This is directly related to the ongoing microchip shortage.
The result will be trucks that will pollute more by getting worse fuel mileage.
This will affect models with the popular 5.3-litre V8 engine.
The global chip shortage is causing massive headaches for nearly all automakers. Most have had to idle various assembly lines for a period of time, dramatically cutting output. For GM, in order to avoid shutting down production of its highly lucrative full-size truck lines, it has decided to skip a module that helps improve fuel economy.
2021 GMC Sierra 1500 | Photo: GMC
Specifically, full-size 2021 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups equipped with the much-appreciated 5.3-litre V8 will do without the trademarked “Active Fuel Management” or “Dynamic Fuel Management” systems GM employs to reduce fuel consumption on these models. This module shuts down some cylinders under light engine loads and improves fuel economy by 1mpg.
This decision means that, as stated by The Verge, GM’s trucks will pollute more however a 1mpg difference is negligible. There is the fact that hundreds of thousands of these trucks are sold every year but we assume the ongoing microchip shortage will not last all of 2021.
