GM To Cut Production At Small-Car Plant -- June 12, 2015

This is so cool. For background, read this post, dated February 22, 2015. The 30-second bite: CAFE standards favor SUVs and trucks, of all sizes. Result? Today's story out of GM being reported by Reuters: GM to lay off workers, cut production at Michigan small-car plant.

General Motors Co will lay off 100 workers and cut production at its Orion Assembly small-car plant in suburban Detroit because of slow sales, the company said on Friday.

This is in addition to the 160 layoffs GM announced last November at Orion Assembly.

U.S. consumers continue to prefer SUVs and pickup trucks over sedans, particularly small ones, as gasoline prices remain low. The plant makes the Chevrolet Sonic and Buick Verano compact cars.

The plant has about 1,580 hourly workers and 180 salaried positions. GM said the 260 workers to be laid off will be let go by the end of this year.

This is embarrassing. I had never heard of the Orion. Or the Sonic. Or the Verano. Seriously. Never heard of them. For me, the Orion is a constellation; Sonic is a fast food chain with really good milk shakes; and, "verano" is an Italian word for "we don't serve Americans here." Or maybe Greek for "it's all over now."