From the PlayStation 5 to the Huawei P50 that ships with fourth-generation connectivity instead of 5G technology, the chip shortage affects many industries. The auto sector is especially incapacitated, and the latest automobile to feel the semiconductor crunch is the Gladiator.
According to Detroit News, the Ohio-based Toledo South Assembly Plant will grind to a halt next week. On the bright side, the Brampton Assembly Plant in Ontario where Stellantis builds the Dodge Challenger, Charger, and Chrysler 300 will resume production thanks to a new batch of microchips.
Other plants that are scheduled to come back online are Windsor (Chrysler minivans), Belvidere (Jeep Cherokee), and Toluca (Jeep Compass). Carlos Tavares, the big kahuna of Stellantis, expects the shortage to continue well into 2022 because only a handful of companies produce these vital chips.
Stellantis will continue to manufacture the Jeep Wrangler at the Toledo North Assembly Plant, and it’s not exactly hard to understand why the company has diverted so many semiconductors to the two-door JL and four-door JLU.
With the brand-new Ford Bronco arriving in showrooms nationwide, the 4x4 specialist needs to churn out as many Wranglers as possible in order to steal a few customers away from the Blue Oval. You know, those peeps who don’t want to wait until 2022 or 2023 for delivery.
Turning our attention back to the Gladiator, the mid-size pickup truck is preparing to receive a plug-in hybrid powertrain à la the Wrangler 4xe. Until then, U.S. customers will have to make do with a couple of V6 powerplants.
The 3.6-liter Pentastar is the one to have because it’s available with a six-speed manual and an eight-speed automatic while the auto-only EcoDiesel promises a little more torque from a 3.0-liter displacement. For the 2021 model year, Jeep offers a total of 10 trim levels: Sport, Willys Sport, Sport S, Willys, 80th Anniversary, Freedom, Overland, the off-road Rubicon, Mojave, and the range-topping High Altitude that starts at $52,240 sans taxes.
Other plants that are scheduled to come back online are Windsor (Chrysler minivans), Belvidere (Jeep Cherokee), and Toluca (Jeep Compass). Carlos Tavares, the big kahuna of Stellantis, expects the shortage to continue well into 2022 because only a handful of companies produce these vital chips.
Stellantis will continue to manufacture the Jeep Wrangler at the Toledo North Assembly Plant, and it’s not exactly hard to understand why the company has diverted so many semiconductors to the two-door JL and four-door JLU.
With the brand-new Ford Bronco arriving in showrooms nationwide, the 4x4 specialist needs to churn out as many Wranglers as possible in order to steal a few customers away from the Blue Oval. You know, those peeps who don’t want to wait until 2022 or 2023 for delivery.
Turning our attention back to the Gladiator, the mid-size pickup truck is preparing to receive a plug-in hybrid powertrain à la the Wrangler 4xe. Until then, U.S. customers will have to make do with a couple of V6 powerplants.
The 3.6-liter Pentastar is the one to have because it’s available with a six-speed manual and an eight-speed automatic while the auto-only EcoDiesel promises a little more torque from a 3.0-liter displacement. For the 2021 model year, Jeep offers a total of 10 trim levels: Sport, Willys Sport, Sport S, Willys, 80th Anniversary, Freedom, Overland, the off-road Rubicon, Mojave, and the range-topping High Altitude that starts at $52,240 sans taxes.