In brief: Ford is no different than other automakers struggling to meet demand during the ongoing chip shortage. Rather than wait around for the requisite semiconductors to roll off the assembly line, the automaker has decided to go ahead and ship some partially built vehicles to dealers and have them sold with an IOU.
Automotive News said Ford will move forward with plans to ship partially built vehicles to dealers that’ll be fully drivable and sellable, but with certain non-safety features absent. For example, in the case of select Ford Explorers, they’ll arrive with non-functional rear passenger climate controls.
Ford spokesperson Said Deep told the publication they are offering ways for customers to get their vehicles sooner during the global semiconductor shortage.
With the Explorer, buyers will receive a discount at the time of purchase. Furthermore, they’ll be able to take the vehicle to a local service center and have the missing chip(s) installed at a later date for free.
Just last month, Ford suspended output at eight factories due to the chip shortage.
BMW in November confirmed that it was removing touchscreen functionality from the infotainment systems of some of its new vehicles due to the chip shortage. Affected customers were reportedly offered $500 in exchange for having to control the system using a physical dial on the center console.
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