Kansas City, September 20: US-based automobile giant General Motors announced it would lay off hundreds of employees at its Fairfax Assembly plant in Kansas City, Kansas. The General Motors layoffs are announced as the company plans to end its production of the Chevrolet Malibu sedan. Last month, the company laid off its staff in China amid stiff competition with local firms and declining sales in the country. 

According to a report by Detroit Free Press, General Motors will lay off 680 employees at the plant starting November 18, 2024. The automobile giant shared its plan to cut jobs earlier this year. A General Motors spokesperson highlighted that the company had already announced its plan to invest nearly USD 390 million into the Firefox Assembly Plant to add to the new Chevrolet Bolt EV production in May. Volkswagen Layoffs: German Car Manufacturer Reportedly Planning To Lay Off 30,000 Employees After Ending Job Security Scheme.

Kevin Kelly, the company's spokesperson, further said that the GM layoffs would be temporary until the company resumed its production in mid-2025 as it facilitates the installation of new tooling. He also emphasised that the laid-off employees would be supported as per the UAW-GM agreement provisions. General Motors said that the layoffs would happen in two phases in 2024—temporary layoffs of one shift in November and the remaining shift in January 2025 when Cadillac production is on halt.

As per another report by KCTV5, the spokesperson further said that the layoffs were necessary, making it possible for the company to shut down the plant to make the necessary changes before the workers could begin producing the Chevrolet Bolt EV. The automobile giant said it would stop producing the Cadillac XT4 after January 2025. Audi Layoffs Coming? Workers Protest on Streets of Brussels in Belgium Amid Fear of Job Cuts at Audi’s Forest Plant (Watch Videos).

The spokesperson, Kevin Kelly, mentioned that General Motors would resume production of the Cadillac XT4 once the retooling at Fairfax was complete. The temporarily laid-off employees would then be called to rejoin the plant's production.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 20, 2024 07:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).