US AUTO SALES SLUMP STALLED BY CAR COMPUTER CHIP SHORTAGE

In a normal month before the pandemic, Con Paulos’ Chevy dealership in Jerome, Idaho, sold around 40 new vehicles. In September, it was only six. Now he’s got nothing new in stock, and every car, truck or SUV on order has been sold.

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Last month, what happened at his dealership about 115 miles (185 kilometers) southeast of Boise was repeated across the country as factory closures due to a worsening global shortage of computer chips crimped U.S. new vehicle shipments.

U.S. new vehicle sales tumbled about 26% in September as chip shortages and other parts-supply disruptions cut into the selection on dealer lots and raised prices once again to record levels. That sent many frustrated consumers to the sidelines to wait out a shortage that has hobbled the industry since late last year.

Automakers sold just over 1 million vehicles during the month, a figure that included estimates for Ford and others that didn’t report numbers this week. September was the lowest sales month of the year, experts said.

For the third quarter, sales were 3.4 million, down 13% from the same period a year ago.

Automakers reported some pretty poor numbers. General Motors, which only reports sales by quarter, said its deliveries were off nearly 33% from July through September of last year. Stellantis, formerly Fiat Chrysler, saw quarterly sales dip 19%, while Nissan sales were down 10% for the quarter.