General Motors Chip Shortage Update

BY SAM MCEACHERN
— SEP 11, 2021

General Motors Chief Financial Officer Paul Jacobson is expecting its chip supply to even out in 2022 as suppliers work to catch up with an uptick demand.

We have new Silverado trucks in stock. Call our Customer Care Team at 630-898-9630 for inbound inventory updates. Or, visit our website.

General Motors Chip Shortage Update — Chevrolet Bolt EV and Chevrolet Sonic vehicles are assembled Tuesday, March 19, 2019 at the General Motors Orion plant in Orion Township, Michigan. (Photo by Jeffrey Sauger for Chevrolet)

According to Reuters, Jacobson told investors in a conference call this week the automaker expects a “more stable year” in 2022 with regard to chip supply. GM has been among the hardest-hit automakers amid the semiconductor pinch, trimming its global production output by 777,928 vehicles through the first eight months of 2021. Some GM plants, like the Fairfax Assembly site in Kansas, have been offline since February due to a shortage of chips, leaving thousands of hourly employees out of work.

GM has managed to mitigate the effects of the chip shortage by prioritizing profitable, hot-selling products like the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups and full-size SUVs like the Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon. Despite its best efforts, the automaker has still experienced some production setbacks at its truck plants. Last week, it paused production at its Fort Wayne Assembly plant in Indiana and Silao Assembly plant in Mexico, which are expected to come back online on September 13th.

“Although the situation remains fluid, we’re focused on continuing to leverage every available semiconductor to build and ship our highest demand products,” GM’s U.S. vice president, Sales Operations, Kurt McNeil, said earlier this year.

Despite these setbacks, Jacobson said this week the automaker still expects to post a strong pre-tax profit of $11.5 billion to $13.5 billion this year, Reuters reports. The automaker posted earnings of $2.8 billion in Q2 2021 on $34.2 billion in revenue. It also saw its U.S. sales jump 40 percent year-over-year in Q2, with sales increasing at all four of its brands. Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra sales helped drive this increase, climbing by 36 percent as light-duty models posted strong segment share gains.

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Vehicle inventory shortages

Ron Westphal Chevy is not the only one with vehicle inventory shortages. We are grateful we seem to be getting new vehicles in daily and look forward to being able to stock 400 or more vehicles again. If you are looking for a new Chevy—> call our Customer Care Team at 1-630-898-9630 for a listing of our latest in-stock and inbound inventory.

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Vehicle inventory shortages

For more please visit https://www.autonews.com/automakers-suppliers/toyota-cuts-production-again-shortage-chips-parts

The Truth About Vehicle Shortages

The low car inventory across the U.S. is expected to last into 2022 as the global shortage of computer chips worsens yet again, the Associated Press reported.

It’s Not Just Us

Nationwide, new vehicle inventory was down 72% compared to 2019.

The Delta variant of COVID-19 has hit chip factory employees in southeast Asia hard, forcing some plants to close and worsening the shortage.

GM has sent the Covid-19 vaccine and assistance to the chip factories in Malaysia but it is going to take time to get them back on track and producing chips at maximum capacity.

How can I get a new vehicle now?

Visit our showroom or call our Customer Care Team.

We Can Help!

We have many vehicles already built and in transit to us. Your perfect car, truck, or SUV may just be a few days away from our dealership.

You Call the Shots

We can place a factory order just for you.

You pick the color and options and GM will build it to your specifications!*

Beat Your Neighbors

The early bird gets the worm! Or, the new Chevy.

We can put you on a waiting list & contact you when the next model(s) are due in. After all, the early bird does get the worm, right? Call us today at 630-898-9630.

Corvette E Ray Mystery Button

What is the Corvette E Ray Mystery Button ?

Just last week, we brought you coverage of an interesting button spotted inside the cabin of the up-and-coming hybrid Corvette E-Ray. At first, the purpose of this button was a mystery, but now, the symbol it displays has been identified, providing further insight into what the hybrid Corvette will offer.

