On the Dash:
- GM laid off 900 workers at its Kansas plant after postponing the second shift indefinitely.
- Delays are tied to lower EV demand, the end of federal tax credits, and regulatory changes.
- Fairfax will begin Bolt production later this year, with gas-powered Equinox production planned for 2027.
General Motors has laid off roughly 900 workers at its Fairfax Assembly and Stamping Plant near Kansas City, Kansas, indefinitely after delaying plans for a second shift, a spokesperson confirmed Wednesday. The timing for adding the additional shift remains uncertain amid changing market conditions.
The layoffs come as GM shifts focus at the plant, which last year ended production of the Chevrolet Malibu sedan and recently stopped making the Cadillac XT4 small SUV. Fairfax had been slated to produce the revamped electric Chevy Bolt, but the company has scaled back EV production plans due to softer U.S. consumer demand, the expiration of the $7,500 federal tax credit for buyers and lessees, and regulatory changes under the Trump administration.
GM spokesperson Kevin Kelly, in email responses to The Detroit News, said the company is delaying the second shift while continuing to evaluate market demand and leverage flexible manufacturing capabilities. Kelly also noted that GM plans to bring gas-powered Chevrolet Equinox production to Fairfax beginning in 2027 as part of a $4 billion reshoring initiative designed to limit losses from tariffs. Bolt production is on schedule to begin later this year, with a first shift of workers returning early this month for training.
