Ford Motor Co. exhibits a new Ford F-150 2021 pickup at the Rouge Complex in Dearborn, Michigan on September 17, 2020.
Rebecca Cook | Reuters
Ford Motor said on Thursday that the global shortage of semiconductor chips and winter storms that affect the availability of other parts in the U.S. are causing it to cancel shifts at two factories and build F-150 pickups and Edge SUVs without certain parts. .
The automaker plans to complete construction of the F-150 and Edge models in “a few weeks” when parts, including some semiconductor electronic components, are available. The number of vehicles impacted is expected to be “in the thousands,” according to a Ford spokesman. She declined to be more specific due to the volatility of chip shortages.
Production cancellations include three shifts until Friday at a plant in Kentucky that produces Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair crossovers. Ford also confirmed downtime earlier this month, as well as a day next week at a factory in Germany that produces the Ford Fiesta car, which is no longer sold in the U.S.
Ford’s shares are the most recent, while the auto industry tries to deal with the global chip shortage. Consulting firm AlixPartners estimates that the chip shortage will cut $ 60.6 billion in revenue from the global automotive industry this year.
Ford said the chip shortage could cut its earnings by $ 1 billion to $ 2.5 billion this year.
Ford’s biggest rival across the city, General Motors, has already confirmed that it is also partially building some pickup trucks in an effort to keep factories running amid chip shortages. GM expects the chip shortage to cut $ 1.5 billion to $ 2.5 billion from its free cash flow in 2021.