sell the plant in the crisis year of 2008. Not able to find a buyer, GM decided to keep it. Now, GM wants to unload the plant again.
Officially, GM “is conducting a comprehensive strategic review of its Strasbourg (France) transmission operations for potential sale. The review includes both the manufacturing plant and the engineering and product development operations.”
After GM had bought the plant back for one euro in 2010 from a liquidator, workers agreed to a two-year wage freeze in return for job guarantees.
GM does not feel that it is reneging. “There are commitments in place to continue manufacturing the transmissions for the next several years,” GM spokesman Jim Cain told Reuters.
Approximately 1,000 people are employed in the Strasbourg operations. Last year, the plant produced approximately 280,000 six-speed automatic transmissions, mostly for customers outside of Europe.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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That has been my impression too. GM's vehicles are not the best by far, but their automatic transmissions have been reasoneably reliable... But then, this perception may be related to simple 4-speed autos with torque converters. A 6-speeder with dual clutches is another ballgame that they may have not yet mastered. And I would blame the design first, workmanship later.
This isn't a dual clutch automatic, it's a normal torque converter unit. Also, GM id using the 6L45E inthe new ATS, so the same decontented tranny they sell to BMW is going into their BMW fighter. Ironic.
FWIW the picture is Allison 1000s (diesel pickup) on the dock at the Baltimore plant.
I think you guys got it wrong. GM has traditionally designed good reliable automatic transmissions........ ________________________________________________________________________ George, you owe me a keyboard for that one, my old one is completely drenched with the coffee I spit out. Just a few transgressions: 700R4 4L60E THM200 4T60