GENERAL MOTORS Plant says so long to Sunfire

The last Pontiac Sunfire will go to the winner of a charity raffle.
By DON SHILLING
VINDICATOR BUSINESS EDITOR
LORDSTOWN -- Goodbyes were in order at a farewell ceremony for the Pontiac Sunfire, but those in attendance couldn't stop talking about what's coming next for General Motors' Lordstown complex.
The Chevrolet Cobalt "is head and shoulders above anything out there," said Jim Kaster, president of United Auto Workers Local 1714, at the ceremony at the plant Friday.
He was among the union and plant officials who drove the Cobalt last week at a test track in Michigan. They also drove a Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic and Volkswagen Jetta.
Jim Graham, president of UAW Local 1112, said the Cobalt accelerated more quickly, was quieter and handled better than the other cars.
Kaster laughed as he told how he gave the Cobalt a good test. With Graham in the passenger seat, he got the Cobalt up to 90 mph as he headed into a turn.
"Jim started screaming," Kaster said.
Graham said he couldn't believe how quiet the car's engine is. He said he turned the key several times when an engineer walked up and said, "Jim, the car's already on."
Mixed emotions
Maureen Midgley, plant manager, compared the mixed emotions of Friday's ceremony to a high school graduation where a graduate is somewhat sad about leaving high school but is excited about what comes next.
The plant held the ceremony for the Sunfire even though the last of the models won't come off the assembly line until early Monday morning.
The model began under the name Sunbird in 1982. With a model change in 1994, the name was changed to Sunfire. The plant has produced about 827,000 Sunfires in the past 10 years.
The plant will say goodbye to its sister model, the Chevrolet Cavalier, at a larger party with music and other festivities Aug. 7.
The last Sunfire will be given away to a plant employee or retiree who wins a raffle that day. Tickets will be sold for $5 each, with proceeds going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
"Everyone has mixed emotions about the last models rolling off the line because the Cavalier and Sunfire have been very good to our plant and our people," Graham said.
Looking ahead
Production of the Cavalier will continue until the first week of October. The plant will then begin producing the Cobalt. GM is calling the Cobalt a premium small car but hasn't released pricing.
GM is spending nearly $1 billion to upgrade the assembly and fabrication plants in Lordstown to prepare for the Cobalt.
Midgley said the plant has produced eight test models to validate the engineering of the car. Those cars are being reviewed in Detroit. Starting in June, the plant will make 585 test models to validate plant equipment and processes.
Midgley said the plant's launch team will make those models at first, but more workers will be involved later. For some items, the Cobalt construction is different, so separate production areas have been established, but some parts of the line will have Cobalts immediately following Cavaliers.
The plant also will make the Pontiac Pursuit, which will be sold only in Canada, but the start date of that production hasn't been released, Midgley said.
shilling@vindy.com