As the Chicago Auto Show gears up for a return to McCormick Place, production at the only Chicago auto plant has once again ground to a halt.
Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant shut down this week due to the global semiconductor shortage, now entering its second year of roiling the auto industry. Production was also suspended at Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant, which makes the Bronco and Ranger, while F-150 production was curtailed at its Kansas City plant.
“The global semiconductor shortage continues to affect Ford’s North American plants — along with automakers and other industries around the world,” Ford spokeswoman Kelli Felker said in an email Tuesday.
The Ford plant on the city’s Southeast Side, which makes the Ford Explorer, Lincoln Aviator and Police Interceptor SUVs, was closed for much of last spring because of the chip shortage. It reopened in June, but production was halted several times before resuming at full capacity in September.
Other than a “minor interruption” in October, the plant had been operating at full production, with about 4,900 employees working three shifts, until the shutdown Monday, Felker said. The automaker did not say how long the production halt would last.
“Behind the scenes, we have teams working on how to maximize production, with a continued commitment to building every high-demand vehicle for our customers with the quality they expect,” Felker said.
The semiconductor shortage has disrupted the auto industry since February 2021, halting production, reducing inventory and raising new and used car prices for consumers. The chips control everything from collision-avoidance sensors to infotainment systems, a crucial component in increasingly computerized vehicles.
The plant shutdowns come as the Chicago Auto Show returns to McCormick Place beginning Saturday, offering traditional indoor exhibits, test tracks and perhaps the best chance to see new cars in person during the chip shortage.
Seven months after its pandemic-driven special summer edition, the 2022 auto show is scheduled to run Feb. 12-21 — its traditional timing — with what promoters expect to be a familiar if slightly scaled-down version of the annual car-gazing event.
Ford is planning a robust presence at the show, including two indoor test tracks, one of which will feature its Bronco lineup — which are among the vehicles temporarily out of production due to the chip shortage.
