By Colum Murphy
SHANGHAI--General Motors Co. will cease production of the
Chevrolet Sonic passenger car in Thailand by June of this year as
part of a sweeping restructuring of its operations in the Southeast
Asian nation.
The announcement, which came one day after GM said it would
close its manufacturing plant in Indonesia, applies to the
carmaker's manufacturing and corporate operations in Thailand.
Laurent Berthet, director of communications for GM Southeast
Asia, said the 3,200 people employed by the company in Thailand
will be invited to take part in a "voluntary separation program,"
that "could potentially result in few hundred job losses."
Mr. Berthet said the move was not a retrenchment. "We are
focusing on where car sales are," he said, adding that in Thailand
that mainly means the truck and sports-utility vehicle market.
Stefan Jacoby, head of GM's international operations, said in a
statement that the decision was part of a larger global strategy
aimed long-term sustainability for the company.
"We are focusing our investments where the opportunity for GM's
growth is greatest. We have made solid progress in our region and
this decision is an important part of this strategy," Mr. Jacoby
said.
Write to Colum Murphy at colum.murphy@wsj.com
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