The highly anticipated Chevrolet Orlando is apparently not one of the top priorities at General Motors - despite the increasing popularity of similar crossovers (like the Ford Flex and Toyota Venza) in the marketplace.

According to Automotive News, the Orlando is no longer scheduled to go into production later this year. Local UAW rep George McGregor told the media outlet that GM management had informed him that work on the Orlando will not start at the Hamtramck plant in 2009 as expected. He did not provide any information on when production of the new model, and its Opel sibling, will begin.

Those looking forward to the new seven-seater model shouldn’t be to worried, however, as it is not a concept but a “future production vehicle” accoriding to General Motors - although these days nothing is really safe.

The Chevrolet Orlando first broke ground at the Paris Auto Show and made its U.S. debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. At both shows it featured a 150hp 2.0-liter turbo-diesel under the hood, which, while a definite possibility for the Opel model, is unlikely to make it stateside. Instead, look for a traditional 3.6-liter V6.