end of the astro

gm said today this was the last year sales are down closing the baltimore plant 800 to lose there jobs sorry to see it end

I guess this is the end then...
PONTIAC, Mich. - General Motors today announced that its Chevy Astro and GMC Safari will be discontinued in 2005. As a consequence, the company's Baltimore, Md. assembly plant, which exclusively builds the Chevy Astro and GMC Safari, will also close in 2005. The company also reaffirmed that it will maintain a significant presence in the greater Baltimore area through its state-of-the-art transmission plant in White Marsh, Md. With the Astro and Safari reaching the end of their lifecycles, GM management initiated several production changes over the last several years to better align production at the plant with market demand for the Astro and Safari. These decisions included eliminating the plant's second shift of production in the summer of 2000 and slowing production output on several occasions. The Chevy Astro and GMC Safari were introduced in the 1985 model year. During the first 10 months of this year, production at Baltimore amounted to approximately 41,000 vehicles. "Long-term market softening and the products' lifecycle have driven GM to make this difficult yet necessary decision," said Joe Spielman, GM vice president and general manager of Vehicle Manufacturing. "GM can no longer justify building these two products at volumes that are significantly below the plant's capacity." "The men and women of Baltimore Assembly are proud, hard working people who have done a great job of building the Chevy Astro and GMC Safari over the years," Spielman added. "Everyone at Baltimore Assembly should take great pride in their many accomplishments and years of dedication to these products." GM currently employs approximately 1,000 hourly and 100 salaried employees at the Baltimore plant. The UAW/GM National Agreement provides a comprehensive plan and provisions for the GM employees affected by the decision. UAW Local 239 represents the plant's hourly workforce. In addition, management will work with affected salaried employees to pursue opportunities at other GM locations. The Baltimore Assembly plant sits on 182 acres and consists of approximately 3.2 million square feet. It opened in 1935 and originally produced a variety of Chevrolet cars and trucks. In 1984, the facility was converted for production of the Astro and Safari. General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest vehicle manufacturer, employs about 325,000 people globally. Founded in 1908, GM has been the global automotive sales leader since 1931. GM today has manufacturing operations in 32 countries and its vehicles are sold in 192 countries. In 2003, GM sold nearly 8.6 million cars and trucks, about 15 percent of the global vehicle market. GM's global headquarters are at the GM Renaissance Center in Detroit. More information on GM and its products can be found on the company's corporate website at www.gm.com (http://www.gm.com/).

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Well then I think my 97 AWD Astro will have to last a long time since there isn't anything similar in that size with AWD. I am not a mini-van person and the Astro is just right.

The Chevy Express is still being made and it has availible AWD and Driver side barn doors as an option. However, this option I think started in 2003 and used ones are still in the low $30000 to mid $20000 range. By the time your Astro wears out, these vans should be a lot cheaper to buy used if you do not mind the larger size.

I'm really pretty bummed about this, My Astro is just the right size, doing service in Chicago, parking is a real PAIN in some places, the express is just too big.And those goofy dodge things? get one of those in a parking garage?? WHAT ARE THEY THINKING? My Astro fits in low parking garages, tight spaces, and I CAN PUT ALL MY TOOLS AND INVENTORY in the thing.

I have a funny feeling that GM might be "forced" to do something else...I don't know about other large city's but Astro work vans ARE IT...

Want to empty out a home improvement store? just say over the P.A. " will the owner of the Chevy Astro please go to your van" I laugh at my girlfrien when she comes with...stops and looks at 4-5 vans before she realizes it aint mine.

Rick

This is the problem with general motors marketing. They don't understand that what makes gm cars attractive is that when your old one gets too old, you can buy a new one of the same model. This is the MAIN selling point of many of those familiar european cars. The fact that General Motors did not AT ALL market the astro or safari vans, in comparison to their other cars, could have someting to do with its lower sales. But, tell me, they make more corvettes and hummers than astros??????? HMMMM.

What GM should have done is sell its product like this:


Astro/Safari

Handles well in adverse weather conditions, stops on wet pavement, drives straight in snow storms, stops on a dime.
Allows driver to see accidents before they become part of them.
Takes corners better than any Ford.
Drives straight in windy conditions (have you driven a ford lately?)
Has lots of power, but gets good gas mileage
4 wheel drive all the time
Starts in the bitter cold winter (ok, that's all gm cars ++)
Climbs over curbs without loosing the oil pan and suspension
Never been stuck in the ditch
Comfortable on long trips, lots of interior space to put your "stuff"
The ultimate SUV for soccer moms
Easily supports ladders, skis, canoes.
You can fit your bikes inside the vehicle
A true minivan
Tired of rollover beethoven? try an astro
Why have an accident in the first place - drive an astro
The chevy astro/safari - an ELEMENT of supprise
The chevy safari - engineered by engineers - not computers
The chevy astro/safari - available in 4, 6, and now 8 cylinders
The GM Astro - outlasts a japanese car

This is the problem with general motors marketing. They don't understand that what makes gm cars attractive is that when your old one gets too old, you can buy a new one of the same model. This is the MAIN selling point of many of those familiar european cars. The fact that General Motors did not AT ALL market the astro or safari vans, in comparison to their other cars, could have someting to do with its lower sales. But, tell me, they make more corvettes and hummers than astros??????? HMMMM.

What GM should have done is sell its product like this:


Astro/Safari

Handles well in adverse weather conditions, stops on wet pavement, drives straight in snow storms, stops on a dime.
Allows driver to see accidents before they become part of them.
Takes corners better than any Ford.
Drives straight in windy conditions (have you driven a ford lately?)
Has lots of power, but gets good gas mileage
4 wheel drive all the time
Starts in the bitter cold winter (ok, that's all gm cars ++)
Climbs over curbs without loosing the oil pan and suspension
Never been stuck in the ditch
Comfortable on long trips, lots of interior space to put your "stuff"
The ultimate SUV for soccer moms
Easily supports ladders, skis, canoes.
You can fit your bikes inside the vehicle
A true minivan
Tired of rollover beethoven? try an astro
Why have an accident in the first place - drive an astro
The chevy astro/safari - an ELEMENT of supprise
The chevy safari - engineered by engineers - not computers
The chevy astro/safari - available in 4, 6, and now 8 cylinders
The GM Astro - outlasts a japanese car


Yes, it is a sad day for many of us. However, let's get the correct
mindset for this. It was said that sales were slow - I think this is
true only because of bad marketing on GM's part. GM never seemed
to hype this van in comparison to Chrysler. IMO , the Astro Safari
were too expensive to build compared to the others that toted
their "advanced hi-tech designs" ie. less parts.. This van did not
yield the higher profit margins compared to "minivans".

We here consider the Astro Safari to be more of a rugged truck
rather than a "minivan".. RIP..