Global microchip shortage hits Honda, Nissan, German automakers

TOKYO — Honda Motor Co. mentioned it is weighing creation cuts in Japan due to a world wide shortage of automotive microchips. Several other world wide automakers and suppliers also mentioned they have been impacted. 

Honda strategies to decrease domestic output by 4,000 models in January, a slowdown mainly affecting the Suit little hatchback at Honda’s Suzuka plant, the Nikkei newspaper claimed on Friday. The bottleneck could possibly outcome in the loss of tens of hundreds of models as a result of March for Honda, the report mentioned. The trigger is a restricted materials of pc chips for cars and trucks.

A Honda spokeswoman mentioned the business is aware of the industrywide microchip shortage and is thinking about countermeasures. But it is way too soon for Honda to say when the business could possibly announce any output changes or how many vehicles could possibly be impacted, she mentioned.

In the meantime, Mercedes-Benz maker Daimler joined its German peer Volkswagen Group in saying it’s impacted by the industrywide offer bottleneck, without the need of quantifying the affect. Nissan Motor Co. mentioned it is changing creation of Take note hatchbacks.

VW, the world’s biggest carmaker, introduced very last month that it would need to have to adjust initially-quarter producing strategies all-around the world for the reason that of the shortage. The amount of VW car output missing could be in the lower six-digit assortment, according to people today familiar with the matter.

Suzuki Motor Corp. also is altering creation, while there is no prepare at this issue to idle factories, a spokesperson mentioned. A Subaru Corp. representative mentioned it’s been dealing with some components-offer delays and might adjust output.

“The unfold of the coronavirus has impacted procurement in semiconductors and linked components,” a Honda spokesperson mentioned in a assertion Friday. “We will address this difficulty by changing creation and changing car types.”

Nissan’s Oppama plant in Japan will decrease Take note creation this month, a spokesperson mentioned, without the need of offering information. The Nikkei mentioned the business would slash output to 5,000 cars and trucks a month, from 15,000.

Robert Bosch GmbH and Continental AG, two of the world’s greatest vehicle suppliers, acknowledged the chip shortage very last month immediately after VW’s announcement.

BMW AG mentioned the automaker is in common make contact with with its suppliers over the difficulty, while it hasn’t yet had to decrease or cease car creation.

Separately, China’s GAC mentioned its joint undertaking with Honda had received warnings on offer of particular types, but gave no information.

Dongfeng, which also has a partnership in China with Honda, did not quickly answer to a request for comment. Peugeot maker PSA Group has not been impacted, a spokeswoman mentioned Friday.

Very first warnings

Automakers and suppliers initially sounded the alarm about opportunity offer chain difficulties very last month, warning that it might hit vehicle creation in the initially quarter of 2021.

International makers of semiconductors scaled back again output in the course of the pandemic lockdowns of early 2020. But now, these producers are sluggish to catch up to desire that is quickly ramping back again up.

A significant fire in Oct at a chip plant owned by Asahi Kasei Microdevices, a unit of Asahi Kasei in southern Japan, has also weakened semiconductor offer.

Fueling the shortage is soaring desire for chips in digital gadgets these as phones and computer systems, which is diverting deliveries away from automotive prospects.

Bloomberg and Reuters contributed to this report