Το 2014 η GM είχε να αντιμετωπίσει τον Γολγοθά των ελαττωματικών διακοπτών ανάφλεξης των μοντέλων της, με το Υπουργείο Μεταφορών να της δίνει πρόστιμο 35 εκατ. δολαρίων και να συμφωνεί να την εποπτεύει για έναν χρόνο. Από τότε έχει περάσει ένας χρόνος, με το Υπουργείο να ανακοινώνει πως η εποπτεία θα συνεχιστεί για έναν χρόνο ακόμη, μιας και το μέτρο αυτό, αποδείχτηκε “ως παραγωγικό και αποτελεσματικό εργαλείο”. Ο γραμματέας του Υπουργείου Μεταφορών των Η.Π.Α Anthony Foxx είπε:
Η GM πήρε ένα σκληρό μάθημα πέρυσι. Περιμένουμε να δούμε πως οι βελτιώσεις που έχουν γίνει θα συνεχιστούν και πως η GM θα προσεγγίζει πλέον διαφορετικά το κάθε ζήτημα ασφάλειας με νέα ανάκληση. Η απόφαση να επεκτείνουμε την εποπτεία θα βοηθήσει να τους κρατήσουμε στον σωστό δρόμο.
Η NHTSA θα είναι η υπεύθυνη για την εποπτεία, η οποία θα έχει τη δυνατότητα να επανεξετάσει τη διαδικασία της GM για τη λήψη αποφάσεων σε θέματα που σχετίζονται με ελαττώματα των μοντέλων της. Παράλληλα η GM υποχρεούται να υποβάλει εκθέσεις και να οργανώνει τακτικές συναντήσεις με τον ρυθμιστή, έως και τον Μάη του 2016, ενώ υπάρχει ανοικτό το ενδεχόμενο η εποπτεία να επεκταθεί μέχρι τον Μάιο του 2017. Θα πρέπει να σημειωθεί πως η GM έχει συνεργαστεί πλήρως με την NHTSA κατά τη διάρκεια του περασμένου έτους, κάνοντας ότι της ζητήθηκε. Ο Alan Adler, εκπρόσωπος της GM είπε μεταξύ άλλων:
Με τις μηνιαίες συναντήσεις μας με NHTSA, προωθούμε μια σχέση που είναι ειλικρινείς, διαφανείς και απόλυτα επικεντρωμένη στην ασφάλεια των πελατών μας. Έχουμε διανύσει πολύ δρόμο και σκοπεύουμε να επεκτείνουμε την πρόοδο αυτή.
Επιπλέον η GM έδωσε μερικές φωτογραφίες από όλα τα διαθέσιμα χρώματα του νέου Volt (Kinetic Blue Metallic, Iridescent Pearl Tricoat, Summit White, Silver Ice Metallic, Mosaic Black Metallic, Siren Red Tintcoat, Heather Grey Metallic), ενώ για το εσωτερικό υπάρχουν πέντε διαφορετικές αποχρώσεις. Παράλληλα ανακοίνωσε πως θα επενδύσει 439 εκατ. δολάρια στο Bowling Green εργοστάσιό της στο Κεντάκι, εκεί όπου κατασκευάζει την Corvette, για να δημιουργήσει ένα νέο βαφείο.
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U.S DOT Extends Federal Oversight of General Motors
The news comes on the anniversary of GM’s historic agreement with NHTSA after facing record fines for the long-delayed Chevrolet Cobalt recall
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today announced that it has decided to extend federal oversight of General Motors’ review, decision-making and communications about potential vehicle safety issues for an additional year. In a May 14 letter, NHTSA requires GM to continue submitting reports to and meeting with NHTSA so that the agency may monitor the progress of GM’s investigation of potential safety issues and other actions required by NHTSA’s May 2014 Consent Order.
“GM learned a hard lesson last year. We expect to see the improvements they’ve made continue and that their new approaches are applied to every GM safety issue and every recall. Today’s action will help keep them on the right track,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Foxx.
