Chevrolet Volt, Chevrolet Cruze and Four Other GM Cars: Dead

GM’s been in the news this week with plans of restructuring its entire company and “preparing it for the future” with the Oshawa plant in Ontario closing its doors, putting some 2300 people out of work.

The restructuration plan includes the shutdown of two other assembly plants in North America, Detroit-Hamtramck and Lordstown in Ohio, all responsible for employing more than 16,000 people. The consequences of these shutdowns won’t only affect people and families, but cars too, as many of the vehicles assembled in these plants will inevitably be discontinued.

Goodbye Plug-in Hybrid

A total of six cars will be killed off, including the Buick LaCrosse, the Cadillac XTS, Cadillac CT6, the Chevrolet Cruze, the Chevrolet Impala, and, yes, the Chevrolet Volt.

Many of the cars on this list come as no surprise, since they haven’t been selling all too well. With consumers flocking more and more towards crossovers and SUVs, cars are taking a big hit. We’ve seen Ford pull out of the car market altogether, so GM’s plan isn’t so farfetched.

But the Cruze and the Volt are big surprises. GM just recently facelifted the Cruze, and released a hatchback model not that long ago. Chevrolet’s compact car, while not a sales hit, is still an important automobile within GM’s lineup. It’s also assembled in Mexico, so there could be chances that it remains alive. The same can be said about the Cadillac CT6, as GM recently showed us an eventual V-Sport version powered by an all-new twin-turbo V8 engine.

As for the Volt, it’s not only sad news to see American’s plug-in hybrid go south, it leaves GM with no more electrified cars within its lineup except for the Bolt EV. The Volt is, still today, the plug-in hybrid with the longest fully electric range at 85 km. And because of its large battery, the car is eligible to the same governmental rebates as full-on electric cars, where offered.

That all being said, we wouldn’t be surprised if GM turns around and starts manufacturing more SUVs to compensate for its lack of cars, and we got news last September from a GM employee that an all-electric sport utility vehicle will arrive shortly. Until then, if the Volt interests you, you still have until mid-2019 to buy one.

Share on Facebook

More on the subject

MontrealThe Chevrolet Blazer Makes a Comeback
After sending the Blazer to its retirement in 2005, Chevrolet is bringing it back on the market for 2019, and the Canadian premiere of this new generation occurred at the Montreal Auto Show . Bigger than the Equinox , but smaller than the Traverse , the 2019 Blazer joins an …
NewsChevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon Lose Their Manual Transmissions
The elimination game continues at General Motors. But instead of shutting down plants or axing several cars from its large portfolio, the automaker is now abandoning the manual transmission in its midsize pickup trucks. The Car Guide was able to confirm various online reports by visiting the GM Canada website …
NewsGM Invests $170 Million to Save 300 Jobs in Oshawa
Ever since General Motors announced that it would kill six models and close the Oshawa plant at the end of 2019, negotiations have been under way to hopefully protect part of the workforce. Well, there’s good news: GM Canada and the Unifor union announced this morning that they have reached …
NewsChevrolet Malibu Production to End in 2024
Do you hear that? That’s the bell tolling for the Chevrolet Malibu , the American midsize sedan which somehow avoided the axe when General Motors killed six car models last fall as part of its North American restructuring plan. According to a report by Automotive News , the once-popular Malibu …
Test Drives2019 Chevrolet Spark: Bigger Responsibilities
Priced at $9,995 before freight and delivery charges, the Spark is the most affordable car in Canada right now. While that may be enough to get the attention of consumers, the car’s mission changed quite a bit at Chevrolet. First of all, it competes in the minicar segment that includes …
NewsFord, Chevrolet Dropping Compact Cars is a Mistake, Report Shows
As you know, Ford and Chevrolet have both terminated their compact cars and dealers across North America are running out of stock. The reasoning is that today’s consumers are much more attracted to bigger vehicles, namely SUVs, crossovers and pickups. However, a new report by Edmunds suggests that these automakers …
NewsGM’s Oshawa Plant Builds its Final Vehicle
More than a year after General Motors announced its closure , and just a week before Christmas, the Oshawa assembly plant in Ontario stopped producing vehicles at approximately 4 p.m. yesterday, putting an end to a tradition that started over a century ago. The last car on the line—actually a …
Hybrid/Plug-in HybridGM Changes Its Mind, Wants to Bring Back Plug-in Hybrids
General Motors ended production of the Chevrolet Volt almost five years ago to focus on all-electric vehicles. Now facing slower than expected demand in the EV segment, especially in the U.S., the automaker has decided to give plug-in hybrids another shot. In a fourth-quarter earnings call on Tuesday, CEO Mary …