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Global supply chain shortages leave empty parking spots at Whitehorse dealerships

Just a few years ago, Yukon Nissan had anywhere from 50 to 70 new cars and trucks sitting on their lot.

Right now, there are ten.

Supply chain delays, mostly involving a shortage of microchips, means there are fewer cars to buy across the country. 

“Automotive manufacturers have roughly 1,100 suppliers of parts, and then the actual plants that build the vehicles are assembly plants, so they need to get these parts from all over the world,” said Lee Reeve, senior sales consultant at Yukon Nissan.

“There are so many factors that have interrupted the whole process and that is a global thing.”

Reeve also thinks a big reason his lot is empty is that video game consoles use a key component that is also needed in vehicles.

“The people who build semiconductors were building much for the gaming industry in the world because the gaming industry actually gained strength through COVID because a lot of people were staying home, they couldn’t go anywhere, so they wanted to have entertainment,” said Reeve.

There are few vehicles on the lot at Whitehorse Motors. Global supply chain disruptions are to blame. (Mike Rudyk/CBC)

Jens Nielsen is general sales manager with Ford dealership, Whitehorse Motors. 

He says people in the industry have known about the semiconductor and microchip shortages for some time. Now, he says, other “miscellaneous parts” are also in short supply. 

“There are F-150s being shipped to dealers without the badging,” Nielsen said. “It’s a plastic badge where there is supposed to be a regular badge that will be sent later because the supplier can’t do it.”

Nielsen said some vehicles are still coming to dealers without all of the parts in place, and others are being held up because they can’t be shipped without those parts. 

Nielsen said he would normally have 30 to 40 F-150’s on his lot, but right now he only has three.

Both Reeve and Nielsen say Yukoners may not see a lot of new vehicles on car lots for a long time.

Nielsen said the workaround is to factory order your vehicle with your options and just sit back and wait for a few months for it to be delivered.

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