Ford Mustang & Chevy Camaro production suspended..

[BlackSheep214]

This was in the news tonight...

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/ford-mustang-and-chevrolet-camaro-production-suspended/ar-AAVPDQX?li=BBnb7Kz

 

Shortage of semi conductors. Yeah right... they’re on the ships at port on both coasts.

[peteski]

They are probably using whatever chips they have left to make SUVs as those are much better sellers than the sporty coupes.

[iamsuperdan]

Meh, this has been going on with all the manufacturers, on all their models over the past year or so.

 

A few weeks ago, the F150 factory was on pause for a week or so.

Toyota's RAV4 factory was down for two or three weeks.

Jeep's Grand Cherokee/Grand Wagoneer factory took a couple of weeks off.

Last summer, GM, Ford, and Stellantis stopped with SUVs for a while.

 

All the brands are doing it, sending chips where they can, trying to get as much built as they can, without letting any one product line get too far behind.

 

I currently have 14 F150s and 2 Ford Super Duties on microprocessor hold right now. All were produced in January,  sent to storage, and all have an estimated ship date in May. So we'll see.

 

[Ace-Garageguy]

That's what happens when you have to outsource production necessities because of short-sighted management practices going back decades...

[iamsuperdan]

Completely. In this case, let's put all the microprocessor eggs in essentially one basket. Maybe two baskets, but they're owned by the same farmer. Great idea.

 

*sigh*

 

 

[TarheelRick]

Not sure I really understand the microprocessor shortage.  I have been shopping for a new F-150 for the past couple of months.  One of the largest local dealers of fleet vehicles has 3 or 4 acres of white vehicles (F-150-450, Transits all sizes, Escapes, even some Mavericks), none for sale to the general public.  All he had on the lot for general public sale was two $58K+ F-150's.  So why is there not a shortage in microprocessors for these fleet vehicles?

[misterNNL]

19 minutes ago, TarheelRick said:

Not sure I really understand the microprocessor shortage.  I have been shopping for a new F-150 for the past couple of months.  One of the largest local dealers of fleet vehicles has 3 or 4 acres of white vehicles (F-150-450, Transits all sizes, Escapes, even some Mavericks), none for sale to the general public.  All he had on the lot for general public sale was two $58K+ F-150's.  So why is there not a shortage in microprocessors for these fleet vehicles?

Something smells like money talks and wins the chip lottery.

[keyser]

More money in customer cars than fleet. Less stuff needing nav chips, luxo stuff. 
Dealer already paid for anything in stock, paying interest while it sits. 
Not the dark conspiracy. 

[Mark]

Camaro sales have been in the dumper since the last restyle.  Why waste effort building cars few people want?  Even prior to all of this, the current generation car was likely to be the last.  Unless GM reinvents it as electric, that is still likely true.

[iamsuperdan]

12 hours ago, TarheelRick said:

Not sure I really understand the microprocessor shortage.  I have been shopping for a new F-150 for the past couple of months.  One of the largest local dealers of fleet vehicles has 3 or 4 acres of white vehicles (F-150-450, Transits all sizes, Escapes, even some Mavericks), none for sale to the general public.  All he had on the lot for general public sale was two $58K+ F-150's.  So why is there not a shortage in microprocessors for these fleet vehicles?

As Fleet Sales Manager for a Ford dealer, I have some insight into this.

Essentially, a fleet spec vehicle is easier to build than a higher spec truck. An F150 XL or fleet-spec XLT is faster to build than a Platinum or Limited. IT has a lot fewer parts, so by cracking out a bunch of fleet trucks, it speeds up the assembly line. ANd in turn, helps Ford with their numbers. Number 1 selling truck for 50 years or whatever! 

The other thing to consider is how many chips a base truck uses compared to a Limited.

At my dealership, we currently have NO trucks in stock for sale. Zero. We have not had an available Transit or Super Duty available for 2022 model year. All of the issues over the past two years or so have resulted in extremely high demand, while the factories can only build so many trucks. And it really ticks off the retail department when they received 12 trucks in March, all pre-sold, while my fleet department received 93 trucks in March. All pre-sold.

 

 

If you are shopping for an F150, your best bet is to sit down with a dealer you like, spec out a factory order, and wait. Finding the right truck on ground will take a while. A factory order should arrive for you this summer. We have F150s ordered in January that will be here by the end of May. Including my new truck!

[Smoke Wagon]

I was interested in the new F-150 when it first came out, but the belt driven oil pump on the 5.0 and the fact that you’d have to turn off auto start/stop every time you drive it sort of put me off. I’m sure there’s a couple good workarounds for that now though. 

[TarheelRick]

4 hours ago, iamsuperdan said:

If you are shopping for an F150, your best bet is to sit down with a dealer you like, spec out a factory order, and wait. Finding the right truck on ground will take a while. A factory order should arrive for you this summer. We have F150s ordered in January that will be here by the end of May. Including my new truck!

I lucked into a new F-150 LT STX.  It has all the bells and whistles that I wanted, plus many more that I don't really need or will ever use.  Only problem it was not the color I wanted, looking for a nice medium or dark blue and this one is a bright "Race Red", but I will get used to it.

[stavanzer]

And, I'll make a bet that, Camaro production never re-starts. Meh Sales, Poor Public Acceptance (thus the poor sales) and the expense to build, means that GM is better off putting the money in some other car line.

