The Chevy Traverse shortage continues to improve ever so slightly, with U.S. inventory now at 11 days in November. This represents a slight increase from six days at the beginning of October, which was up from a nearly non-existent two days supply at the beginning of August. The optimal figure for the U.S. auto industry is 60 days.
The extremely low supply of the Chevy Traverse is mostly the result of the GM Lansing Delta Township plant being shut down on July 19th due to the global microchip shortage. Several GM plants are affected by the shortage, as GM continues to prioritize production of full-size truck and SUV models, which represent its most popular and profitable products. Prioritizing chips for those models has resulted in production of less profitable models being idled.
Production of the Chevy Traverse, as well as its platform mate – the Buick Enclave, was previously scheduled to resume on August 16th, then postponed until September 6th, then delayed again to September 27th. Production finally restarted on October 4th for the 2021 model year, which should begin alleviating the current Chevy Traverse shortage. The changeover to the 2022 model year of the Traverse took place on October 15th.
Some analysts estimate that nearly six million vehicles industry-wide have not been built globally due to the chip shortage so far. That number is expected to rise in the coming months as the situation is expected to last until 2022 or even until 2023.
GM initially planned to refresh the Chevy Traverse for the 2021 model year, but delayed the launch of the update to the 2022 model year for a launch in the fall of 2021. The refresh features various updates to the exterior such as restyled front and rear fascias, three new exterior colors, and several new wheel designs.
The all-new front fascia of the 2022 Traverse consists of a new grille and a set of thin new standard LED headlights, which actually serve as the crossover’s daytime running lights (DRLs) and turn signals. Below them are the vehicle’s primary forward lighting elements (the actual headlights). The design motif takes after the 2019 Chevy Blazer, which the Bow Tie brand previously stated would inspire the design of all of Chevy utilities.
The 2022 Traverse also gets a set of revised LED taillights that give it a more modern appearance.
Inside, the 2022 Traverse features new interior seating options, a new available eight-inch infotainment display, and standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Additionally, the refreshed Traverse will now offer six new standard safety features: Automatic Emergency Braking, Front Pedestrian Braking, Forward Collision Alert, Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning, IntelliBeam auto high beams and a Following Distance Indicator. Additionally, a new Advanced Adaptive Cruise Control system will be offered on the LT Leather (3LT), RS and Premier trims, while GM’s Safety Alert Seat will become standard on Premier and High Country models.
Additionally, the base L trim level of the Traverse was dropped, making the LS the new base model. Finally, the Redline Edition package will be offered on the 2022 Chevy Traverse as it was for the 2021 model year, available exclusively on the Premier trim level.
All versions of large, three-row crossover utility feature the same naturally-aspirated 3.6 V6 LFY engine producing 310 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque. GM’s 9-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive are standard, while all-wheel drive is available as an option.
Sales of the Chevy Traverse have plummeted due to inventory shortages resulting from the aforementioned production delays. During the third quarter of 2021, the Traverse posted the biggest decrease in sales volume in its segment, falling 66 percent to only 10,767 units.
Sales Numbers - Mainstream Large Three-Row Crossovers - Q3 2021 - United States
| MODEL | Q3 21 / Q3 20 | Q3 21 | Q3 20 | Q3 21 SHARE | Q3 20 SHARE | YTD 21 / YTD 20 | YTD 21 | YTD 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOYOTA HIGHLANDER | +5.99% | 63,184 | 59,615 | 23% | 19% | +46.89% | 207,564 | 141,301 |
| FORD EXPLORER | -29.00% | 41,933 | 59,060 | 15% | 19% | -0.02% | 160,174 | 160,209 |
| HONDA PILOT | +8.30% | 38,107 | 35,187 | 14% | 11% | +27.40% | 114,667 | 90,002 |
| KIA TELLURIDE | +19.05% | 25,286 | 21,239 | 9% | 7% | +51.72% | 70,724 | 46,615 |
| VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS | -5.25% | 22,918 | 24,189 | 8% | 8% | +65.99% | 92,815 | 55,917 |
| HYUNDAI PALISADE | -12.25% | 21,172 | 24,128 | 8% | 8% | +6.75% | 64,673 | 60,583 |
| NISSAN PATHFINDER | +45.03% | 15,333 | 10,572 | 6% | 3% | -23.02% | 28,885 | 37,525 |
| DODGE DURANGO | -9.03% | 14,516 | 15,957 | 5% | 5% | +16.44% | 52,931 | 45,456 |
| SUBARU ASCENT | -20.44% | 14,670 | 18,438 | 5% | 6% | -13.63% | 43,043 | 49,835 |
| CHEVROLET TRAVERSE | -65.93% | 10,767 | 31,603 | 4% | 10% | +12.12% | 94,198 | 84,012 |
| MAZDA CX-9 | +22.60% | 8,534 | 6,961 | 3% | 2% | +41.09% | 28,799 | 20,412 |
| TOTAL | -9.95% | 276,420 | 306,949 | +21.04% | 958,473 | 791,867 |
As a result, Traverse segment share dropped to 4 percent from 10 percent in the year-ago quarter. By comparison, share of the Toyota Highlander increased four percentage points to 23 percent, and that of the Kia Telluride grew 2 percentage points to 9 percent. The Honda Pilot gained 3 percentage points to 14 percent. And the Nissan Pathfinder also gained 3 percentage points to a 6 percent share.
