The year 2020 was not a good one for the Camaro. While Mopar and Ford booth had satisfying sales numbers for their pony cars, Chevrolet did not. In fact, the Mustang outsold the Camaro two to one with 29,777 units sold versus 61,090 for the Ford. And while we were trying to be optimistic for 2021, problems have already arisen for General Motors and the Camaro due to a semiconductor shortage.
Semiconductors, also known as chips, are found throughout late model cars and trucks. These parts are in the steering wheels, seats, and other areas of a vehicle. According to the Detroit News, there is an industry-wide shortage of this part that has GM scrambling.
David Barnas, a spokesman for General Motors, told the Detroit News, “We continue to work closely with our supply base to find solutions for our suppliers’ semiconductor requirements and to mitigate impact on GM. Our intent is to make up as much production lost at these plants as possible.”
Currently, GM is protecting its top sellers, which is the full-size truck and SUVs. However, the Camaro, Cadillac CT4, and CT5 weren’t so lucky. General Motors ceased production on these models on March 15 through at least mid-April.
GM also shut down the San Luis Potosi assembly plant in Mexico on February 8. Production is scheduled to resume beginning on the week of April 5. Another plant that will experience downtime is GM’s Gravatai plant in Brazil which will not be able to build the Chevrolet Onix and Onix Plus from April to May.
While GM is currently working on this superconductor shortage, it’s definitely not going to help the Camaro sales for 2021.