GM Again Temporarily Closes Van Nuys Plant

General Motors Corp. again temporarily closed its Van Nuys assembly plant--this time for two weeks beginning Monday--because of sluggish car sales.

The plant, with 2,500 workers, is GM’s sole source of Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird sports cars. The auto maker has periodically closed the plant in recent months because of excessive inventories.

The latest action raised the question of whether GM might move up its date for the plant’s permanent closure, which is scheduled for August when the company transfers production of Camaros and Firebirds to a plant in Canada. But GM spokesman Patrick Morrissey said the Van Nuys plant is expected to stay open until then except for a companywide shutdown of two weeks in late-July.