General Motors has said that it continues to be impacted by the global semiconductors shortage, but that support to dealers can help to optimize vehicle orders and deliveries to ease any disruptions.
GM confirmed that it is building some vehicles without certain modules – due to critical parts being unavailable – when necessary. However, it said “they will be completed as soon as more semiconductors become available, which will help GM quickly meet strong expected customer demand during the year”.
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
GM also targets recovering lost car and crossover production where possible in the second half of the year.
GM ended the first quarter with 334,628 units in inventory, down 76,247 units from the end of the fourth quarter of 2020.
To help dealers drive strong sales with lower inventory, GM has introduced “new proprietary software and applications” that help them optimize their vehicle orders and track units in near real time as they move from factories to dealerships.
GM says focused ordering provides a dashboard that combines vehicle trim options with market data to help dealers ensure they’re ordering the most in-demand products to meet customer preferences.
VINVIEW allows dealers to track orders to help keep customers updated on their vehicle’s location and estimated delivery time.
General Motors said it sold 642,250 vehicles in the US in the first quarter of 2021, with retail deliveries up 19 percent and fleet sales down 35 percent year over year. Total sales were up 4 percent compared to a year ago.
“Over the last year, our dealers, supply chain and manufacturing teams have gone above and beyond to satisfy customers as demand for GM products rose sharply,” said Steve Carlisle, GM executive vice president and president, North America. “The great teamwork continues. Sales are off to a strong start in 2021, we are operating our truck and full-size SUV plants at full capacity and we plan to recover lost car and crossover production in the second half of the year where possible.”
