DETROIT — General Motors will add downtime at several crossover and sedan plants because of the global microchip shortage, the automaker said Thursday. GM also plans next week to idle Orion Assembly, which builds the Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV, for the first time since the chip crisis began.
Until now, the chip crisis had not impacted GM's electric vehicle production. The automaker has kept plans in place to launch the GMC Hummer pickup EV later this year and the Cadillac Lyriq electric crossover in early 2022.
Orion Assembly, in Michigan, will go down Aug. 23 and is expected to resume production Aug. 30. No pickup or full-size SUV plants are expected to shut down next week, GM said.
AutoForecast Solutions estimates that total production losses resulting from the microchip shortage could climb to more than 7.1 million vehicles globally.
GM added downtime at the following plants:
Lansing Delta Township Assembly: The Michigan plant will be idle for an additional two weeks. Production is expected to restart Sept. 6. The plant, which builds the Chevy Traverse and Buick Enclave, has been down since July 19.
Spring Hill Assembly: The Tennessee plant will be down starting Aug. 23. The plant, which builds the Cadillac XT5 and XT6 and the GMC Acadia, is expected to resume production Sept. 6.
Ramos Arizpe Assembly: Production of the Chevy Blazer at the Mexico plant will be down the weeks of Aug. 23 and Aug. 30. GM expects to restart Blazer production Sept. 6. The plant's Chevy Equinox production stoppage will extend by two weeks and is expected to resume Sept. 20.
CAMI Assembly: The Canada plant, which builds the Equinox, will take an additional two weeks of downtime and is expected to restart Sept. 20.
San Luis Potosi Assembly: The plant in Mexico, which builds the Equinox and GMC Terrain, will add two weeks of downtime and is expected to restart Sept. 20.
Lansing Grand River: The plant in Michigan will extend downtime of Cadillac CT4 and CT5 sedan production until Sept. 20. Chevrolet Camaro production will not be affected, and the plant will continue limited production of the CT4-V and CT5-V Blackwing performance sedans.
