Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant Closed First Week of April

[Rob]

Chevrolet and Cadillac Dealer Communication

Thursday, Mar. 31, 2022 – 9:30a.m. ET

Important Update Regarding Production:

We are committed to transparent and timely communication that impacts production schedules.

Due to a temporary part shortage, production at Lansing Grand River assembly will be cancelled for the week of April 4. Production is scheduled to resume on Monday, April 11.

Upcoming production adjustments to GM North American Assembly:
​

• Lansing Grand River Assembly (Michigan) will take downtime the week of Monday, April 4​
• Lansing Grand River builds the Chevrolet Camaro and Cadillac CT4 / CT5​

Thank you for your continued cooperation and support as we manage through these supply chain issues.

We appreciate your collective efforts to put the customer at the center and managing tight inventory levels to deliver vehicles at unprecedented turn rates.

We will continue to keep you informed with future updates.

Regards,

Steve Carlisle
Executive Vice President and President, North America​

 

[FZ1]

Am I the only multiple Cadillac owner who is extremely disappointed in how Cadillac corporate has failed to communicate with this loyal (so far) customer regarding the order I placed 5 months ago for a CT5V-BW? I am appalled at their tone deafness. My order has been at 1100 and there is NO WORD WHATSOEVER on if, or when an allocation will be given to my dealer.
Does Cadillac think mum's-the-word communication is acceptable? If this isn't arrogance on their behalf, what is it?
Right now, Tesla, BMW, Audi and MB are starting to look increasingly appealing.

 

[Rob]

Am I the only multiple Cadillac owner who is extremely disappointed in how Cadillac corporate has failed to communicate with this loyal (so far) customer regarding the order I placed 5 months ago for a CT5V-BW? I am appalled at their tone deafness. My order has been at 1100 and there is NO WORD WHATSOEVER on if, or when an allocation will be given to my dealer.
Does Cadillac think mum's-the-word communication is acceptable? If this isn't arrogance on their behalf, what is it?
Right now, Tesla, BMW, Audi and MB are starting to look increasingly appealing.

It's not just Cadillac

 

[rubberduck]

It's not just Cadillac

Not so much with Jeep Wranglers. Around 4 months from order to delivery. Never owned a Cadillac in my life and I'm not young. Maybe I'll get one, maybe I won't, I just won't know as information is very weak. As a Mercedes owner I can tell you the professionalism at my local MB dealer is much better than my local Cadillac dealer.

 

[Rob]

Regarding communication...

I've been in the car business now for just over 6 years. Communication between manufacturers to dealers and to customers hasn't always been the greatest, but it was a hell of a lot better then, than it is now.

When the COVID pandemic hit, it didn't just affect supply chains due to lack of materials and lack of transport. It affected employment.

An enormous shift occurred in the employment world which started with people working from home more. Then a large percentage of people started shifting careers in search of better pay and benefits. The ease and comfort of working from home became a huge enticement. We are currently still in the midst of that shift.

Based upon discussions I've had with friends and customers, companies that require you to show up for work on a daily basis, such as restaurants, construction companies, dealerships, etc., are struggling to find quality help.

Now, keeping that on the one hand, on the other hand, we have the younger generations rising up in society wanting something for nothing. They have ZERO sense of responsibility, and believe everything should be handed to them with little to no effort on their part. From personal experience, I can tell you, it's damn near impossible to get someone to even show up for a damn interview, and if they do, they look like they just rolled out of bed. I won't even go into the interview process when it comes to questioning them and asking them if they have any questions for you or the company...

If you do hire them, their work ethic sucks, because they have no goals to advance themselves through life. Why? Because why should they if everything is handed to them on a silver platter.

Because of the pattern changes I've seen over the last few years with GM when it comes to lack of communication and order updates, my guess is that they're having a hard time finding quality help as well just like a lot of other industries. That's a guess on my part.

As an aside, companies have grown increasingly money hungry and focused on showing a huge profit on a daily basis at the expense of treating the employees who are loyal and do work their asses off, like shit. So factor that into the equation as well.

I could ramble on and on about this topic in greater detail, but let me just say this: I blame parents who are lazy and not properly raising their children, and I blame the government for making it too easy for them.

Frankly, I'm sick of working my ass off to pick up the slack when so many other people are getting a free f***ing ride on my dime, but unfortunately, a lot of this is out of my control.

As an aside, an interesting editorial written by a staff member...

EDITORIAL: GM Needs to Communicate with its Dealers! - Corvette Action Center

Chevrolet dealers are left in the dark about 2023 Corvette pricing as Motor Trend, Road and Track, and Car and Driver announce pricing for GM.

www.corvetteactioncenter.com

 

[Joespenard]

Well put and accurate. Unfortunatley.

 

[rubberduck]

I do think it depends on the industry. I work in aerospace and the majority of new college grad engineers we hire are very motivated and hard working. Many are working full time and going to school to get additional degrees. Engineering schools are good at weeding out slackers so perhaps this explains my work place observations.

 

[FZ1]

Regarding communication...

I've been in the car business now for just over 6 years. Communication between manufacturers to dealers and to customers hasn't always been the greatest, but it was a hell of a lot better then, than it is now.

When the COVID pandemic hit, it didn't just affect supply chains due to lack of materials and lack of transport. It affected employment.

