[flybouy]

I'm no auto industry expert but I do understand the migration a couple of decades ago to the "just in time" assembly model. In bygone eras the big 3 built just about everything in a vehichle except the tires. Ford not only had its own steel mill on premises but even owned the coal mines and railroad to fire it. They had complete control. That model required a tremendous amout of space and made them vulnerable to strikes and higher wages.

Fast forward to today and auto manufacturers don’t build anything (for very little) at the assembly plant. Parts come from all over the world and if one part is missing then it throws the entire process (into chaos. If say a component buried deep in the dashboard is missing they aren't going to build it, store it, then tear it apart again to finish it. So while Covid, the ship stuck in Suez Canal for 6 days, and then some sanctions on truckers and others things ground to halt. Just like the mail, the store shelves, medicine, etc. I'm not defending the auto industry or the transportation industry but it's the unfortunate reality. I do beleive if they could build more vehichles they would as apposed to playing "whack a mole" with getting deliveries.