Ford and Chevy’s supply chain woes are affecting the cool cars now

Photo by Clara Margais/picture alliance via Getty Images

According to Jalopnik, Ford and Chevrolet have halted production of their flagship performance cars for a week due to supply chain issues. While the pauses probably won't make it harder to get a muscle car, they are just the latest in a string of automotive delays caused by shortages of chips and other supplies.

The chip shortage is the reason Ford is not making cars at its Flat Rock assembly plant. The company has had to cut back on the production of the F-150 and other vehicles multiple times, and earlier this year it started selling Explorers that were missing.

Fox Business says that the company didn't comment on exactly why it was pausing production at its Lansing Grand River facility. The company had to shut down six of its US-based plants last year, and dropped features like wireless charging and gas-saving Active Fuel Management from some of its vehicles. It blamed the shortages for the dip in sales that gave Toyota the top spot in the US.

Ford and GM took steps to improve the situation late last year, they announced partnerships with chipmakers. It can take years to design your own chips or change manufacturing, and any company that touches technology is fighting to get it right now.

The supply chain has been stressed by the Pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In the past two months, BMW, Nissan, andTesla have all halted production at some of their factories due to the chip shortage. Toyota and Volvo had to make production cuts.

It becomes harder for consumers to buy cars as they struggle with production. When new cars are available, they have gotten more expensive, and some used cars are being sold for more than they cost new.