General Motors has lost production of nearly 800,000 vehicles so far this year due to the global semiconductor chip shortage.
According to data from Autoforecast Solutions cited by Automotive News, the chip shortage has reduced GM’s global production output this year by 777,928 vehicles this year. While almost all of the automaker’s plants have felt the impact of the chip shortage to some degree, GM Fairfax Assembly in Kansas has been the hardest hit. The facility, which produces the Cadillac XT4 crossover and Chevy Malibu sedan, has remained dark since February, although XT4 production is set to return on September 20th. It’s not clear when production of the Chevy Malibu will return, although GM has already cut 96,001 production units of the Malibu so far this year.
GM has maintained adequate output of its ever-important pickup truck models by implementing creative production solutions. Some of its pickups are being built without certain technologies, Active Fuel Management, Dynamic Fuel Management or HD Radio. It has also implemented a “build shy” strategy at its truck and SUV plants, which entails partially completing production of vehicles, storing them in a lot nearby and bringing them back into the plant once it receives the semiconductor chips it needs to finish them. Despite these efforts, it is still facing periodic shutdowns at its truck and SUV plants, which include Flint Assembly in Michigan, Fort Wayne Assembly in Indiana, Silao Assembly in Mexico and Arlington Assembly in Texas.
AN says GM has implemented special software tools to help dealers cope with reduced inventory levels. One of the programs includes a dashboard that places vehicle trim options side-by-side with market data, allowing dealers to see which vehicles are in highest demand in their area to ensure they are making the most of their limited production allocations. Another program called VinView allows dealers to track a vehicle’s order status and provide updates to the buyer on when their vehicle will be delivered.
Many experts predict the chip shortage will persist throughout 2021 and well into 2022 as demand continues to outweigh production output. Some experts have said the shortage could even last into 2023.
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Comments
Good news is all the people who were spared that cheap, crappy interior in the trucks!
your just showing your stupidity.
How’s that? When majority of people do not like the interiors because they look and are cheap.
Good let’s hope they lose a ton more. This company needs to go under and no bailout this time.
Hopefully people will realize how cheaply made there vehicles are,and there parts don’t last….I have not had one for 20 years now, and most of my friends who.had there products will ever buy one again, like they say “you.get what you.pay for”! GM once was the top automaker in the 50s and 60s and partial 70s not anymore!
I love how the mentally fragile GM fanboys down vote your factual comment.
Here I am sitting in my 2002 GMC Sierra 1500 SLT 4X4 with 258,500 miles on it. NO engine issues, NO transmission issues, NO differential or rear axle issues, NO 4WD system issues, NO ABS issues.
In fact the only repairs i have had to make over the 20 years we owned was regular maintenance, ball joints, oxygen and crankshaft position sensors, upgraded brake lines and an evap solenoid.
Maybe someday the gullible American Consumer will wise up and stop funding this cheapening and quality cutting at GM and the other automakers.
And the lesson to be learned from “just in time” is? Someones head seriously needs to roll for short sightedness and failure to forecast. Was the cost of inventorying chips the same as losing 1 million vehicle sales? Here, I’ll answer that for the brainiack GM execs, “no.”
Heads also need to roll for selling off divisions that made parts in-house and for other manufacturers.
Delco-Remy
AC
Harrison
Ternstedt
Fisher Body
They all built parts in-house for GM and were OEM for small makers like AMC, and COULD be for other manufacturers. They walked away from reliable supply chains and OEM sales.
Remember: GM is now “gm”, soon it’ll be “g, what happened?”
Mary Barra and a whole fleet of other executives who lack vision or common sense. Lean six sigma is all good and well, as is outsourcing-horizontal integration-sole sourcing suppliers for economies of scale – until one fragile link in all of this smart-ass thinking breaks. Then the house of cards collapses, stock holders lose their ass, lower level employees lose their jobs, – and executives get bigger bonuses. The old GM needs to reclaim their assets (it still exists on ‘yellow paper’) and get rid of the entire executive regime in place now.
While I patiently await my new C8 HTC 2LT, I’ll chime in and say that over the past 50 years I’ve had multiple manufacturers vehicles and by far GM have been the most worry free of all. I think that some people just like to complain for the attention!
Tom
I keep reading the knocks on GM interiors, especially the trucks. I heard the same knocks 25 years ago. I live in a part of the country where pickups are work vehicles, not fashion statements. You look inside 2000s Chevys and GMCs and yes: the interiors look as “cheap” as the day they left the factory. But, the dashboards remain crack free, and there is a distinct LACK of seeing jerry-rig switches dangling from wiring harnesses like one does in the superior brands.
I disagree with you 100% I have a 2017 chevy Sonic that has some many issues it’s not funny. The tire sensors have went out 9 times the actuator has went out twice in less then 60 days. The rubber strip on the roof blow off going down the interstate one day they also wanted $280 for a piece of rubber I said no. The battery died within 2 months of me having the car. All 4 tires had to be replaced within a month because they were rotten do I need to keep going on?” Because there is more.
Well you have a Sonic. One of the cheapest cars that GM sells… what do you really expect? “You get what you pay for”
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, my brother and his wife put tens of thousands of miles on one, Oil changes, tire rotations, and that was it. The fit and finish were fine. My nonsense detector is going off regarding all of those described troubles. Or, he bought a wreck.
What I expect is a brand new vehicle to work no matter the cost and if a company can’t do that then maybe they should find a different profession. I bought the sonic to use around town because it’s better on gas then my Silverado is. The Silverado is also cheap and I have had many trips to the dealership with it for electrical issues.
