Last car to roll off assembly line at Ohio GM plant

LORDSTOWN, Ohio (AP) — General Motors’ sprawling Lordstown assembly plant near Youngstown is about to end production of the Chevrolet Cruze sedan, ending for now more than 50 years of auto manufacturing at the site.

The jobs of nearly 1,700 hourly workers will be eliminated when production ends Wednesday afternoon and a contingent of workers finish making replacement parts like hoods and fenders sometime this month.

United Auto Workers officials remain optimistic that contract negotiations with GM starting this summer will breathe new life into the plant.

GM has said car buyers’ appetite for trucks and SUVs has significantly cut into demand for compact cars like the Cruze, which will continue to be made in Mexico.

Recently promoted company President Mark Reuss said in January that GM is “looking at a lot of different options for the plant,” without giving specifics.