More Q2 Output on Tap

Just a month after it trimmed second-quarter large-car and van output, Chrysler is boosting production of trucks and cross/utility vehicles to the tune of 26,500 units and adding a net 1, 000 midsize cars.

Chrysler’s increases, along with smaller gains at AutoAlliance, Honda and several others, more than offset cuts elsewhere to drive second-quarter North American production plans to 8,161,300 vehicles, a 16,000-unit increase from what was scheduled a month ago.

The bulk of the industry’s Q2 net increase can be found in June, when assembly plants are scheduled to build an additional 17,500 vehicles in the last full month of operation before summer vacation/model changeover downtime begins.

Additionally, May’s assembly slate gets an 8,400-unit boost, but that is more than offset by an estimated April shortfall of 9,900 vehicles, mostly light trucks.

Chrysler’s output hike aside, trucks account for just 44% of the second-quarter production increase, thanks largely to General Motors slashing 24,500 units from its slate, a significant portion of these Silverado and Sierra HD pickups sourced in Mexico.

The GM cutback, front-loaded in a 10,400-unit April shortfall, is countered partially by an additional 4,700 small- and midsize-car assemblies in the auto maker’s U.S. and Canadian plants.

Having just finished its second-quarter output review, Ford largely is maintaining its previously set targets, albeit with a 2,700-unit cut in May that is made up by an April overbuild and modest June increase.

However, Mustang production at Ford’s AutoAlliance joint-venture plant is set for a second-quarter increase.

All of this comes on the heels of a strong finish to March, in which the industry overbuilt the schedule by 22,700 vehicles. That brought the first-quarter to a close at 4,058,400 units, 17.8% better than the 3,445,400 units turned out in like-2011.

The Detroit Three account for 52.3% of the 8,161,300 cars and trucks set for completion in January-June, down from prior-year’s 59.1%.

Transplants make up 45.3% of first-half production as against 38.6% year-ago, when the natural disaster affected output at Japanese plants in North America. Dedicated medium- and heavy-truck makers account for the remaining 2.4%, compared with 2.3% in like-2011.

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