Ford forced to park thousands of unfinished vehicles – media – RT World News
Parts shortages reportedly prompted company to leave trucks at former NASCAR track
Ford Motor Co. continues to be plagued by parts shortages, so much so that America’s largest automaker has reportedly resorted to parking thousands of unfinished pickup trucks at an inactive former NASCAR track in Kentucky.
Footage posted online purports to show huge parking lots at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Ky., crowded with rows of new Ford trucks. Automotive media, such as The Drive, reported this week that the hidden vehicles are partially finished trucks that cannot be completed or shipped to customers because some parts are unavailable.
Ford apparently started transporting trucks to the highway in late August. The Drive released satellite photos of the facility from August 24 to September 19, showing once-empty parking lots filled with vehicles.
Major automakers have been grappling with prolonged shortages of computer chips since last year. Ford parts shortages are widespread, ranging from wiper motors to infotainment systems. In fact, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that the company even had shortages of its iconic « blue oval » badges and nameplates that identify vehicle models.
Ford announced earlier this week that it has up to 45,000 unfinished vehicles in inventory that will not be completed by the end of September due to parts shortages. The company added that its third-quarter costs would be about $1 billion higher than forecast due to runaway inflation.
Ford’s production was also buoyed at one point last year, when it warehoused some vehicles at Kentucky Speedway. The Drive reported that the company has turned to other overflow sites for its unfinished vehicles, including a closed munitions plant in Charlestown, Indiana, about 25 miles from the Ford plant in Louisville, Kentucky. The Louisville plant produces models such as the Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair sport utility vehicles.
The highway situation not only reflects continued outages in US supply chains, but also the decline of NASCAR. The 87,000-seat track opened in June 2000, near the height of NASCAR’s popularity, but was pulled from the racing circuit in 2020. Once touted as America’s fastest-growing professional sport , NASCAR has suffered a sharp decline in attendance and television ratings since 2006. .
Customers had to wait on long waiting lists for some Ford models, like the F-150 Lightning electric pickup. Last month, Ford announced price increases of up to $8,500 for the Lightning.
rt
