Baltimore Assembly
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Baltimore Assembly (properly named Broening Highway General Motors Plant) is a General Motors factory in Baltimore, Maryland. The plant opened in 1935 to produce Chevrolets and closed on May 13, 2005. It is a two-level plant located near the harbor and railroad lines in Baltimore.
Baltimore Assembly scored a major coup with the 1984 decision to assemble the Chevrolet Astro/GMC Safari minivans there. The rival Dodge Caravan was selling briskly, but the truck-like GM vans were larger than most of the mini-vans then coming into production. The GM vans filled a unique market for a midsize van with large interior space and very good towing capacity. The vans were periodically updated with revised interiors and exterior styling during the very long production run. Both two-wheel drive (M van) and all-wheel drive (L-van) models were produced. Initial production was a short wheel base van, with an extended wheelbase model introduced mid-production. The extended van proved so popular that the short version was discontinued in the mid-1990s. The plant closed its doors after the final shift on May 13, 2005. In total, approximately 3,700,000 Astro and Safari vans were produced at the Baltimore plant. It is yet unknown what GM plans to do with the site.
[edit] References
- General Motors (November 16, 2004). Chevy Astro And GMC Safari To Be Discontinued In 2005; GM's Baltimore, Maryland Assembly Plant To Close. Press Release.
- Baltimore factory closing illustrates GM's woes. Detroit News. Retrieved on May 13, 2005.
