Parts availability issues forcing second closure this year
Semiconductor shortage continues to affect industry
Subaru has been on a long run of sales records and high months over the last year and a half in Canada, but that could come to an end thanks to the microchip shortage. Subaru has just announced that it is suspending all of its production in Japan from September 7th for what is scheduled to be four working days.
The temporary shutdown, which Subaru says is a result of issues with receiving parts from suppliers, will affect the Gunma main factory, Yajima factory, and Oizumi factory. The first two of those are for building complete vehicles while the latter builds engines and transmissions.
A previous 13-day shutdown in April of the Yakima plant resulted in 10,000 units of lost production of a number of models including Crosstrek, Impreza, and Forester.
Production at the Subaru plant in Indiana, home to the Legacy, Outback, and Ascent as well as the Impreza, was not mentioned in the announcement. While that plant was affected by the April closure, Subaru seems to have enough components for there for now.
The ongoing microchip shortage has affected every automaker and continues to drive both the new and used car markets. Inventories of new vehicles have plummeted, causing prices for used cars to climb. At this point, the shortage is expected to continue for months, if not years.
