General Motors suspended production on Monday afternoon at an Ohio plant that makes the Chevrolet Cruze compact car due to a supplier issue.
Production at the Lordstown, Ohio, factory was halted around 1pm EST (1800 GMT). Workers on the first and second shifts worked shortened schedules, while the third shift was suspended, GM Lordstown spokesman Tom Mock told Reuters. He added skilled trade workers at the plant are due to report to work their regular hours.
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GM spokesman Chris Lee declined to describe the nature of the supplier issue, saying only that the automaker was looking to restart production as swiftly as possible.
So far this year, the Cruze is the second-best-selling small car in the US and the 10th best selling vehicle overall as consumers seek more fuel efficient options.
GM CEO Dan Akerson said this month that he hoped the Cruze, which gets up to 42 miles per gallon, would become the top-selling car by the end of 2011.
Toyota’s Corolla has so far outsold the Cruze by a little more than 4,000 vehicles. The Cruze has outsold Honda’s Civic, a longtime leader in the small car segment, and Ford’s Focus.
