”There won’t be any layoffs at the Gliwice plant in the near future.” – said Karl-Friedrich Stracke, the president of GM Europe, at a meeting with trade unions. ”Even if the market deteriorates, the management board will search for solutions to maintain employment,” he added.
Increasing the production volume of the plant’s core model, the fourth-generation Astra hatchback, would possibly not provide satisfactory solution, because the existing production capacities of GM’s other European plants are also much higher than the current production. Transferring workers to GM’s other facilities could be an option, but adding production of the Chevrolet Cruze may effectively solve the problem of capacity utilization. The Cruze shares GM’s front-wheel drive Delta II platform with the fourth-generation Opel Astra and therefore it could be produced using the same production line where the new Astra is built.
The Gliwice plant currently produces Astra H and Astra J cars.
The European Works Council of General Motors is carrying out negotiations about possible opportunities to produce Chevrolet brand-cars at General Motors Manufacturing Poland’s Gliwice factory