The world’s largest carmakers are facing a potentially crippling shortage of semiconductors, as chipmakers reserve supply for tech groups producing smartphones, tablets and gaming devices.
Volkswagen said last month that the bottlenecks meant it would produce 100,000 fewer cars in the first quarter of the year at sites in Europe, North America and China, because its parts makers Continental and Bosch have struggled to secure supplies from their contractors.
Honda, Japan’s third-largest carmaker, also said on Friday it plans to cut production for certain car models in the coming months due to a chips shortage caused by a post-pandemic surge in consumer electronics demand.