GM to Temporarily Lay Off 1,300 Workers in Volt Production Suspension

General Motors has been forced to briefly suspend production of the Chevrolet Volt (and the Opel Ampera in Europe) after sluggish sales led to a surplus of the plug-in hybrid electric cars. Some 1,300 workers have been temporarily laid off from March 19 to April 23 due to the shutdown.

“Volt sales increased in February as compared to January, but we still need to maintain our inventory levels and so we’re taking this action,” said GM spokesman Chris Lee to The Guardian. “We’re going to build to market demand.”

GM had about 3,600 Volt cars in its inventory as of the end of February. Despite the Volt’s lukewarm sales numbers, GM is doing well in the U.S.: the company’s sales have continued to grow since 2009, when it came out of bankruptcy.

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