DIGEST – Synthetic engine said on Friday that cars sold without heated and ventilated seats due to a global semiconductor shortage would be eligible, potentially starting mid-2022, for retrofits aimed at activation those features.
Are not. first US carmaker says it will cover the cost of retrofitting new car built without the chips required for heated and ventilated seats. They expect the chip to be available for retrofit by the end of Q2 2022, but progress could improve if chip supply improves.
NS global chip shortage in the past year have forced GM and other automakers cut vehicle production or, in some cases, build vehicles without certain features in order to save on chip supplies. GM and others have focused on protecting production of their most profitable vehicles through shortages.
Friday’s action comes a week after the Detroit company told the US authorized dealer it has temporarily removed the heated and ventilated seat features on some models due to lack of chips.
GM told dealers in a memo issued by Automotive News that it will reduce the price of cars without heated or ventilated seats to $50, instead of up to $500 as originally said. The memo says a heated steering wheel cannot be retrofitted, so vehicles that lack that feature will still receive a $150 discount, Automotive News reports.
GM says other features that were temporarily removed from some vehicles due to the chip crisis but have since been reinstated include a digital temperature display with climate control, side blind zone warnings and technology. Super Cruise driver assistance.
