A corporate twin of the Chevrolet TrailBlazer, the Envoy nameplate dates back to 1998 when GMC introduced a gussied-up version of its standard Jimmy sport-ute to appeal to buyers looking for an upscale ride. Even with a strong V6 and options aplenty, however, the first Envoy was totally outclassed by its competition.
The Jimmy name was dropped in 2002, and the Envoy received an extensive redesign. It now comes to the table with specifications and features that allow it to compete more favorably against its arch rival, the Ford Explorer. A longer and wider body gives the Envoy a substantial look, while providing considerably more room for passengers and cargo inside.
The current Envoy represents a vast improvement over its predecessor, but ultimately, it doesn't measure up to competitors. While its handsome exterior and roomy interior may attract consumers, GMC needs to come up with a better compromise between cushy ride quality and confident handling; specifically, it should lose some of the former to gain some of the latter. The company also needs to take a look at the materials used inside the cabin -- too many of them are of dubious quality for a vehicle in this price range. The midsize SUV class is populated with extremely capable vehicles, and unfortunately, the Envoy has yet to prove that it's got what it takes to overtake the segment leaders.
The four-door Envoy seats five and comes in three trim levels: SLE, SLT and Denali. SLE versions come with a cloth interior; dual-zone manual air conditioning; a CD player; power windows, mirrors and locks; keyless entry; and 17-inch wheels. SLT models are loaded with just about every feature available including a driver information center, automatic climate control, leather seating and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with radio and climate controls, just to name a few. The Denali adds unique trim inside and out, as well as 18-inch alloy wheels, power-adjustable pedals, heated seats and a Bose audio system. The Envoy also offers a rear-seat DVD entertainment system, a DVD-based navigation system, upgraded audio systems and satellite radio as options.
Four-wheel antilock disc brakes and stability control are standard on all Envoys, while full-length head curtain airbags are optional. There are three-point seatbelts at all five seating locations. When equipped with the optional airbags, the Envoy earned five stars (the best possible) for its protection of front and rear passengers in NHTSA's side-impact test. Frontal-impact tests resulted in a three-star rating for driver and four stars for front-passenger protection. The IIHS rated the vehicle "Marginal" (second lowest) after conducting its frontal offset crash test.
Inside, the Envoy's cabin offers plenty of room for five adult passengers. Brushed nickel accents grace the console and instrument panel, and wood accents add a touch of class to the uplevel Denali trim. Materials quality has improved over the years, but unfortunately, cheap plastic still dominates the dashboard and door panels. The 60/40-split rear seats fold for cargo-loading flexibility; with the seats folded, the Envoy has a maximum cargo-carrying capacity of 80 cubic feet.
Out on the road, the Envoy delivers a well-cushioned ride that most shoppers will like. Unfortunately, the steering offers little in the way of road feel, and handling is sloppy around corners. Off-road, the Envoy is capable of tackling the typical obstacles one encounters while trying to access trailheads and campsites. Ultimately, the most enjoyable aspect of this utility vehicle is its brawny engine choices.
They punched out Monday after the last TrailBlazer came off the line, the first casualties of General Motors Corp.'s plan to slash 30,000 U.S. manufacturing jobs by 2008.
After 27 years and nearly 6 million vehicles, one of GM's most stalwart assembly plants had gone silent, possibly forever.
But its 2,200 hourly workers will be back next week, not to build cars or trucks in Oklahoma City but to clock in as the newest members of GM's "jobs bank" for surplus union labor.
It is believed to be the first time the work force of an entire assembly plant has been dropped in the jobs bank, where members of the United Auto Workers continue receiving their $28-an-hour pay and full benefits -- even after their work has left the building.
Created in the mid-1980s as a safety net for temporarily idled auto workers, the jobs bank is shaping up as a pivotal issue in Big Three contract talks with the UAW next year.
With the addition of the Oklahoma City workers, the national ranks of GM's jobs bank have swollen to more than 8,000 workers, according to company sources.
Analysts estimate that each worker in the jobs bank costs GM about $130,000 a year in wages and benefits, a crippling financial burden for an automaker that lost $8.6 billion last year.
But in the homes of GM's idled employees, the jobs bank represents a reward for years of hard work and a lifeline in an uncertain economy.
"All I can say is thank God for the UAW," said Bruce Arnold, who hired in at Oklahoma City when it opened in 1979. "You throw 2,200 people out in the streets and you're not going to find 2,200 jobs."
One of GM's best-performing plants in terms of quality, Oklahoma City was a victim of the brutal numbers game generated by GM's steadily sinking U.S. market share.
GM Chairman Rick Wagoner said on Nov. 21 that the struggling automaker needed to chop 1 million units of vehicle capacity in North America by 2008. "These actions are necessary for GM to get its costs in line with our major global competitors," Wagoner said.
GM had to make choice
With sales of its once-bellwether Chevrolet TrailBlazer and GMC Envoy midsize SUVs on the skids, GM had to choose which of two production sites to close -- Oklahoma City or a sister plant in Moraine, Ohio.
