Lights Out: GM Minivan plant closes up shop

Filed under: Minivans/MPVs, Etc., Plants/Manufacturing, Chevrolet, GM, Pontiac

The last aardvark inspired minivan has passed through the doors of GM’s Doraville, GA assembly facility. The plant, which opened in 1947, has four developers vying to get their hands on the 165-acre parcel. About 1,500 workers have been idled due to the closing, which was a long time coming. The Doraville plant’s closing is an unfortunate consequence of the old GM, and its divestiture is intended to aid General Motors as it continues clawing its way back from the brink.

We can’t say the U-Platform vans will be missed. Though significantly changed from its inception as the Lumina APV with its odd styling, the Uplander was a swing of the pendulum to the other side of weird. Smack dab in the middle was the normal, yet lackluster, Venture. None of the platform’s iterations managed to ignite buyer passions, coming up short against the competition, and lately completely crushed by the Odyssey/Sienna 1-2 punch, with a kick in the head from the Grand Caravan for good measure.

[Source: Auto News - sub req]

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