Kiev. Ukraine. Ukraine Gate – January 11, 2021 – Auto
Automakers and electronics manufacturers are facing a global chip shortage amid a recovery in consumer demand following the coronavirus pandemic, resulting in production delays in different parts of the world.
Ford said it will stop its Louisville, Kentucky assembly plant, which produces the Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair SUVs. Fiat Chrysler has announced that it will postpone the resumption of production at its Toluca, Mexico plant, which makes the Jeep Compass crossover, until the end of January, as well as halting the plant in Brampton, Ontario, which makes the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Dodge Challenger cars.
In addition, Toyota will cut production of the Tundra pickup at its San Antonio, Texas plant. And Nissan said it plans to cut production of the Note hybrid at a plant in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, but did not provide details on the extent of the cut. According to the Nikkei newspaper, it is about 5,000 cars in January, up from the 15,000 originally planned.
Volkswagen faced a semiconductor shortage back in December 2020. Honda did not report any issues until recently, but has now noted “some impact on component supply.”
For the first time this month, production will be cut by about 4,000 units, mainly in the subcompact Fit produced at the Suzuka plant in Japan. Disruptions in the rhythm of supplies were also noted by the Chinese concern GAC, which has a joint venture with Honda. General Motors and BMW AG said they are not yet hit by a chip shortage, but are monitoring the situation closely.
Major automotive chip suppliers such as NXP Semiconductor say car production has rebounded faster than expected after the pandemic and has not been able to catch up quickly.
Meanwhile, the capacities for the production of microcircuits were loaded with work due to the growth in sales of laptops, game consoles and other computer equipment, which became in demand in conditions of remote work and leisure at home during quarantines.
In addition, US regulators have blacklisted Semiconductor Manufacturing International, the largest contract chip manufacturer in the country. This forced companies around the world to start looking for new suppliers in order not to fall under the sanctions of the American authorities.
