GM Will Temporarily Stop Building The Chevy Colorado And GMC Canyon
General Motors has been enjoying significant sales success of its midsize pickups and commercial vans, but the factory that builds them is being forced into a temporary shutdown.
Key Points
- GM’s Wentzville plant, which builds the Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon, Express, and Savana, is idled until October 20 despite surging sales across those models.
- Around 3,800 workers are on temporary layoff, with GM citing supply chain issues but promising minimal impact on dealer inventory.
- The stoppage follows other temporary closures at GM plants in Tennessee, Detroit, and Michigan, even as the automaker reports record EV sales and year-over-year growth across all brands.
Automotive News reports the automaker's Wentzville Assembly plant—home to the Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, Chevy Express, and GMC Savana—has been idled due to supply chain disruptions. The plant is expected to resume normal operations on October 20th.
GM has not specified which parts are holding up production at the Missouri plant, but the automaker seems fairly confident that dealer inventory levels shouldn't be impacted significantly.
Through 2025, GM’s midsize trucks have been enjoying a banner year, with Colorado sales up 26 percent year-to-date, while the Canyon has climbed nearly 9 percent. Even the long-in-the-tooth Express and Savana work vans have surged, with year-over-year gains of more than 60 and 40 percent, respectively. The vans have long been a pure profit center for GM, and it's a shame they'll be going away soon.
The Wentzville stoppage isn’t happening in isolation—GM has already announced other plant slowdowns as it reshuffles production targets in response to slowing EV demand and tariffs. Earlier this year, the automaker announced plans to add or expand gas-powered SUV production at three American plants, including facilities in Michigan, Kansas, and Tennessee.
Its Spring Hill, Tennessee facility—which builds the Cadillac XT5, XT6, Lyriq, and upcoming Vistiq—will pause production for several weeks and shutter entirely for December. Detroit’s Factory Zero, which produces the Hummer EV, Silverado EV, Sierra EV, and Cadillac Escalade IQ, is also idled until early October, impacting 160 employees.
Meanwhile, GM is reshuffling priorities at its Orion Township plant in Michigan, shifting resources away from EV production and back toward high-margin trucks. That strategy comes even as the company logged record EV sales in August, but the outlook on the post-tax-credit EV market remains cautious.
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An experienced automotive storyteller and accomplished photographer known for engaging and insightful content. Michael also brings a wealth of technical knowledge—he was part of the Ford GT program at Multimatic, oversaw a fleet of Audi TCR race cars, ziptied Lamborghini Super Trofeo cars back together, been over the wall during the Rolex 24, and worked in the intense world of IndyCar.
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