After three production halts announced during the course of this week, General Motors yesterday confirmed that three other American plants will be temporarily idled, bringing the total number of factories affected by the parts shortage to six.
The latest production halt wave concerning GM includes Detroit-Hamtramck and Wentzville (Mo.), with both plants canceling the single Friday shift and expecting a full restart on Monday. In addition, the former bankrupt automaker suspended work at the Fairfax plant near Kansas City, Kan., which is currently responsible for the production of Chevrolet Malibu and Buick LaCrosse sedan.
Ford finds itself in a similar position, as the Mexican hurricane forced the company idle production at the assembly plant in Oakville, Ontario, which builds the Ford Edge and Flex crossovers, as well as the Lincoln MKT and MKX. According to Autonews, more shutdowns might occur in the near future, but a final decision is yet to be made.
Fiesta's US launch might be also affected by the trouble caused by hurricane Alex. It appears the main delivery route from Mexico was severely damaged by the storm, so shipments have been delayed for a period of 10 days. However, Ford says that the first cars should arrive in the US just in time for the launch.
“We do ship a significant amount of vehicles via railroad, but that doesn't mean we aren't shipping at all,” Ford spokeswoman Angie Kozleski said in a statement. "We just have to reroute it and that takes time.”
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