Delphi shuts down Suzhou plant

Bankrupt U.S. car parts maker Delphi Corp. announced in December that it will temporarily close its Suzhou, China, plant in 2009 because plunging vehicle sales worldwide will take a toll on the mainland’s car industry. The compressor-manufacturing plant was idled just a year after it opened. “The sudden and unprecedented decline in [car] sales globally has resulted in our only customer, General Motors North America, announcing plant closures and plant stoppages,” the company said. (December 29, 2008)