GM to restart pickup output; adds downtime at crossover and sedan plants due to shortage of chips

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the restart date for the Lansing Delta Township, Spring Hill, and Ramos Arizpe assembly plants.
General Motors will resume production of full-size pickup trucks on Monday, as planned, after cutting production this week due to global microchip shortages, the automaker said Wednesday. But six other North American factories will experience additional downtime, including Fairfax Assembly, which has been shut down for nearly six months.
GM’s pickup plants — Flint Assembly in Michigan, Silao Assembly in Mexico and Fort Wayne Assembly in Indiana — will resume full production on Monday. Flint had only worked one shift this week, and Fort Wayne and Silao were idling.
The chip shortage has hampered production at GM and other automakers since the start of this year. GM has prioritized chips for its lucrative full-size pickup and SUV segments over crossovers and sedans. AutoForecast Solutions estimates that the chip crisis has reduced vehicle production in North America by 1.8 million vehicles so far. He predicts the total impact could reach 2.1 million.
GM has scheduled additional downtime at six other plants:
Lansing Delta Township, Spring Hill, Ramos Arizpe assembly plants: each of the plants will take an additional week of shutdown. GM now expects production to restart on August 9 after closing on July 19. Ramos, Mexico builds the Chevrolet Blazer and Equinox. Spring Hill, Tennessee, builds the Cadillac XT5 and XT6 and the GMC Acadia. Lansing Delta Township, Michigan builds the Chevy Traverse and the Buick Enclave.
San Luis Potosi Assembly: The Mexico plant will add an additional three weeks of shutdown and is now expected to resume production on August 23. The plant has been out of order since July 19. It builds the Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain.
Lansing Grand River Assembly: GM plans to resume production at the Michigan plant on August 30, two weeks later than planned. Production of the Cadillac CT4 and CT5 sedans at the plant has been declining since May 10. Production of the Chevy Camaro, also built in Lansing Grand River, will not be affected.
Fairfax Assembly: The Kansas City plant will take an additional four weeks of shutdown. It was scheduled to resume production on August 23. Now, Cadillac XT4 production is scheduled to restart on September 20, but Chevrolet Malibu production will remain idle, GM said. Fairfax has been down since February 8.