Chevy Astro And GMC Safari To Be Discontinued In 2005

GM's Baltimore, Maryland Assembly Plant To Close

GM Maintains Significant Presence In Baltimore Area Through White Marsh Transmission Plant

PONTIAC, Mich. November 16, 2004; General Motors today announced that its Chevy Astro and GMC Safari will be discontinued in 2005. As a consequence, the company's Baltimore, Md. assembly plant, which exclusively builds the Chevy Astro and GMC Safari, will also close in 2005. The company also reaffirmed that it will maintain a significant presence in the greater Baltimore area through its state-of-the-art transmission plant in White Marsh, Md.

With the Astro and Safari reaching the end of their lifecycles, GM management initiated several production changes over the last several years to better align production at the plant with market demand for the Astro and Safari. These decisions included eliminating the plant's second shift of production in the summer of 2000 and slowing production output on several occasions.

The Chevy Astro and GMC Safari were introduced in the 1985 model year. During the first 10 months of this year, production at Baltimore amounted to approximately 41,000 vehicles.

"Long-term market softening and the products' lifecycle have driven GM to make this difficult yet necessary decision," said Joe Spielman, GM vice president and general manager of Vehicle Manufacturing. "GM can no longer justify building these two products at volumes that are significantly below the plant's capacity."

"The men and women of Baltimore Assembly are proud, hard working people who have done a great job of building the Chevy Astro and GMC Safari over the years," Spielman added. "Everyone at Baltimore Assembly should take great pride in their many accomplishments and years of dedication to these products."

GM currently employs approximately 1,000 hourly and 100 salaried employees at the Baltimore plant. The UAW/GM National Agreement provides a comprehensive plan and provisions for the GM employees affected by the decision. UAW Local 239 represents the plant's hourly workforce. In addition, management will work with affected salaried employees to pursue opportunities at other GM locations.

The Baltimore Assembly plant sits on 182 acres and consists of approximately 3.2 million square feet. It opened in 1935 and originally produced a variety of Chevrolet cars and trucks. In 1984, the facility was converted for production of the Astro and Safari.