GM To Halt Production At Several North American Plants Due To Chip Shortage

By Staff Reporter
Posted on 04/08/21 | News Source: WSJ

Affected vehicles include the Chevrolet Traverse and Cadillac XT5 and XT6 SUVs

General Motors Co. GM -1.24% will halt production at several North American factories and extend shutdowns at some others because of a protracted shortage of semiconductor chips that is disrupting the auto industry’s hopes for a bounceback this year.

The auto maker said Thursday that three plants previously unaffected by the chip shortage will be idled or have output reduced for one or two weeks, including a factory in Tennessee and another in Michigan that make popular midsize sport-utility vehicles. Vehicles affected include the Chevrolet Traverse SUV and the Cadillac XT5 and XT6 SUVs.

GM also will extend closures of a Kansas City-area factory and a plant in Ontario until May 10. Both facilities have been closed since February, as GM diverts chips from less-popular models to large pickup trucks and SUVs, which are its biggest profit producers.

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“GM continues to leverage every available semiconductor to build and ship our most popular and in-demand products,” a company spokesman said. So far, GM has avoided taking downtime at the four factories where it makes the company’s largest pickup trucks and SUVs, he said.

CNBC previously reported GM’s production cuts.

Auto makers since late last year have been grappling with a shortage of semiconductor chips, which go into software modules used to control everything from brakes to dashboard touch screens. The companies have been cutting production for months as they scramble to line up chip supplies, with executives saying the shortage could last several more months. Read more at WSJ