Ford Replenishes Chip Supply, Finishes Thousands of F-150 Pickups

• Ford has received a new supply of semiconductor chips, ending a shortage that has caused major production stoppages this year across the auto industry.
• The chips will be installed on thousands of Ford F-series trucks that had been built and parked, waiting for the parts, in lots across several states.
• F-series sales dropped nearly 30 percent in June over year-earlier figures as dealers ran out of new stock, but for the year as a whole, they’re down only 1.5 percent and there’s little chance the big-selling trucks are any less popular.

The shortage of semiconductor chips has plagued automakers for months, slowing production lines and causing dwindling inventories, but Ford has taken a major step toward ameliorating the situation. The company has received a fresh supply of chips, which it will now install into thousands of F-series trucks that were waiting for them. F-series sales had dipped dramatically in June as a result of the supply woes, but this horde of new trucks will likely boost those figures back up.

Ford did not specify how many vehicles would become available thanks to the influx of semiconductors, but according to the Detroit Free Press, the company had thousands of F-series pickups fully assembled, except for the chip. These trucks have been parked in lots across Michigan, Kentucky, and Missouri, all states that have an F-series factory. Car and Driver reached out to Ford, which declined comment on where the new supply of semiconductors came from.

The effects of the shortage and empty dealer lots was plain to see in the sales results. In June, F-series sales sank 29.9 percent compared to June 2020, even though the United States was in the midst of a pandemic last year. Ford’s overall sales were also down 26.9 percent year over year. Still, one slow month for the F-series is just a blip on the radar—with 362,032 units sold in the first half of the year, F-series sales are down only 1.5 percent overall.The effects of the shortage and empty dealer lots was plain to see in the sales results. In June, F-series sales sank 29.9 percent compared to June 2020, even though the United States was in the midst of a pandemic last year. Ford’s overall sales were also down 26.9 percent year over year. Still, one slow month for the F-series is just a blip on the radar—with 362,032 units sold in the first half of the year, F-series sales are down only 1.5 percent overall.