Thanks to a few eagle-eyed GM Authority readers, the mystery symbol on the button has been identified as the Regen on Demand symbol used previously with various electrified Chevy models, including the Chevy Volt, and the Chevy Bolt EV / Bolt EUV. The symbol includes a battery split with the bottom half in white and the top half in black, with an arrow pointing towards the middle.

As such, we can surmise that the new hybrid Corvette E-Ray will likely feature regenerative braking technology and possibly one-pedal driving.

For those readers who may not know, GM’s Regenerative Braking technology is a system that essentially “captures” braking energy to recharge onboard batteries. This energy is typically wasted, but with Regenerative Braking, the vehicle is slowed using an electro-hydraulic setup that provides more electricity for forward motivation.

In addition to the Chevy Volt and Chevy Bolt EV / Bolt EUV (and now, the hybrid Corvette E-Ray), this system was also offered on the Cadillac ELR. Several levels of braking are offered provide increasing levels of battery regeneration. The highest levels will even allow for one-pedal driving, with the vehicle slowing as soon as the driver’s foot is removed from the throttle, all without stepping on the brake pedal.

Not only is this more convenient, but extra juice in the battery means more power when you want it.

As a reminder, the hybrid Corvette E-Ray is equipped with the naturally aspirated 6.2L V8 LT2 gasoline engine, the same as the standard C8 Corvette Stingray. However, the E-Ray also comes with two front-mounted electric motors, making it all-wheel drive. Total output is expected to hit at about 600 horsepower.

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Automotive Chip Shortage Update

Why does there seem to be even less new vehicle inventory now? What’s going on?

August 27, 2021: Well, it seems many automotive manufacturers get their microchips from Malaysia. And right now Malaysia is getting hit very hard with Covid. GM is sending vaccines etc. and doing everything they can to help get them back to work. But in the meantime, nearly all vehicles produced are being affected by the shortage of microchips. So, it is difficult to predict exact dates when vehicles will be back in stock as the situation is changing hourly.

Please visit our showroom or call our Customer Care Team at 1-630-898-9630 for the latest inventory updates. Our website doesn’t always show the most recent arrivals and you don’t want to miss out!

Where is Malaysia you ask?

Malaysia Petronas towers and automotive chip shortage update — Malaysia Petronas Towers

Malaysia is located in southeastern Asia. The country has two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia. They are separated by the South China Sea. On the island of Borneo, East Malaysia is bordered by Brunei to the north and Indonesia to the south.
Hey, isn’t the Sultan of Brunei the richest royal in the world? Nope, not anymore – see below.

Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn came out at No 1 above the long-time richest royal, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, with Morocco's King Mohammed VI rounding out the top 5 richest monarchs in the world.

Malaysia’s main exports are: electrical and electronics products (36 percent), chemicals (7.1 percent), petroleum products (7.0 percent), liquefied natural gas (6 percent), and palm oil (5.1 percent).

Primary production remains important: the country is a major producer of rubber and palm oil, exports considerable quantities of petroleum and natural gas, and is one of the world’s largest sources of commercial hardwoods.

Thanks for reading about the Automotive Chip Shortage Update. We hope to have better news in the near future!

2022 Chevy Camaro Configurator is Open for Business

General Motors has launched the online configurator tool for the 2022 Chevy Camaro, allowing interested Chevy fans to create their own unique take on the sports coupe.

Like other GM configurators, the one for the 2022 Chevy Camaro lets users pick from either the Coupe or Convertible body styles and to choose their preferred trim level. The trim levels for the 2022 Chevy Camaro carry over from the 2021 model and include 1LS, 1LT, 2LT, 3LT, LT1, 1SS, 2SS and ZL1. Users can also pick their preferred exterior and interior colors, packages and options.