We expect Traverse sales to return to significantly higher volumes once production and inventory return to normal.
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Comments
Isn’t GM shutting down Lansing Delta for 11 plus weeks in January…..be a big shortage after that
The shut downs are to start in late December so the shutdown will have an even bigger effect to kick off the new year. Why do the writers keep trying to make the story longer by putting in already know changes of the travers like they haven’t written about it the last 5 articles.
Probably because most of us are not as knowledgeable or up to date as your are.
I appreciate the added context that is included here. It’s professional journalism as it should be.
Professional journalism is not repeating the same information in “new articles” like it is new information. Professional journalism involves investigative skills to write about new information like production or lack of. looking for new information to report on, not repeating old information. Why is Gm not reporting about closing down Lansing Delta Township factory that just opened October for future changes. Are any cars going to be delivered before the first shut down and end or the year?
What I don’t understand is why some of the CUV three rows are in the same category together. They clearly are not if you have any actual on-the-ground experience with these vehicles. The highlander third row is an afterthought and a meme. There are a few more that don’t belong being together. Pathfinder CX9? Suburu and Pilot? Give me a break you aren’t getting more than a dog or baby in most of these things back there. They really should make a segment like minivan cuv or something because only some of these will seat an actual adult with legs in the back without spinal injury.
EDIT: Where is the Jeep GC L model on this list? It’s almost the same size as the traverse in dimensions.
Need a real answer. I ordered my 2022 traverse in June. I was told it was built on Oct 25th. Will I ever get it? I am now drowning in car rental fees and getting very panicked.
You should talk to the dealer or GM instead of asking here IMO. We’re waiting for the new Enclaves to show up so I can see one in person first. If I order one or a Jeep L they both told me up to 6-8 weeks wait time and that was last month. What times did the dealer give you on the vehicle? They will tell you in advance how long they expect it to take. They would not get my vehicle unless they gave me a loaner until arrival. Check your paperwork or ask your dealer where you ordered one.
So my dealer originally said back in June the cars will be built in August and then it kept getting pushed back and back and back. He says he absolutely at this point has no idea because of a chip crisis. And I said we will wait two more weeks before trying to find a completely different car
Good. The auto manufacturers have nobody to blame but themselves. Silicon has lead times. Intel and AMD for example spend years sometimes before bringing a new product forward. They’ll spend months producing chips for such things even before it’s “officially” announced. It also does not help because of the “global” economy we’re basically bottlenecked here in the USA by the few ports on the west coast that can’t handle the traffic.
Toyota I think was one of the only ones that didn’t take a beating as hard as the rest. The problem in your case is your pickings are slim if you want a three-row SUV that can seat people comfortably like a minivan. It’s also one of the best priced on the market depending on your needs. The Jeep Grand Cherokee L in my travels is the only one that comes up against it in dimensions and space. The rest are usually to small unless you go the minivan route. The Pacifica has stow n go but only on non hybrid and is priced higher than the rest typically. Towing isn’t really an option on those either (we tow some). Traverse can tow up to 5000lbs which is pretty snazzy for a unibody.
Based off the articles and information posted by Gm and other sources, with the 11 total weeks in 2022 of close downs to start the end of December and the chip shortage. I have a good guess no one will have any new cars before the the new year. I also predict that not very many cars will be produced by the LDT factory till the ports get cleared up. I think the only way Gm will start to say anything specific to production is when the national guard will be called to relieve the back up in Long Beach Port.
The questions I have is why is Gm is not reporting on the close downs of factory’s for future vehicles when they are having issues with production right now. Other sources have images of the letters the employees received about the close downs. Good professional journalism reports on the important issues not just what the company wants you to say.
Thanks for the info Turtle. I haven’t been following as closely as you have from what I’m reading. I don’t think it’s just a GM thing here either. All the auto lots here are having trouble with new stocks and longer-than-normal lead times on orders. I’m also wondering if the chip shortage isn’t really the only problem but also a side effect of people not buying new compared to used instead (or buying at all). I can see a linear or logical path towards the problem we have now due to algorithms of efficiency for these mega global corps. They rely quite heavily real-time on demand production and shipping. We already had massive lockdowns in the previous administration and a halt so to speak on many things. We’re in a period where typically most folks won’t be buying that much since it’s a seller’s market across the board. Record inflation fuel prices back and looking to trend higher than they did during the last depression over ten years ago. If everything were fixed it’s still going to take time (years) to get some semblance of normalcy.
EDIT: I meant to add that many manufacturers attempt to hide inflation and downward trends by selling less for the same or more money. My coffee for example is over two dollars more and half a pound less. Candy bars increasingly get smaller. Trash bags are up over two dollars more. The list goes on from here. I think things are more dire behind the scenes and assume it won’t change much at least in our benefit for a few years at best.