Due to the global chip shortage that is plaguing the auto industry’s recovery prospects this year, US automaker General Motors (GM) has announced the suspension of production at several North American factories and the extension of the closing some others.
Three factories previously unaffected by the chip shortage are said to be inactive or have production cut for a week or two, including a factory in Tennessee and another in Michigan that make mid-size sport utility vehicles, including Chevrolet Traverse models. and the Cadillac XT5 and XT6, GM said.
The American automaker will also extend the shutdowns of a plant in the Kansas City area and a plant in Ontario, Canada until May 10. The two facilities have been closed since February, as GM favors manufacturing large pickup trucks and all-terrain vehicles, which account for the bulk of its profits.
However, production will resume on April 12 at a plant in Missouri that manufactures midsize pickup trucks, while this facility was running at a reduced pace for two weeks due to the shortage of semiconductors it is still indicated.
Note that since the end of last year, car manufacturers have been grappling with a global shortage of semiconductor chips, widely used in the various electronic components of vehicles.
Generated by the disruptions linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, the shortage is likely to last for several more months, according to operators in the sector.
