GM shutting down Chevy Volt production for five weeks

Even with the new HOV-eligible 2012 Chevrolet Volt models heading to California and sales up in February, General Motors has reportedly decided to shut down production of the plug-in hybrid for five weeks because of overall sluggish sales. With a 150-day supply of Volts sitting on dealer lots around the country, this shut down will temporarily lay off 1,300 employees.

What's perhaps even more interesting is that this shut down comes after a lengthy "holiday" retooling break that only ended in early February. The upcoming shut down is scheduled to last from March 19 to April 23. As a GM spokesman told MLive, "We're matching our production levels with demand and building to market."