And when the ax fell on "OKC," its unionized workers became the latest occupants of the jobs bank, that netherworld of the American auto industry where people are paid for jobs that don't exist.
"We've worked hard all these years," said Mike Black, a 27-year plant veteran. "We did everything we were asked to do. But the one thing we don't have control over is the sale of the product."
Sales of the TrailBlazer fell 14 percent last year and the Envoy plunged 20 percent, as rising gas prices and a proliferation of cross-over models dulled the appeal of traditional truck-based SUVs.
"Every product has a cycle, and that one happens to be at the end of its current cycle," said Jack Nerad, executive editor of the Kelley Blue Book auto-buying guide.
The parking lots at the Oklahoma City plant are a sea of unsold inventory. At nearby City Chevrolet, slow-selling TrailBlazers are lined up out front for customers who hardly seem interested. "It's hard to give a TrailBlazer away," said Michael Brody, the dealership's general manager. "The market is flooded with them."
But shutting down the 4-million-square-foot Oklahoma City plant comes at a high price. Given current cost estimates, GM will spend more than $300 million on its idled work force before the current UAW contract expires in September 2007.
"I think of the (jobs bank) as a gift from the company and the UAW," said Russell Dearing, a 55-year-old line worker. "And I'm going to utilize whatever is given me."
Will the jobs bank survive?
The jobs bank is at the heart of ongoing negotiations between GM and the UAW to offer buyouts to workers near retirement age. If GM can speed up its attrition rate, workers from the jobs bank or bankrupt Delphi Corp. could be reassigned to active duty.
However, auto analysts say GM, Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG are only biding time until the 2007 contract talks, when the Big Three may try to eliminate the jobs bank entirely.
"It's obviously going to be a huge target in the forthcoming negotiations," said David Cole, director of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor.
UAW President Ron Gettelfinger has vigorously defended the jobs bank, saying recently that the union will fight any attempts to do away with it. "That jobs bank is not going to go away," he said in an interview with Detroit radio station WJR-AM on Feb. 8.
Where once the jobs bank served as a limited holding bin for downsized workers, it will be flooded with new participants in the months ahead. The next crop of workers destined for the jobs bank will come when the Lansing Craft Centre closes this spring, and a production line is eliminated later this year at GM's Saturn plant in Spring Hill, Tenn.
With little chance that GM sales will improve enough to resurrect their plant, most Oklahoma City workers seem resigned to volunteer work or taking college classes while they remain on GM's payroll.
According to the UAW contract, jobs-bank workers have the option of taking volunteer jobs at approved agencies or becoming full-time students. If not, they are required to report to the plant daily, and to clock in and out just as if they were headed for the line.
In Oklahoma City, workers bristle at the criticism of the jobs bank levied by Wall Street and national news media such as Fortune magazine, which called the system "almost un-American" in its most recent issue.
"Nobody wants to sit around and do nothing and be unproductive," said Darrell Mason, who has worked at the plant for 27 years. "Obviously this (closing) was quite a shock to us. We're at a crossroads right now."
Shutdown happened quickly
A modern facility on a 430-acre site at the edge of town, the Oklahoma City plant has been a steady performer for GM since building its first car -- a Chevrolet Citation -- in 1979. GM poured $700 million into the plant in 2001 to convert it for SUV production, and rebuilt its paint shop after a tornado hit the facility three years ago.
But with GM groaning under the weight of excess capacity, the plant was an obvious choice to kick off the company's historic restructuring. In fact, only three months elapsed from the time of Wagoner's announcement until Monday's shutdown -- a blink of the eye in the life of an auto plant.
"I don't think it's ever happened that fast before," said Lori Darks, a quality-control supervisor. "We went through the different stages of death and dying in 90 days. Basically, you accept it."
It's a work force that "grew up together, raised their families together, celebrated together, and cried together," Darks said. But the emotions stirred by the plant closing are fading as workers look to the future.
"We're blessed to be put right into the jobs bank," said Bobby Millsap, another 27-year veteran. "That takes some of the pressure off, but we don't know what to expect after 2007."
Until then, workers are anxious to take advantage of their free time.
Millsap, an ordained minister, hopes to build a church. Ray Owens has signed up to work at the Urban League. Russell Dearing will complete his degree at the University of Central Oklahoma. Steve and LaDonna Mandelkow, who met and married while working in the plant, plan to volunteer at their daughter's school.
Some hold out slim hopes that GM might reopen the plant one day. That prospect, however, appears dim. Last week, GM turned down a $200 million package of incentives from the state of Oklahoma to keep the factory running.
"We don't have a product right now, but why not give us one in the future?" said LaDonna Mandelkow. "We believe in ourselves. I pray for Rick Wagoner, that the Lord will lead him to make wise decisions."
On Feb. 11, about 350 workers and their families packed the New Dimensions Ministry Church near the plant for a prayer service. They gave thanks, prayed for faith and vowed to stick together in the coming months.
But there were no apologies forthcoming from workers preparing to enter the jobs bank at GM's expense.
"There was nothing we did to shut the plant down," said Nanette Relerford, who worked in the paint shop. "We worked hard every single day. It was the vehicle that GM put in here that didn't work."
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