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GM laying off 500 workers to slow Chevy Sonic production

Due to slow sales of the Chevrolet Sonic and Buick Verano, General Motors is cutting a shift at the Orion Township plant that builds the pair. The move lays off about 500 workers, but most of them are expected to get offers to transfer to other factories, Automotive News reports. The move came just a day after GM announced adding 1,200 employees to the Detroit-Hamtramck plant. GM has been trying all year at the Orion Township factory to align production of the Sonic and Verano with their demand. The automaker first attempted idling the plant several times and eventually resorted to laying off about 100 workers. It also reduced the production rate there. With the huge rise in popularity of crossovers, demand for the plant's small cars is on the downturn. According to Automotive News, there's currently a 116-day supply of Sonics and 100 days of Veranos to sell. Delivers tell a similar tale because the Chevy is off 35.2 percent from January to September, and the Buick does little better with a 27.2 percent drop from the same period last year. While the situation at Orion Township might look rough now, big things are on the horizon. Soon, the new Chevy Bolt electric vehicle will be built there when it hits the market around 2017. Plus, the plant will also get a $245-million upgrade and 300 new jobs for another, unannounced vehicle.

New Buick Envision model spotted in China, expected here this year

At GM Capital Markets Day in February, GM North America president Barry Engle said the U.S. market can expect "updated models of Chevrolet Equinox and Traverse, Buick Envision and Enclave, as well as GMC Terrain." We've seen the Equinox and Traverse, and although we weren't aware, we've seen the Envision. Buick showed an EV crossover concept in 2018 called the Enspire, and it was thought to preview an eventual production model called the Enspire that's been spotted in various places testing under heavy camouflage in the U.S. GM, in fact, applied to trademark the Enspire name twice in the U.S. The model's final production form got an early reveal in China thanks to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and according to GM Authority, a branding redirection has led to the crossover being called the Envision. Assuming this is the model that comes to the U.S., it will share dealer space with the current Envision imported from China. Motor1 writes that Chinese site Auto Home alleges the name Envision S will distinguish the new product, and the tailgate in the low-res photo plausibly shows an S after the model name. That doesn't mean it would get the S suffix here, though. It's not clear if the coming crossover grows in size compared to the standard Envision the way the Encore GX expanded a touch over the Encore. The marquee difference will be that the new Envision is more luxurious in looks, equipment, and features. There are few details, but it's thought the Envision S sits on the same E2 platform as the Cadillac XT4, and will use the same 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder in the Cadillac paired with the automaker's nine-speed automatic. In the XT4, that mill produces 237 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, but across all its applications in the GM stable it makes anywhere from 230 to 237 hp.    What we can see is that the new CUV takes the Envision name in a more dynamic direction, starting with a trim upper front fascia that puts narrow headlights astride a wide grille clearly derived from the concept, the lower front fascia with chrome-lined outer intakes that recall the Aston Martin DBX. A diffuser-looking silver trim piece in front is mirrored in back. A sloping roof helps create the slim profile, leading to a trim backlight, thin taillights, and strong horizontals on the bumper that emphasize width.

March Madness upsets good for auto advertisers

There are no Cinderella teams left in the NCAA men's basketball tournament - the fairytales ended with Georgia State's loss to Xavier over the weekend. And even though the Sweet 16 is composed of elite teams - at the time of writing the lowest-ranked squad is 11th-seeded UCLA, which has most championships of any school in the country - there are still underdogs and surprises, and they are good for NCAA business and advertisers. Last year the March Madness Live app, which allows users to watch games on the go, was downloaded 4.5 million times, a jump of more than 40 percent over 2013. Buick sponsors the iOS version of the app, but more than a million of those downloads were for the Android version, sponsored by Infiniti since 2011. Part of Buick's engagement is a "Boss Button" on the livestream sites that can quickly mask the page with something your boss won't question you over. It also sponsors a trick-shot competition for fans, has a display in Bracket Town during the Final Four, and its cars lead the team buses through the city. Infiniti said last year's tourney increased online searches for the brand by 25 percent in March, and things are going even better this year: it's round-by-round bracket game drew 477,859 total entries in 2014, this year's game has signed up 534,350 already and the tournament has another two weeks to go. The luxury brand is all over the event, promoting the QX60 through to the Final Four, then moving its efforts to the Q50. It sponsors the Coaches vs. Cancer charity and will have an Infiniti Lounge near the Final Four venue in downtown Indianapolis. So for the two automakers keeping their own scores... come on, Wichita State! Six brackets, six chances to win a trip to #FinalFour 2016. Official rules at http://t.co/4b9GyGJ4wP. #RoundByRound https://t.co/ZCsFatVlja - Infiniti USA (@InfinitiUSA) March 19, 2015 News Source: Automotive News - sub. req. Marketing/Advertising Buick Infiniti app sports ncaa march madness