[iamsuperdan]

5 hours ago, Smoke Wagon said:

I was interested in the new F-150 when it first came out, but the belt driven oil pump on the 5.0 and the fact that you’d have to turn off auto start/stop every time you drive it sort of put me off. I’m sure there’s a couple good workarounds for that now though. 

Currently, just about all of the 2022 models are being built without the auto start/stop feature. Chip shortage. And it saves you $60 CDN!

[iamsuperdan]

2 hours ago, TarheelRick said:

I lucked into a new F-150 LT STX.  It has all the bells and whistles that I wanted, plus many more that I don't really need or will ever use.  Only problem it was not the color I wanted, looking for a nice medium or dark blue and this one is a bright "Race Red", but I will get used to it.

I love Race Red! We just got our first 2022 F150 in Atlas Blue. Awesome colour.

 

[Brian Austin]

The chip shortage thing is a complicated story.  From what I've heard, the chip manufacturers were caught off-guard by the dynamics of the pandemic just as the other manufacturers.  Auto makers shut down production and cancelled their orders for chips.  The chip makers then anticipated lower demand for automotive chips, so they then turned to other buyers.  Meanwhile auto production ramped back up, but those manufacturers had to get back in line for the chip production that were now going to consumer electronics and such.  On top of all this, there was a fire at an auto chip plant in Japan!

[keyser]

Just-in-time works great until it doesn’t. 
Ukraine did wiring and some chips for VAG too. ???

[Smoke Wagon]

1 hour ago, iamsuperdan said:

Currently, just about all of the 2022 models are being built without the auto start/stop feature. Chip shortage. And it saves you $60 CDN!

I didn’t know that. Sounds like a silver lining to a crummy situation. If you don’t mind my asking, what’s your opinion on the base 3.3L V6 and how often do you think they end up in the service department compared to the Ecoboosts and the 5.0? 

 

[iamsuperdan]

17 minutes ago, Smoke Wagon said:

I didn’t know that. Sounds like a silver lining to a crummy situation. If you don’t mind my asking, what’s your opinion on the base 3.3L V6 and how often do you think they end up in the service department compared to the Ecoboosts and the 5.0? 

 

I'm actually driving a 2020 F150 XLT with the 3.3L right now. Sold my other truck, and using this while waiting for my order to arrive. 

 

It's not a bad engine at all. Fuel economy is great, it has decent power. I wouldn't try towing with it, but for 90% of truck owners out there, it will easily take care of their needs. Regular maintenance is really no different than the other gas engines. We definitely see more EcoBoosts in for service here. A few reasons for that. One, it's the most common engine by a wide margin. Two, it is vastly more complex than the V6 ort the 5.0L. Three, people see the commercials and the hype, and then push the engine beyond it's realistic capabilities.

Personally, I like the EcoBoost, which is why I went that route.

[Dave Van]

Been an issue for 2 years or longer.  My son works production line for Toyota. They have had 1 or 2 'clean up' days a week because of parts issues. Toyota is smart....they are going to their own chip company.  

[Smoke Wagon]

Thanks for the info Dan. About a year ago was when I was looking at getting one.

Another one of those situations where a time machine would be nice to have.?

Now I’ve got a kid on the way and the local dealer is only stocked with overpriced used stuff and a few $60-80K crew cab Limiteds, K.R.s, and Platnums, where are what I had in mind was this:

[Ace-Garageguy]

1 hour ago, keyser said:

Just-in-time works great until it doesn’t. 

Exactly.

But it's a follow-the-leader thing too. Then when it all goes to hell, everybody says they were just doing what everyone else does, established procedure, and more excuse-making CYA drivel bla-bla-bla ad nauseum.

Engineering case in point: there is no GOOD reason for running vehicle functions like power windows, door locks, brake lights, wipers, etc. through a "body module". It's mindless overcomplication that has the ONE possible partially redeeming feature of allowing a vehicle to self-diagnose if the "technician" simply has no clue as to how a basic 12V DC circuit works. Period. It increases the amount of wiring. It requires more chips. It does not promote the kind of long-term bulletproof reliability of secondary systems US vehicles USED to be famous for. (NOTE: ALL the systems that do NOT have microprocessor controls on ALL my old vehicles still operate; it is ONLY the processor-controlled functions that have quit).

In short, it's just stupid. And everybody does it. Because everybody else does.

Edited April 6, 2022 by Ace-Garageguy

[BlackSheep214]

1 hour ago, Brian Austin said:

The chip shortage thing is a complicated story.  From what I've heard, the chip manufacturers were caught off-guard by the dynamics of the pandemic just as the other manufacturers.  Auto makers shut down production and cancelled their orders for chips.  The chip makers then anticipated lower demand for automotive chips, so they then turned to other buyers.  Meanwhile auto production ramped back up, but those manufacturers had to get back in line for the chip production that were now going to consumer electronics and such.  On top of all this, there was a fire at an auto chip plant in Japan!

Complicated? LOL! Try dock workers simply quit at the docks on both coasts. They're on those cargo ships waiting to be unloaded. 

[deuces wild]

On 4/6/2022 at 2:10 PM, TarheelRick said:

I lucked into a new F-150 LT STX.  It has all the bells and whistles that I wanted, plus many more that I don't really need or will ever use.  Only problem it was not the color I wanted, looking for a nice medium or dark blue and this one is a bright "Race Red", but I will get used to it.

Nothing wrong with race red.... Ask me how I know....??