GM Ceases Medium-Duty Truck Production

[hammersley]

Wow..... and not for retooling... but forever!



Light & Medium Truck | GM Ceases Medium-Duty Truck Production



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GM Ceases Medium-Duty Truck Production



By Light & Medium Truck



General Motors Corp. has announced that production of its medium-duty truck lines will cease by July 31 after several years of failing to find a buyer for its commercial trucks. The shutdown affects the Chevrolet Kodiak and GMC Topkick Class 5 through 7 model lines.



"After four years of working with multiple potential buyers, General Motors has decided to wind down its medium-duty truck operations," the automaker said in a statement released June 8.



GM last year reached a tentative deal to sell the division to Navistar Inc. , but the agreement expired in August without a final sale being reached. Isuzu Commercial Truck of America, a long-time GM partner, also has been mentioned as a possible suitor.



“We were never able to get a suitable arrangement completed,” Jim Hopson, communication manager for Buick, Pontiac and GMC, told Light & Medium Truck. “We needed to go ahead and made a decision to wind down the operations. ”



The announcement comes just over a week after GM Fleet and Commercial Operations General Manager Jim Campbell issued a statement stating that the company remained “fully committed” to the fleet and commercial business. Campbell said in the June 1 release that GM intends to, “continue with vehicle production as outlined in previously communicated schedules. ”



Hopson said that other elements of the company’s Fleet & Commercial Operations, such as fleet vehicles and full-size cargo vans, will continue.



About 400 of a total 2,100 workers at GM’s Flint, MI plant are involved in medium-duty production, Reuters said.



The plant will continue to produce the full-size and heavy-duty Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra pickup trucks, Hopson said.



GM Chief Executive Officer Fritz Henderson told reporters at an event in Warren, MI that the medium-duty truck division had not been successful for years. He said workers would be deployed to other facilities or offered buyouts, Reuters reported.



GM medium-duty sales totaled about 20,000 last year, down from roughly 30,000 in 2007, Reuters said.

 

[surfbeetle]

Good, no loss! Now there's more of a market for Dodge.

 

[JLEONARD]

Sorry but it is a loss. Our company supplies some parts and we will be losing that business. Not a huge deal, but any loss of business today is bad for the economy.

 

[jgillott]

Sorry but it is a loss. Our company supplies some parts and we will be losing that business. Not a huge deal, but any loss of business today is bad for the economy.

Plus, elimination of competition within a market usually doesn't lead to higher quality and lower prices from the remaining manufacturers.

 

[KFranco]

What market

Good, no loss! Now there's more of a market for Dodge.

I could be wrong but I thought Dodge only has up to class 5 with the introduction of the 5500 series capable of GVWR of 19,500lbs. If so, then the market will be dominated by ford... definetely not a good thing.

 

[jgillott]

I could be wrong but I thought Dodge only has up to class 5 with the introduction of the 5500 series capable of GVWR of 19,500lbs. If so, then the market will be dominated by ford... definetely not a good thing.

I would think that International would lead the market in that class. Could be wrong though.

 

[KFranco]

Market share

I would think that International would lead the market in that class. Could be wrong though.

Statistically this might be correct. It just appears that I see more 650 and 750 fords.

 

[surfbeetle]

So to explain my attitude towards GM, look at my signature, you will see a GM product, it is the 3rd and LAST GM product that I plan to ever own. I had two gasser 1/2 tons and then the diesel suburban. The first 1/2 ton gasser was a lemon and bought back by Chevy, the second I ended up trading in on my Dodge cause it was a pile. It the manufacturers would make a quality product, then we wouldn't have these issues.

 

[jgillott]

So to explain my attitude towards GM, look at my signature, you will see a GM product, it is the 3rd and LAST GM product that I plan to ever own. I had two gasser 1/2 tons and then the diesel suburban. The first 1/2 ton gasser was a lemon and bought back by Chevy, the second I ended up trading in on my Dodge cause it was a pile. It the manufacturers would make a quality product, then we wouldn't have these issues.

I couldn't agree more. We have had GM trucks here since 1967. Trust me when I tell you, the quality of the 2005 Silverado we have now has cured me from ever wanting another.

 

[ARedmon]

Actually, International does dominate the upper end of the medium duty trucks. I mean 650 and up. International makes not only their own but they make the Fords too.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

I could be wrong but I thought Dodge only has up to class 5 with the introduction of the 5500 series capable of GVWR of 19,500lbs. If so, then the market will be dominated by ford... definetely not a good thing.

