Stellantis’ plant in Windsor, Ontario, the auto giant’s minivans are assembled, will sit idle for an extra week due to a shortage of semiconductors. The supply chain simply isn't delivering at the rate the company had hoped.
Assembly at the Windsor facility was scheduled to resume on Jan. 24, but the break will last at least another week, reports Automotive News Canada.
“Stellantis continues to work closely with our suppliers to mitigate the manufacturing impacts caused by the various supply chain issues facing our industry. Due to the unprecedented global microchip shortage, production at the Windsor Assembly Plant will be down the week of Jan. 24,” company spokeswoman LouAnn Gosselin said via a statement.
Production had been halted for weeks as the automaker seeks “to align production with global sales”, Gosselin previously told Automotive News Canada.
The plant currently employs 4,500 people working two shifts , though one of those is scheduled to be eliminated this spring. The decline in sales of models in this category is behind that move, and that decline can be explained at least in part by the fact that since the abandonment of the Dodge Grand Caravan, there are no more really affordable versions for customers. The vehicle that replaced it, the Chrysler Grand Caravan, is available for between $35,000 and $40,000. Not so long ago, buyers could get a variant for $25,000.
The Windsor plant assembles the Chrysler Pacifica (regular and hybrid versions), the Chrysler Grand Caravan for the Canadian market, as well as the Chrysler Voyager for fleets in the United States.
Stellantis sold 4,505 Pacifica models in Canada last year compared to 2733 in 2020. It also sold 2,721 Chrysler Grand Caravans in 2021. In 2019, the company delivered 27,982. Even in the midst of the pandemic, in 2020, 22,884 models were sold.