We played around with the new Camaro configurator to show what kind of custom creations Chevy fans can make with it. Our example car is 1SS Coupe finished in the new-for-2022 Rapid Blue exterior color and with Medium Ash Gray interior upholstery. We also selected the pricy $4,095 Black Accent Exterior Package, which adds a satin black painted front splitter and side rockers, along with 20-inch split-spoke Satin Black wheels. Other options on our example car include black wheel nuts and locks, the sway bar upgrade kit, lowering suspension upgrade system, Chevrolet Performance Brembo brake system with red calipers, White Pearl body side spear stripes and White Pearl hood stripes.

This well-equipped Camaro would run buyers $56,920, including a $42,500 base price, $4,420 in selected packages, $7,815 in selected options and a $1,195 destination freight charge.

GM applied some minor changes to the Chevy Camaro order book for the 2022 model year. For starters, the 1LE track package is no longer available to order on LT models, while the beige Kalahari interior color has also been removed. The coupe has also done away with the Shock and Crush exterior colors, which have been indirectly replaced by Rapid Blue and Vivid Orange, as well as the 20-inch ‘Caliente’ wheel option. The Camaro Shock and Steel and Redline Edition packages return for 2022 and are joined by a new Design Package 3 equipment pack that includes 20-inch polished wheels, silver camaro logos, a black Camaro fender badge and Black sueded interior knee pads.

Check out the configurator at this link to create your own 2022 Chevy Camaro. The vehicle entered production at the GM Lansing Grand River Assembly plant earlier this month.

Be sure to subscribe to GM Authority for more Camaro news, Chevrolet news and 24/7 GM news coverage.

Chevrolet silverado 1500 order update

Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse

Looking for a new Silverado? We have them in stock NOW.

Updated Date: Jul 22, 2021 10:30 ET

Chevrolet and Buick/GMC Dealers:

As promised, we want to continue to keep you in the loop regarding the global, industry-wide shortage of semiconductors. Due to these shortages, we are announcing the following change to certain light- and heavy-duty full-size pickup trucks:

Heated Second Row Seats:

The Heated Second Row Seats feature will no longer be available on certain 2021 model year:

Chevrolet Silverado 1500
GMC Sierra 1500

And certain 2022 model year:

Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTD
Chevrolet Silverado 2500/3500 HD
GMC Sierra 1500 Limited
GMC Sierra 2500/3500 HD

This takes effect starting with vehicles produced on or after July 26, 2021. By taking this measure, it will enable continued production and delivery of inventory to help respond to the strong customer and dealer demand for our light and heavy-duty pickups as the industry continues to rebound and strengthen.

For orders with a scheduled production date on or after July 26, 2021, GM will build certain light and heavy-duty pickups without the RPO code KA6 – Heated Second Row Outboard Seats and replace with RPO code RFU (for certain 2021 model year Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500) and RGJ (for certain 2022 model year Chevrolet Silverado 2500/3500 HD and GMC Sierra 2500/3500 HD) – Not Equipped with Heated Second Row Outboard Seats (refer to the table below for trim details and check updated Order Guides, which will go live July 23, 2021). These RPO codes will be reflected on the Dealer Invoice along with an associated $200 MSRP credit, except for certain 2022 model year Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTD and GMC Sierra 1500 Limited. The Monroney label will include this credit and indicate that the vehicle was built without the Heated Second Row Seat feature. Chevrolet and GMC are updating all consumer and dealer facing materials as appropriate.

