MT. MORRIS, Mich - Due to a worldwide semiconductor shortage thousands of new trucks are being stored in a field in Mt. Morris.
General Motors says despite the chip shortage the company is going ahead and manufacturing vehicles and would be installing the chips when they do become available.
David Barnas with General Motors released the following statement:
When there is a shortage of semiconductors that impacts production, in some cases we intend to build vehicles without certain modules and will complete them as soon as possible. It’s better for our customers, dealers, and employees at the plant as opposed to not building at all. Importantly, it will help us quickly meet the strong customer demand for our products as more semiconductors become available and we are able to complete the vehicles at the assembly plants and ship them to dealers
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According to the Detroit Free Press, The chips are tiny transistors made from silicon, which is found in most of the minerals on the earth's surface. They allow computers, smart phones, appliances and other electrical devices to function. Vehicles use chips, too.
Silicon feeds a $500 billion chip industry, according to a report by the BBC. The chips underpin a global tech economy worth an estimated $3 trillion, the report said. The raw materials for the semiconductor business often come from Japan and Mexico, with the chips made in Taiwan, China and some in the U.S.
The Free Press also reports, the chip shortage is a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which increased demand for the personal electronics such as cell phones and laptops that the chips are used in to the point where production could not keep pace with demand.