Nissan will cut production at a number of North American assembly plants over the semiconductor shortage that continues to impact the car industry.
Nissan has canceled weekend overtime to build the Rogue, Maxima and Leaf as its Smyrna, Tennessee factory and has also suspended production of the Murano until Monday March 22. Elsewhere, the Japanese automaker has idled the Altima’s production line at its Canton, Mississippi site until Monday and canceled weekend overtime dedicated to the NV commercial van. Nissan also builds the Titan and Frontier at this facility, but their production will not be affected.
Auto News reports that Nissan has also halted production of the Versa and Kicks at its Aguascalientes, Mexico site until Tuesday, March 23.
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“We continue to work closely with our supplier partners to assess the impact of supply chain issues and minimize disruption for vehicle deliveries to our dealers and customers,” Nissan spokesman Brian Brockman said in a statement.
This isn’t the first time Nissan has felt the pinch from the chip shortage. In early January, the company reduced production output of the Note at its Oppama factory in Japan and is thought to have produced 10,000 fewer examples in January than originally planned. It also briefly halted production of the Altima and its pickup trucks earlier in the year.
The global shortage of semiconductors was triggered by a number of factors, namely the increased demand for consumer electronics last year and the decreased demand for new vehicles which caused automakers to cut orders for chips. As demand for new cars has quickly recovered, many brands have found themselves without adequate supplies of semiconductors.