The dealer has the responsibility to and must advise affected sold order customers immediately. In addition, dealers are strongly urged to counsel directly with all customers who purchase affected vehicles to ensure each customer understands its vehicle content. This change to the availability of Heated Second Row Seats is currently expected to remain in place for the remainder of the 2021 model year for light-duty pickups and a significant portion of the 2022 model year light- and heavy-duty pickups. A listing of affected trims is listed below and is subject to change by General Motors:

2021 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500

LTZ, High Country

2021 GMC SIERRA 1500

SLT, AT4, Denali

2022 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 LTD

LTZ, High Country

2022 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500/3500 HD

LTZ, High Country

2022 GMC SIERRA 1500 Limited

SLT, AT4, Denali

2022 GMC SIERRA 2500/3500 HD

SLT, AT4, Denali

UPDATE: We also wanted to provide you with an update on a previous GlobalConnect message we issued on July 2, 2021, related to the Wireless Phone Charging feature available on certain 2022 model year Buick Enclave and Chevrolet Traverse vehicles. We previously stated that Wireless Phone Charging would no longer be available on these vehicles starting with production on August 2, 2021. This adjustment will no longer take effect as planned.

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GM invests in fort wayne assembly

General Motors will invest $55 million in its Fort Wayne Assembly plant in Indiana to support the continued production of the Chevy Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 pickup trucks.

n21744 new 2021 Chevy Silverado picture in stock Aurora IL Ron Westphal Chevrolet — New Chevy Silverado in stock at Ron Westphal Chevrolet in Aurora, IL

The Detroit News secured an internal memo sent out this week by the plant’s executive director, Gary Duff, which indicated the investment will go towards new tooling and equipment at the 4.6 million-square-foot facility.

Are you looking for a new Chevy Silverado? Visit our website now. Or, call our Customer Care Team at 1-630-898-9630 to find out when our next shipment arrives.

“This investment into state-of-the-art equipment will further enhance manufacturing as a competitive advantage for GM and provide the tools and technology for our workforce to continue to deliver high quality vehicles to our customers,” Duff said in the memo. “This investment supports the company’s growth strategy of truck and SUV dominance.”

GM announced earlier this year that it would invest $1.3 billion CAD in its Oshawa Assembly plant in Ontario in order to begin production of the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra at the Canadian site. Unlike Fort Wayne Assembly, which only builds the light duty variants of the Silverado and Sierra, the Oshawa plant will build both light and heavy duty trucks. GM currently builds heavy-duty trucks at the Flint Assembly plant in Michigan, which will remain operational after light and heavy duty truck production starts at Oshawa in early 2022.

Between the upgrades at Fort Wayne Assembly and the start of truck production at Oshawa Assembly, GM is poised to significantly boost its full-size truck output in the coming years. At the time of the Oshawa announcement, GM noted that pickups are its “largest and most important market segment in Canada and across the continent,” and said the profit-heavy vehicles will” also help GM fund our transition to the electric, autonomous and highly connected future we see ahead.”

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The Latest Microchip Update for Chevy

Important Update Regarding the Latest Microchip Update for Chevy:

Wednesday July 28th, 2021

We continue to take a variety of actions to manage our way through the global, industry-wide shortage of semiconductors so we can continue to support our dealers and customers by building our most in-demand vehicles.

If you have questions, please call the Ron Westphal Chevrolet Customer Care Team at 1-630-898-9630. Or, visit us online.

To keep you updated, here are the latest scheduling adjustments related to the issue, which includes a return to full production at all three of our full-size truck plants in North America after a brief one-week impact:
• Flint, MI Assembly (Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD), Silao, Mexico Assembly (Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Cheyenne and GMC Sierra 1500) and Ft. Wayne, IN Assembly (Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500) will all resume full production on Monday, August 2.
o Flint is operating on only one shift the week of July 26.
o Both Silao and Ft. Wayne are down the week of July 26.
• Lansing Delta Township, MI Assembly (Buick Enclave and Chevrolet Traverse), Spring Hill, TN Assembly (Cadillac XT5 and XT6 and GMC Acadia) and Ramos, Mexico Assembly (Chevrolet Blazer and Equinox) will all add an additional week of downtime (week of August 2).
o All three plants had been scheduled to resume production Monday, August 2 and have been down since Monday, July 19.
• San Luis Potosi, Mexico Assembly (Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain) will add an additional three weeks of downtime (weeks of August 2, August 9 and August 16).
o San Luis Potosi had been scheduled to resume production Monday, August 2 and has been down since Monday, July 19.
• Lansing Grand River, MI Assembly (Cadillac CT4 and CT5 and Chevrolet Camaro) will reintroduce Cadillac CT4 and CT5 production on Monday, August 30.
o Production of Cadillac CT4 and CT5 had been scheduled to resume the week of August 16.
o Production of Cadillac CT4 and CT5 has been down since May 10.
o There is no impact to Chevrolet Camaro production at the plant.

