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General Motors Chip Shortage Update

General Motors Chip Shortage Update

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.

General Motors Chip Shortage UpdateGM 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.

General Motors Chip Shortage Update“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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For more information please Subscribe to GM Authority for ongoing microchip shortage news, General Motors production news and General Motors news coverage.

Vehicle inventory shortages

Vehicle inventory shortages

From Automotive News:

TOKYO — Toyota Motor Corp. will slash global production again next month — by 330,000 units — as the pandemic and global shortage of automotive microchips continue to bite.

The total hit represents a 40 percent cutback from Toyota’s original October production plan.

  • 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.
Toyota Motomachi plant vehicle inventory shortages
Toyota Motomachi plant having vehicle inventory shortages

In announcing the reversal on Friday, Toyota said it will also take a bigger hit than expected in September. Toyota expects to lose another 70,000 units this month.

That adjustment comes on top of an August announcement, when Toyota warned it would lose 360,000 vehicles of output globally in September, including some 80,000 units in North America.

That brings September’s total loss to 430,000 vehicles.

Unlike in last month’s announcement, when Toyota kept its fiscal year global production target unchanged, Toyota said this time that it would lower its target to 9 million units for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022. It had earlier planned to manufacture 9.3 million vehicles worldwide.

That total covers output only from Toyota and Lexus, not Daihatsu or Hino.

In October, Toyota said it would lose a total of 330,000 vehicles from its original plan of making 880,000 globally. Some 180,000 units will be lost at overseas factories, while Toyota’s domestic plants in Japan churn out 150,000 fewer for the month.

Toyota’s global procurement manager, Kazunari Kumakura, declined to give a regional breakdown for the overseas impact.

Kumakura blamed the slowdown on supply chain bottlenecks triggered by lingering lockdowns in southeast Asia, where factories are suspending operations amid continued outbreaks of COVID-19. He said the impact in Malaysia was the worst, but also cited Vietnam as a trouble spot.

A range of parts, including semiconductors and wire harnesses, are in short supply.

Kumakura said it was still too early to give an outlook for recovery.

“Operations are slowly recovering but it will still take time to produce finished parts,” Kumakura said. “We can’t say definitely when we will be able to see a rebound.”

In a statement, Toyota seemed to suggest business could normalize somewhat from November.

“Although the outlook for November and beyond is unclear, current demand remains very strong. As a result, the production plan for November and beyond assumes that the previous plan will be maintained,” it said, cautioning that things are still in flux. “We are continuing to assess expected production in October, and we will announce additional details in mid-September.”

Kumakura said Toyota will do all it can to make up the lost volume later in the fiscal year.

“As for our recovery plans, we have already planned for production at high levels for the second half of this fiscal year, so we will be working closely with our production department to work out details,” the Toyota procurement manager said. “We will likely consider introducing weekend shifts and revise operations. We will consider how much we can recover.”

Despite the dented production plan, CFO Kenta Kon said Toyota would keep its operating profit forecast unchanged for the current fiscal year. Toyota should be able to stabilize profits, despite making fewer cars, because of cost controls and a beneficial foreign exchange rate, he said.

Kon conceded that the production cutbacks could impact fiscal year revenue, but he said that the company was holding its revenue outlook steady for now.

Toyota had largely confounded the industry by ramping up output and notching record profits despite the pandemic-microchip double whammy. In the company’s fiscal first quarter ended June 30, the automaker reported all-time high quarterly operating profit as well as record fiscal first-quarter results for net income, revenue, and global retail sales. But it surprised last month by warning of big production reductions for September in virtually every major market.

Thanks for reading about vehicle inventory shortages.

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 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.2021 Silverado microchip shortage

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?new 2021 Equinox microchip shortage

Visit our showroom or call our Customer Care Team.

We Can Help!2021 Traverse microchip shortages

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 ShotsNew 2021 Chevy Camaro Convertible microchip shortage

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

early bird gets the worm
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.

Corvette E Ray mystery button

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.corvette secret button regen button

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.

Corvette E Ray Regen Button

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.

Thanks for reading about the Corvette E Ray Mystery Button .

Subscribe to GM Authority for more mid-engine Corvette news, Corvette C8 news, Corvette news, Chevy news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.

Video electric Chevy Silverado

The All-Electric Silverado, powered by Ultium, has been engineered to deliver pure electric power. It will be manufactured at Factory Zero, a plant purpose-built to produce electric vehicles. Join us on this unprecedented ride as more information is revealed about the first-ever electric truck from Chevrolet.

For additional information on the electric Chevy Silverado, please call our Customer Care Team at 1-630-898-9630.  Or, visit our website to check out our gas-powered new and used Silverado trucks.

Available Four-Wheel Steer is a chassis feature that allows the vehicle to steer all four wheels, enabling increased agility and tighter turning radius at low speeds, improved handling and stability at higher speeds, as well as great trailering dynamics. So you can turn circles – tight circles – around obstacles.

Check out this video by Brian Mello that offers more information on the electric Chevy Silverado.

Automotive Chip Shortage Update

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!

Chevrolet silverado 1500 order update

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.

Thanks for reading about Chevrolet silverado 1500 order update.

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.”

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

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.”

Thanks for reading about how GM invests in fort wayne assembly.

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.

Thanks for reading about the Latest Microchip Updates.

2022 Chevy Trailblazers are in stock now

The eye-catching 2022 Chevy Trailblazers are in stock now.

New 2022-trailblazers-for-sale-now at Ron Westphal Chevrolet in Aurora, IL
Jump for Joy!

 

When it comes to design, Trailblazer takes the lead with a variety of attractive exterior styling options and a thoughtfully constructed, spacious interior.

2021 and 2022 Chevy Trailblazer was introduced to take the place of the Chevrolet Trax.   The Trailblazer is slightly smaller than the Chevrolet Equinox.  These Trailblazers are being sold about as fast as they come off the transport truck.  So, if you want the latest inventory update please call our Customer Care Team at 630-898-9630.  In many cases, the 2022 Trailblazers are being sold and delivered before they can make it to our website.  If you prefer, you may visit our website anytime.

2022 Chevy Trailblazer in stock
This beauty is for sale at Ron Westphal Chevrolet

The 2022 Chevy Trailblazers starts at a very affordable $21,600.