US made '08 VUE? Is that article bunk?

[robertburns3]

Since there are a lot of insiders who post here, I am wondering is the below article saying the 08 VUE will be built in the US is bull?

http://www.saturnfans.com/Cars/Future/2008vueus.shtml

The only place I can think of that could build the VUE in the US is the new Outlook factory, which is the one flexible enough to make it. It could then be switched to the Spring Hill facility once it is converted to be able to build steel body cars. They could then add Chevy versions. That scenario seems expensive though. There is also another unused line at the Sky plant, but I would think we would have heard about it if that plant was getting new product.

There was also a recent anoouncement that GM will be building one rear drive sedan in the US in a few years. That has to go somewhere and Delaware (Sky plant) and Spring Hill seem like candidates.

Seems like the VUE would more likely be built at the plant that is currently building the Rendezvous in Mexico, since that model is going out of production shortly.

What does everyone else hear?

[Uzzy]

Mexico is the front runner, with Spring Hill coming in as second in the rumor mill, but that might be mostly wishful thinking. Then every few weeks someone comes in having a cow, saying it's going to built in Korea. :ugh: It's NOT going to built in Korea! What about CAMI, where the Equinox, and Torrent are produced now? They're on almost the same architechure. When are the revised models of those comming out? After the VUE?

[robertburns3]

Mexico is the front runner, with Spring Hill coming in as second in the rumor mill, but that might be mostly wishful thinking. Then every few weeks someone comes in having a cow, saying it's going to built in Korea. :ugh: It's NOT going to built in Korea! What about CAMI, where the Equinox, and Torrent are produced now? They're on almost the same architechure. When are the revised models of those comming out? After the VUE?


CAMI would seem logical as well, but may be at plant capacity considering they build the Equinox, Torrent and Suzuki models. Isn't the VUE the best seller of them all?

[lithous]

Too bad they couldn't get the closed Trailblazer/Envoy (7 passenger models) plant in Oklahoma making VUEs.

[Big Nickel]

CAMI would seem logical as well, but may be at plant capacity considering they build the Equinox, Torrent and Suzuki models. Isn't the VUE the best seller of them all?

I'd agree with you guys on that... CAMI would make the mose sense considering the vehicles that are now built there are all based on a stretched versions of the current VUE. Plus, we Canucks know how to build great cars up here in the Great White North :D

They recently expanded the plant (past 2 years?) by adding an entire wing right beside the 401, but maybe that was just to facilitate plant operations or something, as opposed to a new line for increased production with the Suzuki or the Torrent.

Is the new Vue on a new platform? Or will it continue on a modified version of the existing? Perhaps that may have something to do with it.

Cheers

[Uzzy]

Plus, we Canucks know how to build great cars up here in the Great White North :D Heck yes. We build the highly popular, 300C, and it's variants, the Caravans, and variants, the Impala, and those are some of the most popular cars on the road. :yes: We also build the Crown Victoria, which though isn't the most popular with the pedestrian population, Law Enforcement seems to love them. It's not our fault they've been the same for the last 20 years. :hmpf: :p

[Big Nickel]

Heck yes. We build the highly popular, 300C, and it's variants, the Caravans, and variants, the Impala, and those are some of the most popular cars on the road. :yes: We also build the Crown Victoria, which though isn't the most popular with the pedestrian population, Law Enforcement seems to love them. It's not our fault they've been the same for the last 20 years. :hmpf: :p

Plus... the Silverado/Sierra, Regal, Grand Prix, .. the new Ford Edge and Lincoln clone, Civics/Acuras MDX/Pilots/Ridgelines, Corrollas, Matrix, the Lexus SUV, ummmmm... anything else? New RAV4 in a few years....

At least with the Crown Vic, they're going to keep the plant open a while longer since they're moving the Lincoln Town Car production there when they shut down the plant in Detroit.

So... since it seems as though we build a lot of popular cars around here.... why not add a Saturn to the mix?

