How GM’s Plant Closures Will Affect Light-Duty Truck Supply

Last month General Motors Co. announced temporary shutdowns at two of their light-duty truck plants. We analyzed the impact to Silverado and Sierra 1500 days supply and are estimating that 50,000 fewer light-duty trucks will be able to be retailed as a result of the closures.

Based on our internal calculations, this should result in a 39% reduction in the days supply of Silverado and Sierra 1500s, bringing the days supply of these units to just under 80 days.

39

Reduction in Days Supply of Light-Duty Trucks

GM’s Light-Duty Truck Plant Closures

One of the closures took place at GM’s Fort Wayne, Indiana plant for two weeks starting on March 27th, where over 1,300 units are produced daily.

Additionally, the plant in Silao, Mexico extended the amount of time it would remain closed, with an estimated 1,070 units produced per day.

These closures will lead to the non-production of roughly 25,000 trucks based on the sources linked above. We then used our proprietary software to estimate that another 25,000 units will be sold nationally over the same period of time – bringing the total reduction of General Motors light-duty trucks on the market to an estimated 50,000 units.

“We're committed to actively managing production levels to balance supply with demand and are targeting to end 2023 with 50-to-60 days of total dealer inventory on a portfolio basis.”
Paul JacobsonCFO, General Motors

The Road to 50-60 Days Supply

According to General Motors, these temporary plant shutdowns are aimed at maintaining an optimal number of vehicles at dealerships across the country.

Earlier this year, General Motors’ Chief Financial Officer, Paul Jacobson, stated the company’s goal is to reduce the days supply of light-duty trucks to a 50 to 60 days supply.

However, if consumer demand for GM’s light-duty trucks does not increase prior to the end of 2023, we can likely expect to see additional plant closure announcements in order for General Motors to bring inventory levels down to a 50-60 days supply and achieve their stated goal.