GM to Temporarily Close 13 U.S. Plants

General Motors Corp. will idle 13 U.S. assembly plants for several months this summer to trim inventory after U.S. sales fell 49% this year in the first quarter, Bloomberg reported.

The No. 1 U.S. automaker plans to reduce production by 190,000 vehicles from May through July, GM said in a statement.

It will also cut output at an unspecified number of stamping, engine and transmission factories, Bloomberg said, citing Troy Clarke, GM’s North American president.

The temporary closings mirror GM’s shutting of factories in December, January and February, and GM will shrink production by as much as 40% in any given week, slowing shipments to showrooms with a backlog of unsold autos, Bloomberg reported.

The production cuts will reduce GM’s second-quarter earnings before expenses by about $1.2 billion, Bloomberg said, citing a financial analyst.