General Motors Co. said it will temporarily lay off two-thirds of the workers at its Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas. as it prepares facilities to begin production of the next Chevrolet Bolt model.
“GM is investing approximately $390 million in our Fairfax Assembly Plant to add production of the new Chevrolet Bolt EV,” GM said in a statement. “To facilitate the installation of new tools, employees will be temporarily suspended until production resumes in mid-2025.”
The cuts will begin for 1,695 workers in November, when production of the midsize sedan ends. Chevrolet Malibu, said Automotive News, which first reported the layoffs.
The automaker will launch a new generation of its Chevy Bolt next year. Bloomberg Intelligence analysts said in a report that they expect the economic model could help boost GM’s overall electric vehicle production.
The Fairfax plant currently builds the Chevrolet Malibu and Cadillac XT4 models. According to its website, it employs about 2,275 workers. Detroit-based GM employs about 163,000 people worldwide.
