The global chip shortage remains a very critical issue in a wide array of manufacturing fields as companies grapple with meeting their production targets amidst the continuing chip shortage. General Motors have had some of its key components like heated seats and heated steering wheels dropped as a temporary measure.
General Motors had confirmed a few days back that it will not be offering heated and ventilated seats or heated steering wheels on some Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, and GMC vehicles due to lack of supplies of the relevant chips to automate these components. The temporary measures will affect vehicles on the 2022 lineup, as the company seeks ways to overcome the semiconductor shortage and prevent production from stalling.
On the surface, it seems these changes are just minor adjustments that should not significantly affect the comfort of passengers in these vehicles. However, heated seats are among the very popular features and options that attract the attention of new buyers. General Motors insist that the changes are temporary pending when the company’s chip supplies improve substantially. Although GM was silent on how long the new approach will last, industry watchers had projected that the global chip shortage could extend deep into 2022, across all segments of the tech ecosystem.
The changes are not across all trims; hence some vehicles will still adorn these features. The changes will also reflect in the price of the models, as they will be priced lower than the models sporting these features. Shoppers will see the changes on the vehicle’s label and a credit on the price for the missing feature. General Motors says it has had significant improvements in its chip supplies and its plants across the US are working, some overtime to clear the production backlog. A few other features which were excluded previously like the side blind zone alert and Super Cruise have now been restored.
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