The new Chevrolet Blazer is the hot-ticket auto creating the most buzz right now, but it’s also generating mild controversy. Many who remember the original were more than a little disappointed seeing the name affixed to a unibody crossover with front-drive origins. While mainstream shoppers aren’t likely to mind, former Blazer owners aren’t thrilled with General Motors’ decision.
It’s probably more financially viable for the automaker to do it this way. GM can definitely serve most customers for less money. But you get the sense that they’ve watered down the automotive broth to stretch the C1XX platform as far as it will go. At least it means more jobs for Americans, though, right? Well, not exactly.
According to Reuters, General Motors confirmed its earlier plan to manufacture the Blazer in Mexico. With the recent hubbub from the White House surrounding vehicles produced abroad, the possibility of new tariffs, and NAFTA negotiations going so poorly, there was a growing sense that GM would find a way to build the crossover stateside. There was even rumor that Lansing Delta Township Assembly, which is already close to full capacity, would shoulder some of the burden with the rest going to Spring Hill Manufacturing in Tennessee.
While that decision would have placed both facilities into perpetual overdrive, it seemed theoretically possible, considering the recent emphasis on American Made™ products. Both plants already work on the Blazer’s sister vehicles, too.
Other claims arose that the company might retool Lordstown Assembly in Ohio to prepare for the crossover. Due to declining Chevrolet Cruze sales, the facility has seen output drop and shifts cut. Frankly, this would have made the most sense if production were to stay in the U.S., due to the underutilization of manpower and space. But the equipment costs and prep-work needed would have been significant. Unfortunately, it was all wishful thinking. The 2019 Blazer remains Mexico-bound.
“We remain committed to working with the administration on a modernized NAFTA,” GM spokesman Pat Morrissey said, before adding that the factory decision was made years ago.
The automaker certainly could have tried to change its production strategy for the political climate, but reorganizing the logistics last minute would have been an incredibly messy affair. Like Morrissey said, these decisions are typically made long before assembly kicks off.
The United Auto Workers union called the decision very disappointing. “This is all happening while UAW-GM workers here in the U.S. are laid off and unemployed,” the union said in a statement.
[Image: General Motors]
Yep. U.S. taxpayers screwed over again. Thanks, GM.
You can still get a U.S. Built:
Sonic, Cruze, Malibu, Impala, Camaro, Corvette, Volt, Bolt, Traverse, Tahoe, Suburban, Colorado, Silverado, Express, Acadia, Yukon, Yukon XL, Canyon, Sierra, Savanna, Lacrosse, Enclave, ATS, CTS, CT6, XT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV and soon GM will start building XT4s in the US also.
The U.S. tax payer is getting their moneys worth and then some.
Guangzhou/Guadalajara Motors (GM) vehicles made abroad and exported to United States Taxpayers in the U.S:
CHEVROLET BLAZER!
Chevrolet Silverado: 222,000 – four-door crew cabs are made at GM’s assembly plant in Silao, Mexico.
GMC Sierra, 109,000 -‘Hecho en Mexico.
Bruick Invasion: Made from PROC commie parts that spy on and log driver/passenger activity and upload data to Communist officials in China.
Buick Encore: Bupyeong, SouthKorea.
Chevrolet Cruze hatchbacks and, likely, all future Cruze production will move to Mexico or China. Bonus – The model-year 2017 Cruze, for instance, relies on the U.S. or Canada for only 44% of its parts content, compared with 60% in 2012, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Cradirrac CT6 -‘Mrade in China of commie parts that spy on and log driver/passenger activity and upload data to Communist officials in China.
Chevrolet Equinox: 2018–present
Assembly Canada: Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada (CAMI)
*China: Wuhan, Hubei (Shanghai GM)
*Mexico: San Luis Potosi, San Luis Potosi (San Luis Potosí Assembly)
*Ramos Arizpe, Coahuila (Ramos Arizpe Assembly)
2018 Buick Regal — including the 2018 Buick Regal Sportback and TourX wagon — will be built at the Opel Rüsselsheim plant in Germany alongside the 2017 Opel Insignia (and Vauxhall Insignia) range, and then exported to North America.
***None of the above takes into account the huge % of Chinese, Mexican and other foreign made parts that GM throws into ALL OF ITS GARBAGE DUMPSTER FIRE VEHICLES (Jack Baruth’s Silverado only has 55% American-made parts in it).
There ate more, but I am tiring of you.
