Automakers are attempting to limit the damage the ongoing chip shortage is causing on vehicle production—but at this point, all of them are feeling the pain. General Motors stripped a variety
out of its trucks before stopping full-size pickup production altogether, Ford has tens of thousands of pickups awaiting final touches, and now—in addition to other troubles—Stellantis' Jeep brand is feeling the pain.
As Automotive News reports, the automaker is stalling production of its Gladiator pickup this week because it doesn't have enough semiconductors. The stoppage is relatively short in the face of other company's chip-related delays, but it's an unwelcome headache either way.
The Gladiator is solely built at the south plant of Stellantis' Toledo, Ohio assembly complex. As such, that's the facility that will be stalled this week. To be clear, the production of the more popular Wrangler, built at the north plant of the same assembly complex, will not be affected.
"Stellantis continues to work closely with our suppliers to mitigate the manufacturing impacts caused by the various supply chain issues facing our industry. Due to the unprecedented global microchip shortage, production at the Toledo (Ohio) South Assembly Plant will be down the week of Aug. 2," a Jeep spokesperson told The Drive via email.
This may be a relatively small hiccup in the broader context of the industry, but Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares is not exactly optimistic about the situation. At an Automotive Press Association event in Detroit two weeks ago, the executive said that "the semiconductor crisis, from everything I see and I'm not sure I can see everything, is going to drag into '22 easy because I don't see enough signs that additional production from the Asian sourcing points is going to come to the West in the near future."
Other automotive execs have issued similar statements stressing the fact that the companies are doing the best they can in the situation, but it's not improving at a rapid pace.
“Is there an impact this year? Absolutely,” Mary Barra, GM CEO told the press back in early May. “But the team keeps working to minimize it.”
Ford's Jim Farley has similar things to say as well, stating in an earnings conference around the same time that "there are more whitewater moments ahead for us that we have to navigate.”
So if you have a Gladiator on order or want to purchase one soon, your plans might be a little delayed. Actually, if you want to buy a car now in general, your plans will likely be delayed. The alternative being you'll end up spending extra cash on a "market adjustment." Needless to say, neither of these options is desirable.
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