Ford will pause or slash production of vehicles that include its F-150 pickup and Bronco Sport SUV at eight North American plants in June as a result of the semiconductor chip shortage that is putting a squeeze on carmakers. The company confirmed the news in a statement to media outlets, in response to reports of an internal Ford memo noting the chip-driven production rollbacks or stoppages. “The global semiconductor shortage continues to affect global automakers as well as other industries,” Ford spokeswoman Kelli Felker said in a May 19 statement to Detroit Free Press. The affected production facilities are the Chicago Assembly Plant, the Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan, the truck lines at Dearborn Truck Plant and Kansas City Assembly Plant—which build the company’s cash cow, the F-150 pickup—the Hermosillo Assembly Plant in Mexico, the Oakville Assembly Complex in Canada, and the Ohio Assembly Plant in Avon Lake. The production downtimes for the …