BOYCOTT GUANGZHOU-GUADALAJARA MOTORS (GM)!!!
@DeadWeight
Bravo, you discovered GM imports some Autos and Auto parts. You know who else does that. EVERY OTHER AUTO COMPANY.
Why don’t you also research how many vehicles the foriegn brands dump onto the U.S. market every year. Start with the 1.7 million vehicles made in Japan.
Ford/Lincoln builds more models in Mexico.
GM is basically the only auto-maker that builds a subcompact (the Sonic) in the US (the Japanese don’t either) due to concessions from the UAW.
But in all likelihood, the Sonic will be discontinued w/ a new, small CUV taking its place.
Low volume models? Dumb. Hecho en Mexico Silverado/Sierras eclipse all those. But concrats to the UAW for landing the Sonic.
Next time GM needs a bailout, and there will be a next time, we would all be wise to remember this.
GUANGZHOU/GUADALAJARA MOTORS
#1 source for all lowest-bidder, 3rd world and emerging market outsourced vehicle assembly and parts supply contracts,
Pocketing slave-labor wages and increasing prices of rolling dumpster fire vehicle prices.
Giving any and all intellectual property developed by American uppliers to Chinese companies and state owned enterprises freely.
How many years before GUANGZHOU/GUADALAJARA MOTORS needs another TAXPAYER BAILOJT
The ks for the last massive taxpayer bailout, American TAxpayer Suckers!!!
DW
A few points from me, the genius.
Love the new name for GM.
#2- A car made in Japan > a good thing. I look favorably on this.
#3- A car made in Mexicorapists> NO. Sorry Jack B.
#4- A car made in China IP Thieves> 10X worse than #3. At least #3 keeps them in Mexico.
#5- Big crash coming. Make 2009 look like childs’ play.
God you’re a loser DeadWeight.
Now answer the question:
WHY WERE YOU FIRED BY GM??
She said “Oh no, Guadalajara won’t do”…
…Well, I did not think the girl could be so cruel. And I’m never going back to my old school.
Came for a well deserved DW rant, was not disappointed :)
I see lots of older folks here in the Midwest buying Envisions, The ultimate oblivious boomer move I guess.
Envasion.
@gtem
When it comes time to replace my Canadian built Regal, I will be taking a serious look at the Envision. I will be crossshoping it against a number of Buicks, Lincolns, Cadillacs & Infinitis.
The Buick Invasion is a pile of Red Star Commie parts, and you should be extraordinarily renditioned to an Alphabet Agency Black Site for enhanced interrogation, and made to spill your foreign co tact list.
You are a seditious subversive.
Peter, so it sounds like my earlier assertion about the buying demographic fits to a ‘t’ then.
GM (GUANGZHOU/GUADALAJARA MOTORS) should be designated as a clear and present danger to the national security interests of the United States of America, and tried as a foreign intelligence arm of the Chinese Communist Party, in federal court, for sedition, espionage, conspiracy, and many other high-level federal felonies, and convicted and extolled from engaging in any further business operations withing The United States of America, and labeled as a hostile actor.
Last part should read ESTOPPED;
“and convicted and estopped rom engaging in any further business operations withing The United States of America, and labeled as a hostile actor.”
Spellchecker doesn’t do well with legal terms.
ANSWER THE QUESTION DEADWEIGHT….
I suspect your inability to follow simple instructions had something to do with your dismissal from GM.
Huh. I thought President Trump was supposed to stop stuff like this from happening with his legendary negotiating skills. It’s almost as if GM is ignoring his repeated demands to stop shipping manufacturing jobs to other countries. What’s next…automakers refusing to convert their engines to burn coal?
“We remain committed to working with the administration on a modernized NAFTA,” GM spokesman Pat Morrissey said, before adding that the factory decision was made years ago.
Sometimes it takes time to fix the decisions made during the last administration.
Some people need to remember that despite their hopes, they don’t live in Venezuela where the government can nationalize corporations at will and directly control the firms’ production policies, yet.
Din’t know that the last admin was responsible for drafting NAFTA (which, btw, was drafted by a Republican Congress).
The actual professional negotiators from the US & Mexico & Canada had a NAFTA agreement worked out, but Trump killed it by moving the goalposts at the last minute.
