General Motors will continue to suspend production one week per month

The main reason for this decline in vehicle production was the fall in 10,8% of exports. The local automotive industry has a business model in practically all its companies that consists of export 70% of its production (which is between one and two models per factory) and complements its offer in dealerships with imported vehicles, mostly from Brazil.

In this scheme, a loss of external markets equivalent to 10% means a setback almost in the same proportion in production. During 2025, this drop was partly offset by greater production from local unit factories destined for the domestic market.

In contrast to the drop in production, the domestic market grew strongly in 2025. Throughout 2025, local dealers patented 612,178 units zero kilometer, 47.8% more than in 2024.

One of the most affected by the drop in exports was General Motors. The Argentine subsidiary of the American company had started 2025 with a renewed version of its model Chevrolet Trackerwhich had demanded an investment of 50 million dollarsadditional to the US$300 million which had been destined for start-up in the factory located in the town of General Alvear, neighboring Rosario.

But the systematic drop in exports of the Argentine Tracker to Brazil and Colombia, the destinations where it exported last year, led the company to a reduction in its production rate and also to a reduction in its staff, which today is approximately 600 workersaccording to the local branch of the mechanics union (Smata).

General Motors has been working since July three weeks a month with a suspension of activity, during which the operators are paid 75% of their assets, after a negotiation between the company and the union.

That modality remained in break between December 15 and this week, because the factory entered a period of vacation. But with the start of the work year, this Monday, the union was notified that the company will not modify its production rhythm of one week per month of suspension.

General Motors is not the only company that is applying suspensions, since it also does Volkswagen with the workers of its General Pacheco factory, although in a different format and, above all, with another expectation: In the case of the German automaker, the suspensions are rotating while the plant is being readapted to produce the new version of the Amarok pickup, whose launch is scheduled for 2027. Meanwhile, the current Amarok continues to be manufactured with part of the staff suspended.

Renault Argentina It also has its factory at half capacity, since last year it stopped production of its Sandero, Stepway and Logan models, and also ended the production carried out at its plant by the automotive company Nissan, on whose production line it assembled the Frontier and Renault Alaskan pickups. Renault currently continues to produce the Kangoo utility vehicle and is already producing the first test models of its new Niagara compact pickup, which will be launched this year after an investment of 350 million dollars.

General Motors He has no new projects at the moment.but sources from the sector indicated that the factory strictly maintains the export 70% of its production to Brazil. But these exports decreased throughout last year until generating a significant stock of unsold vehicles: according to market sources (General Motors does not give production figures) last year manufacturing barely exceeded 20,000 unitsagainst more than 40.000 two years ago.

In commercial terms, however, the American subsidiary has all its numbers up. During 2025, it sold more than 46,000 units with a growth of almost 100% compared to the previous year, of which 17,647 were of its Tracker model (most of it produced in Rosario, and also with some versions imported from General Motors Brazil).