It’s a feature some consumers will actually be happy to go without.
General Motors, as part of its effort to conserve limited supplies of microchips, is building many full-size pickups and SUVs without the automatic stop-start technology that cuts engine idling to save fuel.
Like other automakers, GM has added stop-start across much of its lineup in recent years — not because customers demanded it but because the feature helps meet fleetwide federal emissions standards.
In fact, many customers hate stop-start so much that there are now a number of aftermarket devices available that disable it. Many vehicles include a button to turn off the feature, but to get the benefit in emissions testing, it has to be on by default each time the engine is started. For vehicles that don’t have a button, Internet forums offer tips such as starting the ignition with the hood unlatched.
Even the EPA knows drivers dislike the feature. When calculating its benefit on emissions and fuel economy, the agency assumes that up to half of drivers will shut it off.
“I’d pay extra not to have stop-start,” one reader wrote in response to an Automotive News story last week about GM’s plan to omit the feature on some vehicles until the chip shortage subsides.
“This is a huge PLUS for many buyers, who are otherwise annoyed by having to punch the idle-stop override button with every drive cycle,” another commenter opined.
To compensate for the missing feature, GM will deduct $50 from the vehicle’s sticker price. For those who loathe stop-start, it’s a rare chance to take the money and (let the engine) run.
