GM Halts Production of Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra in Indiana
Jane Lu
· 3 min read
Another U.S. car manufacturer has fallen victim to the
semiconductor chip shortage
. In this case, the company in question is General Motors
(GM). Recently, GM halted production in several locations for some of its most popular
trucks
. Dealers are facing continued struggles to keep up with consumer demand. GM halts truck production in two locations
The
Detroit News
reported that the recent halt in production is a first for GM, despite the challenges that other manufacturers have experienced in keeping up with demand. GM stopped truck production at its Fort Wayne Assembly plant in Indiana
and its plant in Silao, Mexico, during the week of July 26. Models affected by this shutdown include the light-duty Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups. Meanwhile, the Flint plant that produces heavy-duty Silverados and Sierras was expected to go down to one shift during the same week.
Why did GM have to slow truck production?
GM has now suffered the same fate as many of its competitors due to the global shortage of semiconductor chips.
A fire at a semiconductor plant in Japan has caused additional delays on chip supply. An uptick in COVID-19 cases in some Asian plants that produce these chips has also contributed to the shortage. According to the
Washington Post
, 17 automakers have cut back or halted their production, including Ford
, GM, Tesla, and BMW.Ford's truck supply was hard-hit by the chip shortage. While its F-Series models have traditionally dominated the American-made truck market, the shortage caused sales to fall behind rivals such as the Silverado and Ram. Up until this point, GM had managed to protect its most popular full-size trucks.
According to Detroit News, Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions said, "They've shut down so many other plants, making sure that Silverados and Sierras hit dealership lots, but it was about to bite them at some time."
Full production of the trucks was expected to resume on August 2.
Trucks aren't the only vehicles affected by GM shutdowns
GM has also had to stop production of other vehicles in recent months. Production of the Chevy Traverse and Buick Enclave SUVs at Lansing Delta Township Assembly was halted through July 26.
At the same time, manufacturing was also paused for the Cadillac XT5, XT6, and GMC Acadia in Spring Hill, Tennessee. Two facilities in Mexico that produce the Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain compact SUVs were also shut down temporarily.
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