[Uzzy]

Plus... the Silverado/Sierra, Regal, Grand Prix, ..I thought we had a GM truck plant, I wasn't sure, there's so many of them :dizzy: And the Regal is dead. :dazed:

[lithous]

Yup, roughly a third of the Silverado/Sierra vehicles produced come out of Canada...

http://www.gm.com/company/corp_info/global_operations/north_america/cana_osh_truck.html
http://www.gmdynamic.com/company/gmability/environment/plants/facility_db/facility_summary.php?fID=133
http://www.gmdynamic.com/company/gmability/environment/plants/facility_db/facility_summary.php?fID=117
http://www.gmdynamic.com/company/gmability/environment/plants/facility_db/facility_summary.php?fID=118

905812 of them made for 2005 and 314694 from Oshawa according to GM's site.

[spencerb]

I know a lot of people believe that Mexico is where the VUE will be built, but quite frankly that is still just based on rumors. I find it odd that GM hasn't made an announcement yet. How long does it take to tool up a plant? The design is all but finalized. I'm sure GM knows where it will be built, but they aren't telling us yet. I wonder if preparations at the site are already underway?

People balk about it being built in Mexico, but no one seems to complain about it being built in Canada. Is there a quantifiable difference in quality in GM products from Mexico related to production issues? Or do we just not like people who speak Spanish? Me gusta hablar español, y mi esposa es professora español.

[Uzzy]

People balk about it being built in Mexico, but no one seems to complain about it being built in Canada. Is there a quantifiable difference in quality in GM products from Mexico related to production issues? Or do we just not like people who speak Spanish? Me gusta hablar español, y mi esposa es professora español.It's the quality, which is at issue. Some bicker about them being non-union, I say that's a good thing. I don't have any quantifiable data to back up the quality issues, but over the years overall quality from Mexico has lagged far behind cars built in the rest of North America. They haven't been all bad, but I'd say moreso than not.

[lithous]

The Oshawa plant ranks high with JD Power but I think the main thing that many Americans like about Canada over Mexico for products is that there has been pretty fair trade going on for decades between the U.S. and Canada. Whereas with Mexico the "giant sucking sound", that I believe Ross Perot coined, doesn't sit well.

I have an in-law that works/worked (not sure) for SC Johnson ("A family company" mind you) and a whole factory was shut down way up in Wisconsin I believe (close to Canada, yet) and moved down below.

I hear of that much more than I hear of a factory picking up and moving North (though it may happen as well I just haven't heard about it especially first hand with a relative or in-law).

There is a fine line between keeping some jobs where they are for the good of the economy and also understanding that to some extent if there were more/better jobs in Mexico (like an auto plant could be presumed) then not so much illegal crossing would occur.

I did read on the JD Power site that the Mexican plants do as well or better for initial quality as U.S. but one has to remember that GM alone probably builds a million or more vehicles in the U.S. than Mexico (at least for sale in the U.S.).

[GR898SL2]

The Mexico production angle is getting traction because up until early summer of this year, the Ramos Arizpe plant built the Buick Rendezvous, which was a Theta-based vehicle. Conventional wisdom would suggest it would be a no-brainer for GM to replace one version of Theta with another, right? Not so fast. When has GM not made a business decision that didn't fly in the face of conventional wisdom - or rampant speculation?

I would hope that with the expected introduction of the 2008 VUE at LAIAS later this month, GM will make a formal announcement as to where it will be built and there will be evidence of such decision by press release. Only then will we know for sure whether the next-generation VUE being "Built in the USA" is the real deal or paid lip service.

:flag:

[Uzzy]

The Mexico production angle is getting traction because up until early summer of this year, the Ramos Arizpe plant built the Buick Rendezvous, which was a Theta-based vehicle. Conventional wisdom would suggest it would be a no-brainer for GM to replace one version of Theta with another, right? Not so fast. When has GM not made a business decision that didn't fly in the face of conventional wisdom - or rampant speculation?I thought the Aztek/Rendezvous was based on the U-body vans.

EDIT: I just checked, they are. :yes: