GM News: GM Squeezes Wentzville Plant To Produce More Midsize Trucks

[William Maley]

Buyers can't get enough of GM's midsize trucks. The company says that the Chevrolet Colorado only sit on dealer lots for an average 12 days before being snapped up. This is causing dealers to asking to ask for more trucks. GM's Wentzville, Mo plant is already pumping out as many as they can. But GM has a found a few ways to wring out a few more models.

 

Automotive News reports that the plant has recently instituted a broader schedule reshuffling which saw a unpaid lunch break be cut to eliminate a six-minute production lull which means an extra 18 minutes of production in a three shift day and more importantly - an extra 3,500 trucks per year. GM is also hiring as many as 1,000 'flex' workers to fill weekend shifts which should boost production by more than 2,000 trucks per month. This comes after the plant brought on a third shift in March to help with the massive demand.

 

With this increase in truck production, something had to be cut. In this case it was GM's full-size vans. For every two trucks built, one van rolls off the production line.

 

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

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[G. David Felt]

Makes sense since the vans are mostly for service commercial use. Not as many sales as the mid truck market.

 

GM Needs to offer these trucks in Bi-Fuel mode of CNG/Petrol

[SalesmanSean]

I don't know who has a Colorado on their lot for 12 days, we can't even get them in for the lot.  We order them for the lot, but they are already sold before they get here every time.

[Drew Dowdell]

I don't know who has a Colorado on their lot for 12 days, we can't even get them in for the lot.  We order them for the lot, but they are already sold before they get here every time.

 

That's good to hear.  You probably make more money on the trucks than the commercial vans anyway.

 

2-birds/1-stone - increase high profit truck sales, decrease excess commercial van inventory. 

[SalesmanSean]

 

I don't know who has a Colorado on their lot for 12 days, we can't even get them in for the lot.  We order them for the lot, but they are already sold before they get here every time.

 

That's good to hear.  You probably make more money on the trucks than the commercial vans anyway.

 

2-birds/1-stone - increase high profit truck sales, decrease excess commercial van inventory. 

 

We only bring in commercial vans for customer orders, not on the lot, so no worries there.  I don't know we make on the GM mid-sizers because I have yet to sell one.  I've gotten all the catch 22 buyers.  They want to see it before they buy it, but it sells so quick they never get a chance to see it.  I think most of the sales on those have been through our GM manager, and not through our regular salespeople.

[Drew Dowdell]

 

 

I don't know who has a Colorado on their lot for 12 days, we can't even get them in for the lot.  We order them for the lot, but they are already sold before they get here every time.

 

That's good to hear.  You probably make more money on the trucks than the commercial vans anyway.

 

2-birds/1-stone - increase high profit truck sales, decrease excess commercial van inventory. 

 

We only bring in commercial vans for customer orders, not on the lot, so no worries there.  I don't know we make on the GM mid-sizers because I have yet to sell one.  I've gotten all the catch 22 buyers.  They want to see it before they buy it, but it sells so quick they never get a chance to see it.  I think most of the sales on those have been through our GM manager, and not through our regular salespeople.

 

 

Ah, I have a few big lots near me that keep rows and rows of various Savannas and Expresses. 

[SalesmanSean]

 

 

 

I don't know who has a Colorado on their lot for 12 days, we can't even get them in for the lot.  We order them for the lot, but they are already sold before they get here every time.

 

That's good to hear.  You probably make more money on the trucks than the commercial vans anyway.

 

2-birds/1-stone - increase high profit truck sales, decrease excess commercial van inventory. 

 

We only bring in commercial vans for customer orders, not on the lot, so no worries there.  I don't know we make on the GM mid-sizers because I have yet to sell one.  I've gotten all the catch 22 buyers.  They want to see it before they buy it, but it sells so quick they never get a chance to see it.  I think most of the sales on those have been through our GM manager, and not through our regular salespeople.

 

 

Ah, I have a few big lots near me that keep rows and rows of various Savannas and Expresses. 

 

Well, we carry all the GM makes, Nissan, Toyota, and Mazda as new vehicle lines, even though we have a good-sized lot (600-700 cars on the lot ready to show, more waiting to get ready), with all of that there just isn't enough room to fill up with commercial vehicles as well.

[ocnblu]

[hyperv6]

I find many dealers are more set for commercial sales than others. They are geared for dealing with higher volumes and work the sales with better prices and sell in larger numbers.

 

We have one Chevy dealer here out in the country but they supply many commercial trucks in fact they are one of the higher volume dealers around. They sell to many fleet sales regionally and they even have a dear by truck bed builder that they supply most of their trucks.

 

GM's risk has paid off as like my self I want a truck but I do not want or need one as large as the full size is today. You could make a full size out of carbon fiber but I would not want it as the size of the smaller truck fits my needs better.

 

I expect to be in a Z71 or ZQ8 if it is made at some point.

 

My only beef with the present truck is the extended cab. I wish they had configured it a little different. The seats are worthless and the bases make for a non flat floor like my Sonoma. My dog would hate the new truck.

[aurora97]

Imagine how many more they can sell with a single cab/short be model with a 3.6l V6 and a six-speed manual.

[daves87rs]

Love em, just too much for me.....