Ford cutting shifts, partly fabricating F-150 pickups and Edge SUVs because of global chip shortage

Ford Motor on Thursday said the global shortage of semiconductor chips and winter storms affecting the accessibility of different parts in the U.S. is making it drop shifts at two plants and construct F-150 pickups and Edge SUVs without specific parts.

The automaker intends to finish assembling the F-150 and Edge models in “several weeks” when the parts, incorporating some electronic components with semiconductors, are accessible.

The quantity of vehicles affected is relied upon to be “in the thousands,” as per a Ford representative. She declined to be more specific because of the unpredictability of the chip lack.

The production cancellations include three shifts through Friday at a plant for Kentucky that produces Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair crossovers. Ford affirmed downtime earlier this month as well as a day one week from now at a plant in Germany that produces the Ford Fiesta vehicle, which is no longer sold in the U.S.

Ford’s activities are the most recent as the automobile industry endeavors to manage the global chip shortage. Counseling firm AlixPartners gauges the chip lack to cut $60.6 billion in revenue from the global automotive industry this year.

Ford has said the chip lack could bring down its earnings by $1 billion to $2.5 billion this year.

Ford’s biggest crosstown adversary, General Motors, recently affirmed it additionally is partially building a few pickups with an end goal to keep production lines running in the midst of the chip shortage. GM anticipates that the chip shortage should slice $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion from its free cash flow in 2021.