Craft Centre Likely to Make Bengal

General Motors Corp. likely will build the all-new Buick Bengal convertible coupe at its Lansing, MI, Craft Centre, sources tell WAW. “That's been the talk around here,” says a union source in Lansing. “That name (Bengal) has been tossed around more than once. Everyone has heard about the Bengal going into production, but here the word is loud and clear.” A source close to the automaker confirms the Bengal likely will be made at the Craft Centre when it goes into production in 2003. The Centre makes the Cadillac Eldorado, which goes out of production in March. The facility has been under-utilized building the EV1 electric car and as a conversion center for Chevy Cavalier/Pontiac Sunfire convertibles. GM wants the Craft Centre to be its niche vehicle facility. Job One for the Chevy SSR crossover is set for September 2002, with output estimated at 15,000 units annually. GM could add one or two more niche vehicles to the facility using a “batch-build” strategy: two months SSR production followed by two months devoted solely to Bengal production, and so on.