Chrysler added a second shift to its Toledo production facility in late August to boost production of the 2014 Cherokee, but earlier on Tuesday the Auburn Hills-based automaker confirmed that it has suspended that addition work shift. The unprecedented move has left 500 people without work and another 600 reassigned at the Toledo Assembly Complex.
“We have been producing vehicles since the end of June and have now built the critical number of vehicles we need to stock dealerships once containment is released,” Chrysler spokeswoman Jodi Tinson wrote in a statement to Automotive News.
“We will temporarily idle the second shift so as not to put additional strain on our logistics partners to get these vehicles into the hands of customers as quickly and efficiently as possible upon release.”
Chrysler previously stated that it would begin selling the new Cherokee “in volume” during the third quarter, but so far not a single example of the utility vehicle has been shipped to dealers. Chrysler has mostly kept quiet on the subject, saying only that the Cherokee required a software fix.
In addition to its market delay, Chrysler was also forced to postpone the Cherokee’s media drive. Chrysler said it pushed back the event to “further improve powertrain calibration.” The Cherokee is the first vehicle to launch with Chrysler’s nine-speed automatic gearbox.
Chrysler says it will begin shipping the Cherokee by next week.
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