GM Discontinues Chevy Sonic to Make Room for EVs
GM has really been making up for lost time with their full-speed ahead adoption of electric vehicle technology. Not only do they have their Ultium lineup coming in the next year or so, but they’re cutting loose small gas cars to make room for the EVs they’re already producing.
On the October chopping block is the Chevy Sonic, a tiny title gas car. It’s made in the same Orion Plant near Detroit as the Bolt compact and Bolt EUV. With the Sonic’s retirement, the plant will now be dedicated to electric vehicles.
This makes a lot of sense, considering the current abysmal outlook for compact cars which aren’t electric. As automakers have been releasing sales numbers from the past few months, one common thread is double-digit sales declines… and positive increase in EV sales.
Even though GM is retaining the ability to make combustion cars at the Orion plant, it’s not the first time they have done this transition with a facility. Their Detroit-Hamtramck Plant recently stopped making gas vehicles, and has been devoted to the upcoming Hummer EV, the Hum-E.
It’s always a bit of a bitter sweet moment when a bunch of employees have to hang up their tools for good, and switch to a new product. That being said, this doesn’t mean layoffs. If anything, this could see the opportunity for growth that Detroit could really use.