Thursday, October 15, 2009

Flint Maps: Chevy Cruze and Volt Manufacturing

The Chevy Volt concept car, trying very hard not to look anything like a Chevette.


News that GM will use four plants in the greater Flint area for the assembly of Chevrolet Volt and Cruze engines has people wondering what it will mean for the Vehicle City.
The decision could be a turning point for the city, bringing back jobs and the sheen of an automotive industry striving to reinvent itself," writes Camille Ricketts of GreenBeat. "While many skeptics have accused GM of exaggerating the driving range and convenience of the Chevy Volt (pictured above), it is still expected to be the most practical plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle available next year. The car maker says the eventual price should hover somewhere between $30,000 and $40,000, making it much cheaper than Tesla Motors‘ $109,000 roadster (and even its more affordable Model S), and Fisker Automotive’s $87,000 Karma — while still remaining more similar to traditional vehicles than supposedly cheaper EVs made by Zenn Motor Company and Coda Automotive."
Flint Expatriates has put together a map of what's happening at the various plants. Simply click on the blue car icons. For a larger map, which is a little easier to read, click on the link below.





6 comments:

  1. Thanks for the map of the four factories associated with the Volt and Cruze. Looks like the two that overlap each other--on Bristol just west of Van Slyke--is the Chevy metal fabricating plant. My dad worked there (retired from there, actually).

    I worked just up Van Slyke, at was then the V-8 plant (although my area made four-cylinder engines).

    It's a kick to see some signs of industrial life stirring.

    Steve Vivian

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  2. I'm noticing with these new car designs, the doors come up so high that the blind spots are more frequent. I won't buy a car unless I can see out of it.

    That aside, I hope they sell, for Flint's sake.

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    1. I noticed the lack of windows too. Wouldn't be able to see well. Do hope tho, that Flint manufacturing comes back.

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  3. Based on the pic above it looks more like a Cavalier when they decided to make it look sporty.

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  4. Nissan's "Leaf" gets 367MPG and will be out about the same time as the Cruze and Volt, which gets 230MPG.

    http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/gm-chevy-volt-gets-230-mpg/

    As you know, yuppies and hippies don't buy Chevrolet cars. And few people I know have $45,000 sitting around for a new car anyway.

    These will be the most colossal duds ever - perhaps bigger than the Edsel - and just more ammunition for GM to close its last door on Flint for good.

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  5. Very cool map! But note that all the Volt dies were not built in Flint. Many, if not most, came from Grand Rapids.

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Thanks for commenting. I moderate comments, so it may take a while for your comment to appear. You might enjoy my book about Flint called "Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City," a Michigan Notable Book for 2014 and a finalist for the 33rd Annual Northern California Book Award for Creative NonFiction. Filmmaker Michael Moore described Teardown as "a brilliant chronicle of the Mad Maxization of a once-great American city." More information about Teardown is available at www.teardownbook.com.