Detroit Free Press
In late January, retired General Motors employee Joseph Jones bought a 2021 GMC Sierra full-size pickup after having driven his 2004 Sierra for 17 years.
Jones, 68, tracked the production of the new light-duty pickup in cherry red from his home in Franklin, Tennessee. He saw that it was built on Feb. 15 at GM s Silao Assembly Plant in Mexico, so he eagerly awaited its arrival any day.
But as of May 5, Jones pickup remained in Mexico, parked alongside thousands of other GM pickups built shy of the final parts needed to complete them because of a global semiconductor chip shortage. I am getting more aggravated by the day, Jones said. The customers are stuck in the middle and I would love better communication through General Motors. I know everybody has been in the same situation, Ford, GM, Chrysler, Nissan . everybody has been held hostage by the shortage of this chip.”
Union: GM to resume production at Lansing Grand River plant next week lansingstatejournal.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from lansingstatejournal.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Not a single Camaro has been built since mid-March.
While dealerships report record profits due to high demand, automakers are continuing to struggle with semiconductor chip shortage, a critical component for vehicle systems like navigation and Bluetooth. The shortage is highly unlikely to end this year. This has resulted in production downtime at numerous manufacturing facilities across the country as automakers attempt to conserve chip supplies for more profitable models.
Less profitable models, like the Chevrolet Camaro, are typically the first to see their assembly lines grind to a halt. Not a single Camaro has been built since March 15. But today there s some good news.
GM to restart midsize truck production, but halts others due to chip shortage
Detroit General Motors Co. said it will restart midsize truck production next week after two weeks down because of the global semiconductor shortage, but the automaker will halt some production at three new plants and has extended downtime at others.
Wentzville Assembly in Missouri will resume production of midsize trucks April 12 after being down since March 29, GM confirmed Thursday.
But GM has to shut down Spring Hill Assembly in Tennessee, where the GMC Acadia, Cadillac XT5 and XT6 are built, for two weeks starting April 12.
GM and other automakers have been battling a global semiconductor shortage since the start of this year. Production at various plants in North America and abroad has been halted or reduced to make sure production of popular products, like full-size trucks and SUVs, continues.
GM idles more North American plants as chip shortage drags on – TechCrunch techcrunch.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from techcrunch.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.