IF the choice becomes choosing ongoing taxpayer support of Chrysler and GM - I'll support Ford ANY day!



I lost my blind "brand loyalty" many years ago...

 

[HBarlow]

I think the original post means that GM will halt production of their 5500, 6500, and 7500 trucks. The 5500 used the Duradud/Isuzu V8 diesel. The larger trucks offered an Isuzu inline 6 or a lousy GM V8 gasser for the last several model years. They formerly used a Cat 3126.

Dodge doesn't offer anything in that weight class so it won't help Dodge.

Lots of truck manufacturers will still be offering trucks in those classes. Navistar, Freightliner, Peterbilt, Hino, Mitsubishi, and Furd (F-650/F-750) come to mind. These manufacturers build most of the trucks in the classes mentioned. GM was never more than a minor player.

 

[JUeckert]

lousy gm gasser, that really makes me laugh. my medium duty truck ownership goes back to the 70's, with my name graceing the title to no less then 22 single axle mediums. gasser gm mediums have served me very well over the years, and it will be a loss in many ways to see them go down.

 

[GHarman]

Back in the late '70's, I worked for a Utility Company in the Denver Metro area. They bought International Service Trucks to replace the old F-750 Fords that were used to haul heavy duty trailers with Backhoes, and necessary tools and materials for maintainence and new construction of Electric and Natural Gas Transportation, Distribution and Utilization systems. These new Internationals had Cummins Diesels and a 5 speed transmission over a 2 speed single drive axle. Man did they run! We would haul that rig, up the mountain from Boulder to Nederland and never break a sweat. Those old Fords would burn a whole tank of gas just going up the mountain. They did retain the old Ford Cabover Boom Truck. What a DOG! Without a trailer it would burn 55 gallons of gas just going one way on that trip. The Carbonator:-laf on that HUGE V-8 was as big as a 20"TV. All that reminicing brings me to hope that International just might also get interested in the Pick-up truck market again. Maybe with a new Cummins engine. GregH

 

[Dieselnut59]

I think the original post means that GM will halt production of their 5500, 6500, and 7500 trucks. The 5500 used the Duradud/Isuzu V8 diesel. The larger trucks offered an Isuzu inline 6 or a lousy GM V8 gasser for the last several model years. They formerly used a Cat 3126.



Dodge doesn't offer anything in that weight class so it won't help Dodge.



Lots of truck manufacturers will still be offering trucks in those classes. Navistar, Freightliner, Peterbilt, Hino, Mitsubishi, and Furd (F-650/F-750) come to mind. These manufacturers build most of the trucks in the classes mentioned. GM was never more than a minor player.

The gasser GMs are junk. Have you EVER heard one without an exhaust leak? They ALWAYS have an exhaust leak (much sooner than the same engine in a regular pickup) and are SO damn gutless! Maybe now U-Haul will quit their false advertising slamming diesels (in another thread here).

Good freaking riddance to GM. I have never owned a damn one of their vehicles and now, with it being a government run company I SURE as hell will never own one!

That being said, I think part of their decline was the loss of Caterpillar's engine availability when they quit building medium/large truck engines. Their only choice was the Cat engine (or the anemic, exhaust leaking gasser), whereas Ford offers International, Cummins or Cat engines, the most popular being the Cummins.

The less G (overnment) M (otors) the better!

I hope Fiat does well with Chrysler, but I have my doubts. Maybe Ford or someone will offer the fine Cummins engine.

 

[HBarlow]

Yep, even when big block gas engines were the only choice for towing/hauling heavy loads in light trucks the GM 454 ci was the poorest choice. It was a big bore, short stroke engine, just a larger version of the so-called small block. It had to be revved to 3400 rpm to produce any torque and, as dieselnut said, the exhaust manifolds always warped and leaked. The current 8. 1 is just a larger version of the same lousy engine, now w/fuel injection.

The old Furd 460 ci gasser V8 was a better working motor because it was a low rpm torque motor. Ford 460s also warped their exhaust manifolds and broke the exhaust manifold bolts off in the heads, though.

I never owned one of the big block Chrysler engines and they were never real common in pickup trucks so I don't know much about them. I think they were also high revvers but were almost bullet proof.

We are very fortunate to have modern turbocharged diesel engines in light trucks now. I plan to continue enjoying mine until the socialists make them illegal to own and drive.

