Ford is facing a crisis. Like all automakers, it’s a problem on two fronts: on the one hand, having inventory-Hungry dealers need cars to sell, and on the other hand, have parking lot with vehicles piled up still unfinished due to lack of computer chip. Things had become so desperate that, Automotive News reported, Ford just said “twist it, “choose” ship and sell these unfinished cars and install the missing features at a later date.
The move comes as dealers are becoming desperate as their lots are almost sold out. Car dealerships, and there are a lot of cars sitting a lot near Ford facilities in the midwest – they just don’t have French fries. During a dealer meeting in Vegas, Ford outlined his plans but offered no timetable for when to actually start sending these cars to dealers.
“Ford spokesman Said Deep said in a statement.
So if you’re looking for an Explorer, it’s unlikely your vehicle will be equipped with rear climate control. Ford also said it gave customers the option to order their F-150s without auto-start/stop (a feature I don’t think too many people will miss). But Ford will install the features “at a later date.”Or within a year. Fortunately, all this will be done for free, and Ford will reduce the car’s price because of the lack of features.
These moves show just how much of an impact the chip shortages have had on automakers and the length of time some are willing to go to get their hands on dealers and customers’ cars. While the features customers are missing out on because of a shortage are little things that most people won’t miss, let’s keep this from getting worse. I wouldn’t want a car with a useless 10-inch touchscreen.
