"The salesman was pretty vague but hinted it could be 2024 by the time we get the car," Chiasson said in an interview from Bathurst, N.B. Canadians across the country are facing lengthy wait times for new vehicles as an ongoing supply chain crunch and shortage of computer chips hinders carmakers from making enough to meet demand.
"We've had periods of layoffs or reduced hours for at least 10 weeks in all of these facilities between January and September of this year," Unifor national president Lana Payne said in an interview. The auto industry halted production early in the pandemic, prompting chip suppliers to sell to electronics manufacturers instead.
In some cases, if the missing chip is part of a bonus feature, the vehicle can be assembled and sold as is and upgraded later. Other chips are needed to sell the car, but the entire vehicle can be built and the missing chip added later, just before its sold. "Due to the unprecedented global microchip shortage, there has been an impact on production at the Windsor and Brampton assembly plants over the last two years," said LouAnn Gosselin, a spokesperson for Stellantis Canada, which makes vehicles like the Chrysler Pacifica and Dodge Charger.Honda Canada spokesperson John Bordignon said significant global issues are still "very much a part of the new vehicle availability and delivery process.