 

[AClayton]

My Cummins broke down on me this past weekend and left me stranded on the side of the highway..... I was pulling my wimpy 12ft. utility trailer that only weighs 6K lbs. Based on all the codes I recieved from the ECM,it is the VP44 and needs replacement. This truck has been owned by me for 2. 5 yrs and has required a tow twice... the 1st was a lift pump that went bad. I love my truck and am not bashing Cummins at all but you guys want to bash the H@!! out of the big-block 8. 1L. My 04' MH has the 8. 1 and Allison and has been driven extensively at or sometimes above the GCWR of the chassis and has NEVER been towed!!!



And before some of you look at my sig and say that my Cummins has all the magic black boxes that make it unreliable..... you are simply WRONG!!I have a Smarty and a basic boost foolerOther mods are are strictly for towing prowess..... wow some prowess. You guys can say what you want about about gassers..... but,I can tell you with confidence that I have NEVER had to spend as much money to maintain a vehicle in my entire existance with a driver's license,than I have had to do with my Dodge Ram 2500 w/130K miles.



Flame away guys... . I'm ready for ya'!!!!!







Alan

 

[HBarlow]

Alan,

The breakdown you reported is hardly proof of anything.

I put 325k miles on an '01 and 230k miles on an '06 all over the highways of the US and Canada mostly towing and have NEVER suffered a breakdown with any of the three I've owned. None of the three has even experienced a serious problem beyond routine maintenance and replacement of wear parts.

Would you like to compare the operating costs of a gas 8. 1 engine to a Cummin ISB for say 300,000 miles?

 

[AClayton]

So basically you are saying I have a lemon..... I have the lemon with the poorest factory trans,a weak front-end,a Dodge designed lift pump that sucks,the usual dash cracking issues and now an $1100 VP44 that no one else has ever changed at all. This truck has flat out the best trailer towing characteristics of any vehicle I have ever driven,BUT,it is at a cost. The only reason I keep it!!



Your 01',if I recall,had the 6spd manual. So you didn't have to deal with the anemic 47RE transmission and suck-***** TC. But after reading many of your posts,you did replace your 48RE with a full billet HTT... so you did have to deal with the sorry trannies that Dodge offered.



I can buy an awful lot of exhaust manifolds for my lousy GM V8. The fuel mileage?Gas motors are closing the gap on the diesel market mileage in that dept. also. There have been write-ups in the TDR mag that have used general math to solve equations to come up with the conclusion that we due pay for the priviledge to drive a diesel pick-up.



As far as comparing the costs of ownership pinning the 8. 1 vs. the ISB. We all know the 8. 1 will not make it that far... . but in my defense,I purchased a gas MH while I am still working and only use it once maybe twice a month. I avg. between 7K to 9K a yr with my MH so I will have to own it for 12yrs before reaching 100K miles. I'm sure it will be long gone from my driveway by that time and I'll let the next owner worry about it.



If I can afford to drive my Cummins for another 170K miles,I will let you know about operating costs. I should be good from now on though,Damn,I've replaced all of the major problematic Dodge and Cummins misgivings. Life should be easier from this point forward with my truck.





Alan

 

[JUeckert]

it's been my experience with big block gas engines, that the 460 ford launched a load a little better then the 454, but when the load got rolling the 454 would lead the 460. the difference in the stroke of a 460 to a 454 was about a 1/16 of an inch, hardly enough to make a difference. the only years i could recall a performance advatage of a 460 over the 454 was when the 460 was fuel injected, and the 454 had the throttle body. step up to when the 454 went to true fuel injection[vortec] and the 454 would flat stomp the 460 or dodges pansy v10 option. step up to the 8. 1 votec, ford and dodge fell even further behind. someone mentioned leaking exhaust manifolds, yep seen plenty of them on the 454 engines, but they were rare on the 427 or 366 engines, which were the original gm medium gasser engines. pop quiz. question, which do you think has cost me the most money on a truck, because i couldnt get a d. o. t inspection sticker. 1 of the 9 gm gasser mediums that had to have a manifold gasket, or 2 of the 3 5. 9 cummins powered mediums that had to have the manifold replaced because it was cracked? last question of the quiz; which truck performs the best empty or loaded. [pre 99 model year] one of my gm mediums with a big block, or one of the ford mediums i had with the 5. 9 cummins. i'am afraid the answer will upset some. .