Posted on 12/10/2022 6:21:47 PM PST by dennisw
News emerged this week that Ford has parked around 40,000 unfinished new vehicles waiting for parts.
If you thought parts shortages couldn't get any worse for the auto industry than they did last year, then it's time to hit reset. We've seen multiple car companies, including international giants like Honda and Toyota, struggle to deliver vehicles simply because they can't source the components they need. The same is true with Ford, which announced this week that up to 45,000 vehicles will be held in its inventory this quarter until they receive essential parts—mainly chips.
The Blue Oval has made use of Kentucky Speedway's many lots to store its many trucks until they can be sent to dealers. We reported on this in May 2021, and while Ford eventually worked its way through that stockpile, more started flooding in toward the end of August. Nearly a month later, the situation has gotten visibly worse.
You can see that the auxiliary lots to the east of Kentucky Speedway were just the beginning. Now, the race track is surrounded by thousands of Super Duty pickups that have never even been titled. It's a clear representation of what Ford and many others, both domestic and international, continue to face as demand far outpaces production capacity.
Pat Brindley Roeder, a Kentucky local who also witnessed the influx in parked trucks last year, says this is just one of the locations Ford is using for storage. She tells me that many more are being held at a former ammunition plant in Charlestown, Indiana, which is about 25 minutes from the Super Duty plant.
That could certainly be part of why they are sold overseas and not here, sure.
FWIW
OVER ONE THIRD OF FORD F-150 OWNERS HAVE $1,000+ MONTHLY BILL
By Brett Foote
October 12, 2022 7:52 am
https://fordauthority.com/2022/10/over-one-third-of-ford-f-150-owners-have-1000-monthly-bill/
PARKING LOT
The Parking Lot is situated on 140 acres of flat land, this gravel space can be formed to meet any need you may have. Additionally, our convenient pedestrian walk way allows your guests to travel under Highway 35 away from incoming traffic. This space can be utilized for heavy equipment auctions, trade shows, product demonstration or anything else you may have in mind.
Location: Off of Interstate 71 across from the corporate office
Space: 140 acres
Parking: 20,000
https://www.kentuckyspeedway.com/business/
Thanks. I just can’t see buying a $70K truck and using it as a truck.
Microchip manufacturing requires Industrial NEON gas. Three countries produce the primary supply……China, Russia and Ukraine. Ukraine produced most of the world’s industrial NEON in facilities in Mariupol and Odessa. Both cities targeted in the Russian invasion and both vitally important to the world’s semiconductor industry.
Industrial chip grade NEON is difficult to refine in quantity and it is impractical to build refineries just anywhere since they rely heavily in byproducts from steel production to refine NEON. If you started a refinery here in the US it would take at least a year to build and get online and the final product would likely be so expensive that it would not be feasible to sell. Industry is looking at alternatives but there are very few options.
>>I just can’t see buying a $70K truck and using it as a truck.<<
Sounds like you don’t really need a truck. lol
At least they got made!
I remember when you could buy a WORK truck.
No frills just endurance and power.
I have not purchased a new vehicle for over 20 years. I am always on the lookout for low mileage used vehicles, usually owned by estates. Whenever I come across one I buy it for cash. I am currently driving a 10-year-old Honda Ridgeline with less than 35K miles. My wife is driving a 20-year-old Lincoln with about 25K miles.
I am a Ford guy. I have a 2010 Expedition with a 5.4 liter
V-8. Main purpose is to pull a 7000 lb camper. Ford tells me that I can pull it with their 3.5 liter 6 cylinder turbo engine. BULL.
Now my options are to hang on to a vehicle that has 300K miles or go up to a 3/4 ton truck which will cost me $80K+.
My next move will probably be to get a rebuilt bored out engine and a better transmission.
Ford trucks: “No two alike”
They’re never finished anyway.
There are aftermarket EFI systems that you can tune any way you want, and even on the fly. I believe some can run the coils too.
2010 one after I closed our shop (Obama Care effect), my partner and I were working out of our respective homes trying the keep the company name alive doing mobile service of air suspension.
Got a call from a Lincoln dealership; they sold a new, last year of production Towncar but it did not have air suspension as they always have since 1990…can we help to complete the sale?
I drove out and inspected the new Towncar, all mounting bosses were still there plus the mounting space for the compressor but no way to add a computer (tied to steering) or factory wiring harness.
Their “factory trained” techs turned down the job.
I told them we needed to research a plan and five days later I picked and drove off the new, untitled Towncar to my house.
We added all new FOMOCO compressor, air springs, airlines and height sensor and found a wiring harness that could give us two input signals (add & vent).
We used a bank to three analog cube relays to control compressor, air spring valves and vent valve from the signals of the height sensor. We went to the GM mode of ignition on only for power instead of Ford’s always active.
I delivered the Towncar back to the dealership two days later and gathered all the “factory trained” tech’s to go over the vehicle and test it…they were grumbling a few hours later that it passed…with out a computer to control the system.
Got payed and my partner and I got to eat that month.
That’s A GREAT STORY! Amazing competence and creativity.
I’ve enjoyed your MANY posts over time; it’s high time I told you so.
And your bio: OUTSTANDING (love US history)
God bless you, and God bless Texas
I guess I would pass on a truck left to rust outdoors with weeds growing through the brakes and under carriage.
But my company had a very good national reputation back then.
Great story. I always liked Towncars, Crown Vics.
Holy crap! That’s my mortgage payment.
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