DETROIT (WXYZ) — General Motors quietly removed its new 2019 Chevrolet Blazer SUV from the Comerica Park display Saturday.
The take down follows criticism of the vehicle's made-in-Mexico tag, all while the company moves forward with closing two Michigan plants.
In a statement, a GM spokesperson said the Chevy Blazer will be replaced with a Chevrolet Traverse.
“We want people to enjoy baseball without distractions, so we are going to replace the Chevrolet Blazer with a Chevrolet Traverse at the Comerica Park fountain. American workers contribute significantly to the success of the Chevrolet Blazer. The Blazer will pump more than half a billion dollars into the U.S. manufacturing economy each year, helping support thousands of good-paying U.S. jobs.”
Many people suggested to Action News that we follow the story because GM is closing four plants in the U.S. and one in Canada in the months ahead. Two of those plants are here in Detroit-Hamtramck and Warren. Thousands of jobs are being lost in those towns and will the plants sit empty after closing?
We asked the community about it in a live newscast poll, where viewer overwhelmingly were against the Blazer on display. GM says those poll results contrinuted directly to their decision to remove the vehicle from Comerica Park.
We followed the discussion, helped make it clear the Blazer was going to be a distraction for people watching the game. It's as simple as that.
GM, in a statement Wednesday, said it picked those two vehicles because they are brand new in showrooms and nothing about the controversy. GM CEO Mary Barra announced a $300 million investment at Orion Assembly last week with 400 new jobs, just days after taking heat from President Trump about closing a plant in Lordstown, Ohio.
Barra said that investment was going to a plant in another country and would not say if it was Mexico.
GM will be in intense contract talks with the United Auto Workers Union and Unifor in Canada this summer and fall. Plant closings and jobs are at the top of the list for workers.
