Ford Will Assemble the Popular F-150 Pickup Without Some Parts Due to Ongoing Chip Shortages
【Summary】U.S. automaker Ford Motor Co. is idling two of its assembly plants due to the global semiconductor shortage that is affecting auto production around the world. In addition to the temporary plant closures, Ford said it will assemble its popular F-150 pickup and Ford Edge SUV without certain parts until its can source the components from its suppliers.

U.S. automaker Ford Motor Co is idling two of its assembly plants due to the global semiconductor shortage that's affecting auto production around the world. In addition to the temporary plant closures, Ford said it will assemble its popular F-150 pickup and Ford Edge SUV without certain parts until its can source the needed components from its suppliers.
Ford is idling production at its plants in Louisville, Kentucky, and Cologne, Germany.
A Ford spokeswoman said that the recent chip shortage combined with the shortage of another part caused by the severe winter weather in the Midwest last month is forcing the company to only "partially build" the thousands of affected vehicles. Ford said its will hold the incomplete vehicles "for a number of weeks" until they can be completed and shipped to dealers.
The situation is particularly troubling for Ford, as the F-150 pickup is the company's best selling vehicle and one of its most profitable models.
Ford warned of lower profits in 2021 of $1 to $2.5 billion due to the semiconductor shortages.
The F-150 pickup and Ford Edge SUVs are being assembled without certain parts, including some electronic modules that include the chips, Ford said.
Ford declined to identify the suppliers of the affected parts, but a spokeswoman told Reuters that said the parts needed for the F-150 and Edge vehicles are tied to "basic vehicle functions", such as windshield wiper motors and infotainment systems.
Ford is also canceling the late shift today and both shifts on Friday at its Louisville, Kentucky Assembly Plant, which builds the Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair SUVs. Production is expected to resume with shorter shifts on Monday and full production the following day.
Ford was also forced to suspend production at its Louisville plant in early January due to the chip shortages. The Louisville plant employs roughly 3,800 hourly workers.
At Ford's plant in Cologne, which builds the compact Ford Fiesta, the plant is being idled March 1-16 and again on March 22, Ford announced.
The chip shortages can be at least partially blamed on the global pandemic, which led to declining auto sales and production output from suppliers beginning in the second quarter of last year. The pandemic caused automakers to curtail orders for semiconductors and chips used in vehicle production. At the same time, demand for chips used in electronic devices such as laptops had spiked, as more people were forced to work remotely.
As auto sales rebounded sooner than expected in the latter part of 2020 vehicle automakers ramped up production and increased their chip orders, which led to widespread shortages for automakers in China, the U.S., Japan and Europe.
Analysts have called the recent chip shortages "extreme" and predict that the supply chains won't stabilize until later this spring at the earliest.
-
EV Startup Faraday Future Moves its Headquarters to China
-
Lucid’s New ‘Stealth Look’ Appearance Package for the Electric Air Sedan Compliments its High Performance DNA
-
Toyota’s Redesigned Prius May Get More Drivers Behind the Wheel of a Hybrid Vehicle
-
Toyota to Collaborate With Texas-based Utility Provider Oncor to Accelerate a Vehicle-to-Grid EV Charging Ecosystem
-
Stellantis to Idle its Illinois Assembly Plant Indefinitely, Citing the High Costs of Electric Vehicles
-
Apple Delays its Long Rumored Electric ‘Apple Car’ Until 2026, According to Sources
-
The World’s First Level-4 Automated Parking Feature Developed by Mercedes-Benz and Bosch is Approved for Commercial Use
-
Hyundai Motor Group Signs MoU with SK On Co. to Secure Batteries for EVs Built in the U.S.
- California Startup Orbis Brakes Debuts its Revolutionary 'Periodic Wave' Brake Line Developed in Collaboration with NASA
- Sony, Honda Sign Agreement for Joint EV Brand
- China’s Baidu Reveals the Apollo RT6, a Fully Autonomous, Production Ready Level-4 Robotaxi with Removable Steering Wheel
- Electric Truck Maker Rivian Opens the First Fast Chargers in Colorado for its Nationwide ‘Adventure Network’
- Tesla May Build its Next Factory in South Korea, According to the Country’s Presidential Office
- Ford CFO Claims Inflation Has Erased Mustang Mach-E Profits
- Ford Motor Co Selects its Plant in Spain to Build 'Breakthrough' EVs for the European Market on a Next-Gen Architecture
- The Tesla Model Y and Model 3 Take the 1st and 2nd Place Spots in the Annual Cars.com ‘American-Made Index’
- Toyota Offering Multiple Solutions for Non-Drivable bZ4X Electric SUVs
- Volvo is Building a New EV Service and Training Facility at its U.S. Headquarters in New Jersey To Fast Track its Electrification Plans