Gm Pauses Factory Zero, Indefinitely Laying Off Workers

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Happy Thursday! It's October 30, 2025, and this is The Morning Shift — your regular roundup of nan apical automotive headlines from astir nan world, successful 1 place. This is wherever you'll find nan astir important stories that are shaping nan measurement Americans thrust and get around.

In this morning's edition, we're looking astatine GM's Factory Zero pause, arsenic good arsenic BYD's less-than-stellar 3rd quarter. We'll besides look astatine nan overseas contented of cars imported nether nan USMCA agreement, and an NHTSA investigation into Honda. 

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Factory Zero is nan works wherever General Motors is building its future; EVs and nan Ultium level connected which they ride. In a wholly bully motion for that future, GM is idling that works and laying disconnected nan workers who build cars there. From nan Detroit Free Press:

General Motors has unopen down Factory Zero until Nov. 24 arsenic nan Detroit automaker eases backmost connected electrical conveyance production. After a impermanent return to work, astir 1,200 workers will beryllium placed connected indefinite layoff, nan institution confirmed Oct. 29.

The Detroit-Hamtramck works already had 280 labor connected layoff aft a bid of accumulation cuts this year. GM unopen down first- and second-shift accumulation temporarily opening Sept. 2 and extended and adjusted those layoffs passim nan fall.

That layoff had been extended to nan extremity of nan year, but now, each shifts will beryllium laid disconnected until Nov. 24, which impacts 3,200 workers. After Nov. 24, astir 3,200 group will return done Jan. 5 to run some shifts and will beryllium eligible for vacation pay. And aft Jan. 5, astir 1,200 workers are expected to stay connected indefinite layoff.

GM's usage of "layoff" present really sounds much akin to a furlough, wherever workers could return later if request changes. To nan workers who aren't putting nutrient connected nan table, though, nan quality is mostly world — either way, they're not getting paid. To nan remainder of us, who will beryllium inhaling Silverado exhaust alternatively than cleanable EV-filled air, it's not awesome either. 

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China signaled it was going to pull backmost from subsidizing its EV players arsenic nan marketplace matures this week. Today, it turns retired 1 of those players isn't doing truthful hot. BYD, 1 of nan astir recognizable Chinese automakers extracurricular of China, had a unsmooth 3rd quarter. From Bloomberg:

BYD Co. reported different slump successful quarterly profit arsenic intensifying home title and manufacture scrutiny heap unit connected nan Chinese carmaker's income outlook.

Third-quarter profit tumbled 33% from a twelvemonth earlier to 7.82 cardinal yuan ($1.1 billion), nan institution said Thursday. BYD saw full gross driblet 3% to 194.98 cardinal yuan, missing estimates for 216 cardinal yuan.

The Shenzhen-based automaker delivered 1.15 cardinal caller power vehicles, including pure-electric models and plug-in hybrids, successful nan period, down 1.8% from nan 3rd 4th of 2024. Rivals Geely Automobile Holdings and Chongqing Changan Automobile Co. reported increases successful third-quarter income of 96% and 84%, respectively.

BYD's business is evidently much diversified than conscionable EVs, but those dress up a nontrivial magnitude of nan company's income. What happens to BYD erstwhile it's deed by a one-two punch of disappearing subsidies and a world financial meltdown?

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Donald Trump loves instituting tariffs connected nan United States' trading partners, including nan countries pinch which he conscionable made a shiny caller waste and acquisition woody past clip he was successful office. The latest car tariff laws person vehicles from Mexico and Canada taxed based connected really overmuch of their constitution comes from extracurricular North America, which has turned retired to beryllium a beautiful sizeable percentage. From Automotive News:

An study of tariffs levied connected vehicles imported to nan U.S. from Canada and Mexico suggests that they person a precocious level of non-U.S. contented that keeps them from claiming a important tariff discount.

Finished rider cars from Canada and Mexico were tariffed astatine a complaint of 19 percent successful July, according to information from nan U.S. Department of Commerce analyzed by T.D. Cowen.

Since importers are paying a 25 percent Section 232 tariff connected non-U.S. contented for vehicles compliant pinch nan U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, nan information indicates that automakers are reporting that overmuch of nan contented of those imported vehicles is not made successful America.

Canada and Mexico thought they had a measurement to support their car manufacturing businesses nether nan USMCA agreement, but now it seems for illustration their factories still usage excessively galore imported parts to get disconnected tax-free. Surely this is bully for each parties. 

Honda

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is turning an oculus towards Honda, looking into 583,600 Pilots and Odysseys for a brace of issues. The Pilots person an rumor pinch nan rear seatbelt informing system, and nan Odysseys can group disconnected their broadside airbags astatine random. Out of nan two, I'd alternatively person a Pilot correct now. From Automotive News:

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched abstracted investigations into astir 583,600 Honda Motor Co. vehicles complete imaginable defects involving rear spot loop warnings and inadvertent airbag deployments.

The regulator is examining 142,600 2023-24 Honda Pilot midsize crossovers for a imaginable malfunction successful nan rear spot loop informing system, which whitethorn incorrectly alert drivers astir rider spot loop usage.

A 2nd probe covers 441,000 2018-22 Honda Odyssey minivans, pursuing complaints that broadside airbags deployed unexpectedly while nan conveyance was successful motion, including incidents involving potholes.

"Inadvertent deployment of airbags while a conveyance is successful mobility tin lead to wounded aliases driver distraction, which whitethorn consequence successful a collision," NHTSA said.

Have you ever been deed by an airbag? "Driver distraction" would not beryllium my first concern. Those things deed hard, and it's not a nosy experience.