FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — Hundreds of new General Motors pickups are sitting in a vacant lot off Taylor Street, unable to be sold as the automaker deals with a global shortage of semiconductors.

A viewer alerted us to the scene at the old BAE Systems property off Taylor Street. There, WANE 15 found hundreds of new pickups parked.

WANE 15 reached out to GM’s Fort Wayne Assembly plant for clarification. Spokeswoman Stephanie Jentgen Mack said the trucks were “a result of the microchip situation.”

Jentgen Mack said GM was allowing Fort Wayne Assembly to continue production of its hot-selling Chevrolet Silverados and GMC Sierras without the vital semiconductor chips. The trucks are then parked until chips are received and installed, at which point the trucks can be shipped and sold.

Jentgen Mack said Fort Wayne Assembly was fortunate to avoid rolling layoffs caused by the chip shortage. The chip shortage has forced General Motors to cut production at several North American factories.

The lots for the parked trucks have been picked because the land owners have contracts with GM for such situations, Jentgen Mack said.

Why are semiconductor chips so important? The chips are a grouping of electrical circuits on a piece of a semiconductor material such as silicon. They’re in just about everything people use on a daily basis – smartphones, computers, household appliances like toasters, and yes, in all modern vehicles. In cars and trucks, chips are in things ranging from safety features such as brakes to entertainment systems and GPS. Due to the high importance of these chips, the trucks at GM Fort Wayne cannot be sold without them.