Just like every other vehicle manufacturer, Ford Motor Company is having a tough time with the global semiconductor shortage. While it’s hard to grasp just how many vehicles are being left incomplete, now we’re getting a better look at just how far behind Ford is thanks to images from space.
According to The Drive, Ford has been forced to use the auxiliary lots at Kentucky Speedway as a storage space for incomplete Ford Super Duty trucks. In just a few short weeks, the area has gone from empty to just about full with vehicles such as Platinum Ford F-350 Super Duty trucks and even Chassis Cab F-550s. Thanks to satellite imagery, we can see just how many unfinished vehicles Ford is waiting to complete.
Starting on August 16th, we can see that the lot was pretty much empty, but just four days later on the 20th, the perimeter of the lot starts to fill up with trucks. By the 24th, a good portion of the area is occupied by vehicles, and we’re sure that a more recent photo would show even less space to park the unfinished trucks.
According to a Ford Spokesman:
The global semiconductor shortage continues to affect Ford’s North American plants—along with automakers and other industries around the world. Behind the scenes, we have teams working on maximizing production, with a continued commitment to building every high-demand vehicle for our customers with the quality they expect.
This isn’t the first time that Ford has been forced to fill up the speedway with trucks, in fact, only last year was it forced to dump thousands of unfinished trucks in the parking lot for the exact same reason.
The speedway is about 50 miles away from the plant where the Ford Super Duty trucks are built, and according to witnesses, the vehicles are being driven there rather than being delivered on a flatbed. This means there will be a 50-mile reading on the odometer before the trucks are purchased.
By the time these vehicles are finished, they will likely be old model years that will have to be sold at a significant discount. Although that isn’t great news for Ford, it is great news for those that have been looking at buying a truck but have been shocked at the recent pricing markup disaster.