Rotten tires in four months really tells me you are full of it. I know a GM hater when they write something so stupid.
The tires were dry rotted how difficult is that to comprehend. Just because you wanna dick ride them doesn’t mean others will.
GM has no one to blame but themselves obviously poor upper level management. Why would you not stockpile the most essential component of a vehicle????
They tried emulating the kan-ban (‘just in time’) inventory system from the Japanese. It works fine, as long as the supply chain is open. Now, everyone is affected by it, including the Japanese.
Let’s see what type of management bonuses are given considering this poor performance. All that revenue left on the table because management lack vision and alternate sources or accommodations to address the chip shortage. Of course management might say this helped them shut down car lines they wanted to shut down anyway leaving more revenue on the table or handing it to the competition most or all of it going overseas.
I currently own a 2021 Chevy LTZ truck. Its been in the shop for over a week. Bad valve lifters, no parts to replace the bad ones, finally got the valve lifters in but guess what, no head gasket to complete the job. Still can’t get one. Totally unbelievable.
I Have had Gm products for 60 years had very little problems. ! got a 2012 GMC 2500 HD SLT I got mew in 2012 it has 68000 miles there no problems. you have to take care of it, do your maintaining.
Variation on that: our family has bought vehicles from GM, various iterations of Chrysler, Subaru, BMW, Studebaker, AMC, two Fords (there will not likely be a third), Nissan/Datsun, Toyota, Honda, and several long-forgotten makes.
So far, our best have been GM, and Chrysler.
My own experience with GM has been two recalls. One was to check for the right tire inflation sticker in the door frame; the other was the engine mount problem with the 5.3 V8 in 2016. Both were taken care of with no argument. The only bad one was a 2018 RST Tahoe that “jiggled” at freeway speeds and for which there was no cure. I found a buyer, ditched it, and all is well.
I am not saying people aren’t having problems; they are. But, I invite all the haranguers about GM quality to go down to their town’s Auto Row on Monday mornings. The cars are lined up around the block at every single agency, and it isn’t only for oil changes. That includes the “perfect” Toyota, and the Precision German Engineered VWs where owners are being told coolant consumption is normal.
There are some really bad dealerships out there; they are the main reason for warranty denials or excuse-making. I had that with an axle seal on a 2016 Tahoe. My dealer in Las Vegas didn’t want to fix it because it was a slow leak and “GM won’t cover it.” A dealer in Escondido, where I was visiting, said, “Sure! And, here’s the keys to a rental.”
Parts shortages? They all have them right now.
I maintain my car better than 90% of the population.
Yet the engine in my 2016 Malibu still blew up at 72,000 miles due to a crappy design by GM.
Try and excusebait that poor engineering.
You should state what “blew up” so we (fellow GM owners can learn what to look for.)
Looks like “Just in time” manufacturing has worked out so well ???
Time to bring those jobs back to America, they can finance this with Mary Barra’s next bonus.
Want a new GM car or Truck, I guess you’ll need your passport for a trip to China!
They build exactly zero trucks in China. Don’t be dumb.
Do so better research dummy!
It’s sad that most people will jump all over the people who make gM vehicles for any problems.
But loosing 800000 production units falls on management.
From Mary Barra and down, there are many to blame. It’s long overdue they need to fall on their swords.
I agree, Corporate GREED is responsible.
Outsourcing jobs to China and Mexico ISN”T helping working Americans.
I heard a woman being interviewed on the radio just today. She lives in Kokomo, IN, and said she worked at the Delco plant there that used to make chips, but the plant was shut down several years ago and all of the equipment was moved out. Now, the plant parking lot is full of new pick-up trucks waiting on chips.
Proof Positive of GM management’s short sightedness!
Profits at the cost of American jobs to boost Mngmt. bonussess got us to this point!
Since I subscribed to this site it is great to keep up on GM news on what is happening. But I am very surprised that there are so many that appear to spend their time ridiculing GM automobiles all the time. I would suggest that if you really don’t like General Motors products that you check what is available at other Dealers. If you want 150% perfection visit your Bentley Dealer, or Ferrari Dealer and spend $ 250,000 and up. I am sure you won’t mind paying $300 -$400 for an oil change. My first GM was a 1972 Monte Carlo. Since then I have had 2 Chev Impalas, an Olds. 88 Royal, 2 Olds. 98 Regency’s, a Blazer, a 3/4 ton P/U, a Chev Lumina, a Chev 1/2 P/U, a Chev Malibu, an Avalanche, and I’m on my 4th Chev Suburban. I don’t know where you are located but the GM Dealers in Ontario Canada have always looked after any issue I have had. If you dislike GM so much why do you subscribe to this site. Do us all a favour and find something else to complain about on another site. (either that or you are embedded on this site from another manufacturer that is jealous)
People can say what they want. you subscribed to read the articles right to keep up on gm news at least that is what you said. So read the articles and move on you come down to the comments just to complain about others read your articles and go about your day then.
All part of the plan to destroy our economy and our nation. The fake pandemic global reset it’s all coming our way whether we like it or not.
Sure Bob. The pandemic is fake. Do us all a favour and go take your horse dewormer
As soon as you drink bleach and wear 4 masks every time you leave your home. Fauci made that recommendation this morning so please follow the guidelines.
Show me where he said to drink bleach? And not a link to a right wing Facebook group either Bob..what a nut you are.
How can GM make 800,000 less vehicles and still make billions of dollars in profits?
Sounds like someone is cooking their books.