New Chevy Camaros in stock Ron Westphal Chevy Aurora IL — Looking for a new Camaro? Visit Ron Westphal Chevy in Aurora, IL

• Fairfax, KS Assembly (Cadillac XT4 and Chevrolet Malibu) will take an additional four weeks of downtime (weeks of August 23, August 30, September 6 and September 13).
o Fairfax had been scheduled to resume production August 23.
o Production of Cadillac XT4 (only) will resume at Fairfax on September 20.
o Chevrolet Malibu production will remain down.
• Wentzville, MO Assembly will extend downtime on the GMT 610 vans through the week of August 23.
o Chevrolet Colorado and Canyon production is not impacted.
These most recent scheduling adjustments are being driven by temporary parts shortages caused by semiconductor supply constraints from international markets experiencing COVID-19-related restrictions.
Although the situation remains complex and very fluid, our global purchasing and supply chain, engineering and manufacturing teams continue to find creative solutions and make strides working with the supply base to minimize the impact to our highest-demand and capacity-constrained vehicles, including full-size trucks and SUVs, for our customers.
We will continue to communicate often to keep you informed. Thank you, as always, for all your continued cooperation and support as we manage these issues. We appreciate your collective efforts to put the customer at the center and managing limited inventory levels while leveraging the tools we’ve provided to continue to deliver vehicles at unprecedented turn rates.

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2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer reference guide

Everything you want to know about the 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer in an easy-to-read guide.

2021-chevrolet-trailblazer-reference-guide

2021 Trailblazer for sale Ron Westphal Chevrolet Aurora IL

This guide is packed with valuable information.

Example excerpt: KEYLESS (PUSHBUTTON) START F
KEYED IGNITION (L AND LS MODELS ONLY)
The Remote Keyless Entry transmitter must
be in the vehicle to turn on the ignition.
STARTING THE ENGINE
With the transmission in Park or Neutral,
press and hold the brake pedal and then
press the ENGINE START/STOP button to
start the engine. The green button indicator will illuminate.
Note: If the Remote Keyless Entry transmitter
battery is weak, place the transmitter in the pocket at the back of the small storage compartment in the
center console to enable the engine to start. Replace the transmitter battery as soon as possible.
STOPPING THE ENGINE/OFF
Shift to Park and press the ENGINE START/STOP button to turn off the engine.
ACCESSORY MODE
With the engine off and the brake pedal not depressed, press the ENGINE START/
STOP button to place the ignition in accessory mode to operate the radio, windows
and other accessories with the engine off. The amber button indicator will illuminate.
See Driving and Operating in your Owner’s Manual.
STARTING THE VEHICLE
With the vehicle in Park or Neutral, rotate the key clockwise to
the Start position.
TURNING OFF THE VEHICLE
Shift to Park.
Push the key all the way in (1) and then rotate the key counterclockwise to the Lock/Off position (2).
See Driving and Operating in your Owner’s Manual.
2
1
STEERING WHEEL ADJUSTMENT
With the vehicle parked, push down the lever under the left side of the steering
column to adjust the steering wheel. The steering wheel can be moved up or down
and in or out. Pull up the lever to lock the steering wheel in place.
See Instruments and Controls in your Owner’s Manual

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For additional information about the Chevrolet Trailblazer please call the Ron Westphal Chevrolet customer care team at 1-630-898-9630 or visit our website.

Ron Westphal Chevrolet is a family-owned dealership located in Aurora/Oswego, IL.