GM will end Cadillac XT4 production in January, focusing on electric vehicle production.
The Fairfax, Kansas plant, retooled with a $390 million investment, will produce the Bolt EV.
Phased layoffs at Fairfax precede EV production resumption, planned for late 2025.
General Motors (GM) will discontinue production of its gasoline-powered Cadillac XT4 SUV in January 2025 as part of its still-planned transition to electric vehicles. This decision will shift production at GM’s Fairfax assembly plant in Kansas exclusively to electric models, with the Chevrolet Bolt EV slated to replace the XT4 in the lineup.
2024 Cadillac XT4 | Photo: CadillacGM has committed $390 million to retool the Fairfax plant, which previously assembled the Chevrolet Malibu sedan and Cadillac XT4 SUV. GM initially intended to restart production in 2025 with the Bolt EV and XT4 models assembled on the same line. However, the company has adjusted its plans, and only the next-generation Bolt EV will be manufactured at Fairfax. Production of the previous-generation Bolt ceased in December 2023.
The Cadillac XT4, which has seen a 12% decrease in sales in the U.S. this year to 17,807 units, reflects a loss of interest in the small premium SUV, allowing GM to focus on electrification. The Chevrolet Malibu, which GM will discontinue production of in November 2023, marks a similar shift. The Malibu, a model that has achieved global sales of over 10 million units since its 1964 launch, will leave the Corvette as Chevrolet’s only remaining car offering in the U.S. and Canada following the end of Camaro production in late 2023.
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GM announced a phased layoff plan at its Fairfax plant to accommodate the production shift. The first round of layoffs, scheduled for November 18, will affect 686 full-time workers and terminate 250 temporary positions. A second phase, beginning January 12, 2024, will impact an additional 759 full-time employees. GM plans to recall these full-time workers in late 2025, when production of the Chevrolet Bolt EV is expected to begin.
Source: Reuters
