Volkswagen expects production to decline in the coming months due to the global chip shortage that the automotive industry has been struggling with for some time. This is what Volkswagen CEO Ralf Brandstätter says in an interview with the German news agency DPA.
According to Brandstätter, the shortage of chips could ease in the second half of this year, after which the lost production can be made up as much as possible. The production of Volkswagen electric cars is currently not yet affected by the chip shortage.
Volkswagen already warned last year that it could miss 100,000 cars in production due to the chip shortage. The manufacturer has already temporarily shut down factories and production lines due to the lack of chips. According to Brandstätter, staff is also currently being tied up in the field and hiring outside people is temporarily put on the back burner. In the second half of this year, Volkswagen expects to rectify the now increasing production shortage.
Other manufacturers
Due to the high demand for chips for laptops and smartphones for many home working and also game consoles, chip makers have difficulty meeting the needs of the car industry. Last week, Ford also warned of declining production due to shortages. Toyota, Daimler, Mitsubishi, Jaguar Land Rover and General Motors are also facing production disruptions.
The Dutch VDL Nedcar cannot escape the shortage of chip parts either, as production was forced to stop there on Thursday and Friday. As a result, about a thousand fewer cars would have been built. VDL Nedcar builds BMWs and Minis in Born, Limburg. Production must start again on Monday.