North America auto makers produced 1,414,275 light vehicles in August, up 17% from year-ago, including 934,479 units in the U.S., 249,099 in Mexico and 230,697 in Canada.
The Detroit Three built a combined 758,347 units, up 8% compared with year-ago. General Motors led the month with 296,676 assemblies, maintaining its position as the top U.S. manufacturer since January 2010.
August saw many industry changes, including model lineups and record monthly output:
- GM permanently closed its Shreveport, LA, plant, which made 32,266 Chevrolet Colorado and 7,064 GMC Canyon midsize pickups in the year’s first eight months. At its peak in 2004, the factory built as many as 217,149 vehicles in one year.
- Production of the Colorado and Canyon on a new platform will return in 2014 at GM’s Wentzville, MO, plant.
- Flat Rock Assembly, the Ford-Mazda joint venture formerly called AutoAlliance until a name-change announced earlier this month ended production of the Mazda6. Temporarily closed the last week of August, the facility built 9,634 vehicles for the month, including 4,088 Mazda6s and 5,546 Ford Mustangs.
- The plant will continue to build the Mustang and add the Fusion in 2013. There are no plans for future Mazda production.
- Mitsubishi built its final Galant midsize sedan at its Normal, IL, facility and also launched production of the Outlander Sport with 3,330 units for the month.
- Kia built 12,806 Hyundai Santa Fes in the first full month of the new CM2 platform’s production. Total output at the Westpoint, GA, plant was 35,609 vehicles, the highest monthly output in its history.
- Hyundai beat its record for any month,building 35,254 units at its Montgomery, AL, facility, up 9.1% from year-ago 32,300.
- Subaru’s Lafayette, IN, plant also surpassed its any month output record with 27,664 vehicles, including the Toyota Camry.
Light-vehicle production through August was 10,354,078 units, up 22% from year-ago’s 8,489,025.
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