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BERLIN — Opel will close its plant in Eisenach, Germany, from next week until the end of the year because of the global semiconductor shortage.
Opel builds the Grandland X compact SUV in Eisenach and added plug-in version last year.
The microchip shortage is forcing the Stellantis brand to halt production at the plant, an Opel spokesperson told Automotive News Europe sister publication Automobilwoche.
“Production of the Opel Grandland, including the hybrid version, is scheduled to restart in Eisenach at the beginning of 2022, if the supply chain situation allows,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson did not give a firm date for the restart of the plant.
Short-time work is planned for the 1,300 employees to make the measure more acceptable to the labor force, the spokesperson added.
The workforce at Eisenach has been calling for another model to be added for a long time, but so far with no apparent success.
The Grandland X is also built at the former Peugeot plant in Sochaux in France. According to the company, no production interruption is planned there for the time being.
The model can still be ordered, the Opel spokesperson added.
The semiconductor shortage continues to force automakers to cut back production.
Volkswagen Group said on Wednesday that it plans to extend production cuts at its main Wolfsburg plant until mid-October.
Stellantis has halted production at other plants, including in Europe and Canada, forecasting that it would make 1.4 million fewer vehicles this year due to the chip shortage.
Reuters contributed to this report