Trump insisted on a 5 year sunset clause, after the negotiators had already found what they considered a win/win/win agreemenr. The sunset clause is a bad idea, because capital investments happen on a longer timeframe than 5 years, and so putting that time limit on it means that (say) a factory built in the United States has to pay off every piece of equipment they buy in 5 years — instead of whatever the useful life of that machine happens to be. Canada and Mexico decided to stick to what they had hammered out, and the talks have been stalled since.
Speaking as someone who has made a formal study of negotiation, moving the goal poasts at the last minute is not in the netotiator’s playbook. It *is* in the swaggering d!ckhead’s play book, in case you were wondering, but the swaggering d!ckhead playbook doesn’t help find alignment and create a win/win/win agreement between the negotiating parties.
“professional negotiators”
Diplomats?
I really hope they change their minds and start building it here. Not only is the Blazer an iconic nameplate and very much loved…………..But its American and should be built here. GM has a history of boneheaded moves and also very memorable cars and trucks. Lets hope the sleeping giant………awakes!
Yup, the Blazer should be made in the USA, just like Harley Davidson motorcycles.
http://money.cnn.com/2018/06/25/news/companies/harley-davidson-motorcycles-tariffs-trump/index.html
*crickets*
If the union is disappointed, maybe they should look in the mirror and evaluate how ‘easy’ they are to work with. Even disregarding the wage gap, making every manufacturing decision and employee interaction a huge bureaucratic nightmare doesn’t exactly encourage a company to sign up for more. You reap what you sow.
@1500cc
At times I think that the UAW and IAM go into contract negotiations with a mindset that 100% of nothing is better than 49% of something.
The company is not going to immediately close a plant but if the company continues to grow it won’t place new facilities where they would again have employees represented by an inflexible union.
The UAW made concessions where it was feasible for GM to manufacture a subcompact, the Sonic, in the US.
Neither Ford nor the Japanese do so.
It’s a phony Blazer anyway, so who cares?
Looks like GM believed the President wont act, ohh he will to make a gesture to auto workers in Michigan. Ohio and Tennessee. He will do what every Administration since Bush the 1st has refused to do, stand up to American corporations who Bribe and Lobby both Democrats and Republicans, how else would politicians explain how they go to Washington broke and leave aa multimillionaire.
Trump – Winning
Deadweight – Winning
I hope the president (this one, the next one, the one after that) remembers all this the next time she or he needs a new “Beast”.
The only problem is Ford isn’t really into making cars anymore and FCA is well FCA.
The “beast” is really an armored military truck dressed up to kinda look like a Cadillac.
Ford still makes truck chassis.
But, yeah, Trump is making the US government look like an unreliable partner. Perhaps not even Ford or GM will take that on.
The next POTUS Armored Vehicle should be based on a Ford or RAM Chassis.
The Chinese probably have every part/component that Guangzhou-Guadalajara Motors (GM) uses somehow bugged or prone to hacking & eavesdropping, and inserting malware, which represents a national security threat of the highest order.
Just remember we sank $49.5 billion into this company to “save and to protect jobs” and the company has shown no interest in either. For all of the whining of one political side of the fence about the 1%, GM stole approximately $20-$30 billion of that money tax and interest free – with the covering costs for the interest paid to china, the billions of tax credits illegally transfered to the new GM from the dead one, and the pathetic sale of stock at a loss, the taxpayers were shafted royally – about $10 billion went to Chinese operations to expand production and over $1 billion went to Opel et al to save that operation only to be sold at a loss to Renault/Nissan.
Opel was sold to PSA. Nothing to do with Renault/Nissan.
Can’t even get simple things like that correct. About the way I treat all US news these days – with utmost scepticism.
Bronco will be made at MICHIGAN TRUCK
Just like it should be.
Like the sign painted on the north wall of the shop-offices. 1995
“Michigan Truck – Home of the Bronco”
Whatever you think of the UAW, they have very little to say about this decision.
Why isn’t the union aggressively trying to develop a presence in Mexico?
There’s already the CAW in Canada, why not a new MAW arm in Mexico? Would solve many outsourcing to cheap labour issues within NAFTA and even improve working conditions for local workers in Mexico.
The union would get a boost in membership as well. Win-win for everyone except for those looking to buy discounted made in Mexico vehicles.
When I lived in Mexico some years back the members of “unions” were closely aligned with the wishes and directives of the PRI, the then-ruling party, and were allowed only to ask for and do as the PRI allowed. They were unions in name only. I wouldn’t be surprised if that were still the case – a union such as the UAW would not be tolerated.
GM=Unreliable Chinese made JUNK