Last May, the company agreed in the Consent Order to pay a record $35 million civil penalty and to take part in unprecedented oversight requirements as a result of findings from NHTSA’s timeliness investigation regarding the Chevrolet Cobalt and the automaker’s failure to report a safety defect in the vehicle to the federal government in a timely manner. The defect resulted in the non-deployment of airbags in certain Chevrolet Cobalt and other GM models. Today’s action is an extension of certain requirements of that agreement. Other requirements continue for an additional two years.
NHTSA extended its oversight because the consent order has proven to be a productive and effective tool to proactively and expeditiously address potential safety-related defects.
“Our oversight has been effective and GM’s in a better place. We expect that our agreement will help them continue to improve their safety culture,” said NHTSA Administrator, Mark Rosekind. “Automakers can learn an important lesson from GM. Follow the rules, be accountable for your products, take good care of your customers and always make safety the priority.”
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Chevrolet Corvette Plant Gets $439 Million in Upgrades
New, environment-friendly paint shop drives efficient production, retains 150 jobs
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Torch Red, Shark Gray Metallic and Laguna Blue Tintcoat, three popular palate choices on the 2015 Corvette, kept the marketers who make up names working late. Now they can dream about more painstakingly precise pigments, thanks to a new paint shop that is among $439 million being invested at the only plant in the world that builds Chevrolet’s iconic sports car.
General Motors announced the moves today that include retaining 150 jobs and building the 450,000 square-foot paint shop that is almost half the size of the entire current production facility. The investment builds on approximately $135 million GM has invested in the plant over the last four years for the new Corvette Stingray and Performance Build Center. The announcement was followed by a groundbreaking event for the new paint shop.
“The Corvette is one of Kentucky’s most-cherished icons,” said. Lt. Gov. Crit Luallen. “Such a significant expansion of the Bowling Green Assembly Plant will help the company remain competitive in the region and around the world.”
Construction of the new paint shop, which includes substantial technology upgrades, is planned to begin this summer and take approximately two years to complete. Corvette production schedules will be unaffected by the construction.
Along with new tooling and robots, the paint shop’s state-of-the-art environmental and efficiency enhancements include:
Dry Scrubber Booth Technology with Limestone Handling System designed to eliminate sludge water and waste
Light-emitting diode, or LED, lighting for process decks for improved visual inspection as well as energy savings
State-of-the-art FANUC robots with Versa-bell 3 electrostatic applicators for an extremely smooth finish and maximum transfer efficiency, saving 25 percent of the paint material used, which also benefits the environment
Longer, high-efficiency baking ovens for exceptional paint finish and lower energy use.
“With this major technology investment, we can continue to exceed the expectations of sports car buyers for years to come,” said North American Manufacturing Manager Arvin Jones. “These types of investments are evidence that the customer is at the center of every decision we make.”
Said UAW Vice President Cindy Estrada: “This new paint shop will mirror the efficiencies and technologies of the new body shop, installed with the launch of the Stingray. Hardworking UAW members have proudly built vehicles in Bowling Green for more than 30 years, and we are pleased to be a part of such a significant facility upgrade.”
Corvette production began in 1981 in Bowling Green following assembly in Flint, Mich., and St. Louis. Each has been an exclusive home of the Corvette, contributing to its distinction as the world’s longest-running, continuously produced passenger car. More than 1.6 million have been produced in 62 years.
Since the launch of the all-new 2014 Stingray, the Corvette has won more awards than any other car in the industry, including the 2014 American Car of the Year, Car & Driver’s 10 Best and Automobile Magazine’s Automobile of the Year.
Building on that recognition, Corvette sales reached an eight-year high in 2014 with almost 38,000 cars sold globally. The plant welcomed a record 56,000 tourists last year.
The new Performance Build Center opened last year and in March began hosting customers in the Build Your Own Engine program. More information about Bowling Green Assembly is available at corvetteassembly.com
The investments in Bowling Green are part of the $5.4 billion that GM said April 30 it would invest in U.S. facilities over the next three years.
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 115 countries and selling around 4.8 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.
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