Detroit—General Motors’ first-quarter net income surged to $2.98 billion as strong U.S. consumer demand and higher prices offset production cuts brought on by a global shortage of computer chips. Despite the semiconductor shortage, GM stuck with full-year pretax earnings guidance of $10 billion to $11 billion issued earlier in the year and said earnings would be at the high end of the range. Full-year net income is expected to be between $6.8 billion and $7.6 billion. The company predicts a strong first half with a pretax profit of around $5.5 billion. CEO Mary Barra wouldn’t say how much production she expects to lose to the chip shortage. But she said purchasing, manufacturing, engineering, and sales teams are working to divert the chips from cars and smaller SUVs to full-size pickup trucks, big SUVs, and new electric vehicles. “A lot of really good work is being done across our company to …