Is GM's Lordstown Plant Closure Simply A Cost Of Doing Business OR Simply BAD Executives And BAD Products?

All of the above.

There was a bit of an uproar when GM decided to end production of the Trailblazer platform. GM closed maybe 4-5 facilities in Ohio that year. Anytime a longtime facility is shutdown, it negatively affects the surrounding communities & families that lived there for at least a couple generations.

But at the same time, that's the nature of working for an automotive company. Employees have been there for so long they've forgotten that it's always possible that production is terminated or moved; & the possibility of relocation is always there.

One day your product is hot & then the next it's stale. Companies have gotten a bit smarter about current production renovations so they'll be more versatile. These older facilities not so much. If the automakers were getting more US-sourced steel & other components, Lordstown probably would be safe for decades.

GM probably has the worst product of any major automaker right now...looks like they have decided to make minima investments in current models and instead use that money for EV development. This will lead to big job cuts in the near term...time will tell of their strategy will work.

I didn't read that any of GM's Mexican assembly plants were closing.
Something SMELLS ROTTEN in the GM closing. .

Funny how GM closed just unionized plants (dog fuckers). I think unions have outlived their usefulness and at this point are nothing more than job killing business cancer and the workers (fully protected by modern day H&S laws) don't need this form of PAC/mafia extortion anymore...

GM suffers from bad products and bad management. So much for affirmative action. Hire the best person for the job regardless of sex, race or any other rainbow flavour.

The UAW needs and deserves a smackdown.

unions do one thing very well. kill businesses

It's the cost of doing the business of building mediocre cars. GM simply isn't trying very hard to build excellent, mainstream cars that are dependable/reliable, well-made, and worthy of buying in place of a Toyota. I predict the Corolla and Camry will still be around in 10 years, but the Chevy Cruze and Rentabu were substandard on arrival. Bye bye Cruze.

I really suspect GM is positioning itself for a buyout.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a25861430/2020-cadillac-xt6-three-row-photos-info THIS is how GM revitalizes Cadillac... after over a decade waiting for a premium / Luxury 3 row CUV/SUV GM leadership produces this... C&D specifically says its a nice mid size CUV... the mention "we did not call it a nice Luxurious, mid size CUV"... they ought to be embarrassed to put this crap out there then charge what they plan to for it. GM is pathetic as they are destroying Cadillac in front of us...

also there are options to go to other plants and the fools haven't done this? no sympathy for those people.

The photo of the cheering/leering UAW protests in contrast to the tearful/crying fired worker really sums this story up.

Union plants are just not competitive any longer (not that they ever were but they are just taking down workers left and right). The workers should get together and do a class action lawsuit to force the unions to refund their (mandatory) union dues due to the incompetence of the unions.

Its an American tragedy that so many under-educated people placed their futures in the slimy hands of union execs.

Labor costs are about 14 percent of the cost of building a car. The biggest issue is work rules inflexibility. Some US plants of foreign makes actually pay more, but have greater flexibility so efficiency is better.
GM's bigger issue is execution and a culture of arrogance. The ATS is a perfect example. It drives great. That is it. The interior is cramped and indistinguishable from other GM products. I remember a comment at introduction by a GM executive regarding the cramped rear seat. "It's a compact. If you need a bigger rear seat, but the CTS."

Blaming the victims, classy!

There are no victims in this. Victim Mentality is just a pathetic Socialist construct and nothing more.

The workers are the closest thing to a victim here. The labor leaders who are supposed to represent the workers take their money and act more like mobsters.
The auto executives make horrible decisions (Aztek, XT6) and go onto the next project.

Umm no...when the best strategy you can come up with to sustain your life is to stick name tags on cars--a career you know going in is fraught with layoffs and firings, that is poor decision making. You're not a victim.

When your union (UAW) betrays you again and again and you do not decertify them and kick them to the curb, but instead remain fiercely loyal, that's poor reasoning. You're not a victim.

Victim Mentality is just a pathetic Socialist construct and nothing more. It is also indicative of codependence and narcissism in psychotherapy.

People play the victim because they want drama and pity.

I understand what being below low is in life and the way I got out of that was to never call myself a victim.