Photo: Ford
The global chip shortage that came with the health crisis in 2020 turned the super-exciting adventure of buying a new car into a terrible nightmare that nobody knows how to resolve.
The lack of semiconductors has caused massive disruptions in the manufacturing operations of carmakers out there, and this means that new vehicles are shipped with delays nobody would have ever imagined are possible.
Waiting for at least 6, 8, or even 12 months to receive the car you just ordered is something painfully common these days, of course, unless you’re incredibly lucky to find the exact same configuration already in stock because someone else gave up on it.
At first glance, the customers like you and me are most often affected by these huge delays, but on the other hand, there’s another ugly side of the chip shortage.
Police officers out there are also waiting for new patrol cars, and in many cases, their only option is to stick with the high-mileage vehicles they already have.
The police in South Windsor, Connecticut, for example, ordered new patrol cars back in May 2021, but the vehicles are yet to be shipped. The Vernon Police Department also purchased new cars last year, but they are still nowhere to be seen. Suffield officers, too, are using high-mileage patrol cars simply because the new ones hit the shipping delays we’ve told you about.
A recent report highlights the struggle these police departments are fighting right now. More often than not, these high-mileage cars break down regularly, and they require costly fixes that would have been avoided with new and modern fleets.
Unfortunately, the end of the chip shortage still isn’t on the radar. While some analysts and industry experts believe the recovery could start in the second half of the year, others think the chip crisis could last well into 2023 due to the current health issue that also doesn’t seem to be coming to an end.
Waiting for at least 6, 8, or even 12 months to receive the car you just ordered is something painfully common these days, of course, unless you’re incredibly lucky to find the exact same configuration already in stock because someone else gave up on it.
At first glance, the customers like you and me are most often affected by these huge delays, but on the other hand, there’s another ugly side of the chip shortage.
Police officers out there are also waiting for new patrol cars, and in many cases, their only option is to stick with the high-mileage vehicles they already have.
The police in South Windsor, Connecticut, for example, ordered new patrol cars back in May 2021, but the vehicles are yet to be shipped. The Vernon Police Department also purchased new cars last year, but they are still nowhere to be seen. Suffield officers, too, are using high-mileage patrol cars simply because the new ones hit the shipping delays we’ve told you about.
A recent report highlights the struggle these police departments are fighting right now. More often than not, these high-mileage cars break down regularly, and they require costly fixes that would have been avoided with new and modern fleets.
Unfortunately, the end of the chip shortage still isn’t on the radar. While some analysts and industry experts believe the recovery could start in the second half of the year, others think the chip crisis could last well into 2023 due to the current health issue that also doesn’t seem to be coming to an end.
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