New Cars Affected By Chip Shortage

If you’ve paid any mind to tech news over the past year or so, then there’s no doubt you’ve heard about the major chip shortage affecting various industries. It’ s made computers more expensive, slowed the supply of other pricey electronics, and it’s even rippling into the auto industry. New cars are being affected by the chip shortage to a heightened degree. Will this impact quality? Will near-future buyers be turning to the California lemon law for cars because this next generation is going to be subpar? Read on, as we try to narrow down some answers.

Why The Chip Shortage Matters

Microchips are used to manufacture just about everything, and that includes a whole bunch of components that go inside of modern automobiles. This means that a lot of the new tech you’ve come to expect (or greatly anticipate) in vehicles just won’t be possible. Cadillac, for instance, has already indicated that it would be suspending the Super Cruise driver assistance on it’s new Escalade SUVs (even though they have since resumend), and there are other big names who are halting features as well, including:

• BMW: Stated that they would have to halt touch screen functionality (part of their vehicles’ info display) on a whole range of models. This will also affect backup assistance technology that’s supposed to be equipped on some vehicles. It won’t, however, affect systems like voice control or the iDrive controller.
• Chevrolet: Those HD radio systems that they planned to put on their Silverado trucks are going to be delayed (just as with the GMC Sierra). Additionally, the heated seating and steering wheel options that were going on various truck and SUV models are going to have to be eliminated from the lineup as well.
• Ford: While Ford planned on having a fancy new satellite navigation on some upcoming models, this development will need to be pushed back due to the shortage.
• GM: It isn’t uncommon to have wireless charging capabilities in new cars these days, but on certain GM model SUVs, that’s an option that’s going to have to wait. What’s more, their Sierra trucks will also be consuming more gas because the chip shortage has impacted the implementation of their Active Fuel Management and Dynamic Fuel Management systems. Expect to burn an extra mile per gallon. And if this wasn’t enough, both the Silverado and Sierra trucks will have to forgo their planned stop-start technology, which would have conferred significant fuel savings.
•  Nissan: The Japanese automaker was going to install new navigation systems in thousands of their vehicles, but will now have to abandon that plan. They’ll also have to ship some of their Frontier and Titan trucks without the spray-in bedliner

The lack of chips is even halting the production of whole automobiles, including:

• The Ford Bronco Sport
• Chevrolet Camaro
• Chevrolet Equinox
• Chevrolet Traverse
• Chevrolet Malibu
• Audi Q7/Q8
• Porsche Cayenne
• Volkswagen Touareg

It’s evident that the chip shortage has impacted automakers in a big way, so you’ll want to keep this in mind if you are planning on making a vehicle purchase in the near future.

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Morgan Wood

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