An enormous shift occurred in the employment world which started with people working from home more. Then a large percentage of people started shifting careers in search of better pay and benefits. The ease and comfort of working from home became a huge enticement. We are currently still in the midst of that shift.

Based upon discussions I've had with friends and customers, companies that require you to show up for work on a daily basis, such as restaurants, construction companies, dealerships, etc., are struggling to find quality help.

Now, keeping that on the one hand, on the other hand, we have the younger generations rising up in society wanting something for nothing. They have ZERO sense of responsibility, and believe everything should be handed to them with little to no effort on their part. From personal experience, I can tell you, it's damn near impossible to get someone to even show up for a damn interview, and if they do, they look like they just rolled out of bed. I won't even go into the interview process when it comes to questioning them and asking them if they have any questions for you or the company...

If you do hire them, their work ethic sucks, because they have no goals to advance themselves through life. Why? Because why should they if everything is handed to them on a silver platter.

Because of the pattern changes I've seen over the last few years with GM when it comes to lack of communication and order updates, my guess is that they're having a hard time finding quality help as well just like a lot of other industries. That's a guess on my part.

As an aside, companies have grown increasingly money hungry and focused on showing a huge profit on a daily basis at the expense of treating the employees who are loyal and do work their asses off, like shit. So factor that into the equation as well.

I could ramble on and on about this topic in greater detail, but let me just say this: I blame parents who are lazy and not properly raising their children, and I blame the government for making it too easy for them.

Frankly, I'm sick of working my ass off to pick up the slack when so many other people are getting a free f***ing ride on my dime, but unfortunately, a lot of this is out of my control.

As an aside, an interesting editorial written by a staff member...

EDITORIAL: GM Needs to Communicate with its Dealers! - Corvette Action Center

Chevrolet dealers are left in the dark about 2023 Corvette pricing as Motor Trend, Road and Track, and Car and Driver announce pricing for GM.

www.corvetteactioncenter.com

I'm sure your sentiments are accurate, Rob. I wonder how Tesla gets it, though. They publish a general lead time and follow through with record production and sales numbers consistently now. Audi acknowledges a 12 month lead time for their SR7 and BMW is quoting 10-12 months for a high end M5. For GM and Cadillac, they need to wake up and identify publicly what their game plan is and communicate that to the dealer network and then to the ultimate customers. When I look at FaceBook and see people posting that they placed an order 4 weeks ago and are already at status 3000 or above, while my dealer can't find out from GM or Cadillac what is going on (and they are competent), I find my beef is more than legitimate. My order is only official at the dealer (1100). GM hasn't accepted it...after 5 months! THAT is impetus to look elsewhere for a vehicle. By not communicating what is going on, GM/Cadillac is signaling that things are even worse than we imagine or learn from the rumor mill. So much for customer loyalty. I will not forget this shabby treatment.

 

[1Evil55]

Tesla isn't a perfect example currently either. My sister ordered a new one in january and was supposed to deliver in March. They are telling her not until May at this point.

They're all the same right now IMO. One waiting for carbon, another waiting for wiring harnesses, another waiting for tops that don't leak. The list goes on. I'm a big proponent for all the lazy bastards that quit working to get back at it. The rona is over so get off your ass.

 

[FZ1]

Tesla isn't a perfect example currently either. My sister ordered a new one in january and was supposed to deliver in March. They are telling her not until May at this point.

They're all the same right now IMO. One waiting for carbon, another waiting for wiring harnesses, another waiting for tops that don't leak. The list goes on. I'm a big proponent for all the lazy bastards that quit working to get back at it. The rona is over so get off your ass.

Well, you actually just made my point. Tesla made a promise and then communicated an update to your sister. Plus, Tesla's lead time of two months and now a total of 4 months, had Cadillac/GM done as well, would mean that I would already have my CT5V-BW in my garage.

 

[1Evil55]

Not much bothers me more than a supplier that doesn’t keep you in the loop. Tesla does sound like they do well in that regard. I was pointing more to the fact that they too are going through delays.

 

[bloominguez]

I'm sure your sentiments are accurate, Rob. I wonder how Tesla gets it, though. They publish a general lead time and follow through with record production and sales numbers consistently now. Audi acknowledges a 12 month lead time for their SR7 and BMW is quoting 10-12 months for a high end M5. For GM and Cadillac, they need to wake up and identify publicly what their game plan is and communicate that to the dealer network and then to the ultimate customers. When I look at FaceBook and see people posting that they placed an order 4 weeks ago and are already at status 3000 or above, while my dealer can't find out from GM or Cadillac what is going on (and they are competent), I find my beef is more than legitimate. My order is only official at the dealer (1100). GM hasn't accepted it...after 5 months! THAT is impetus to look elsewhere for a vehicle. By not communicating what is going on, GM/Cadillac is signaling that things are even worse than we imagine or learn from the rumor mill. So much for customer loyalty. I will not forget this shabby treatment.

No place is perfect. All I see in my world is people fleeing Tesla at any and every opportunity. They produce, but Tesla cracks the whip hard. Good learning experience, I'm told, but not sustainable from what I've seen. Maybe my view is filtered, because I only see the people who leave, not sure.

 

[1Evil55]

Correction to my Tesla delivery comments above:
Ordered in December. Delivery moved to late August today.