Automakers cut another 48,421 vehicles from their global production schedules because of microchip shortages last week, according to an estimate by AutoForecast Solutions.
Europe led all other regions in factory schedule changes, with about 18,200 vehicles axed in the past week. North American factories lost about 17,000 vehicles because of semiconductor shortages, while Chinese plants eliminated about 11,700 vehicles.
Although carmakers continue to point to the chip shortage as a cause of production slowdowns, auto output is steadily improving, said Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions.
“More and more vehicles are reaching their expected output levels,” he wrote in an email. “While this showcases improved supply of chips, in some cases this presents a better use of the existing supply.”
Meanwhile, microchip manufacturers continue planning new capacity to meet surging automotive demand. Chip giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is in talks to spend up to $11 billion on a microchip plant in Germany as part of a joint venture with supplier Robert Bosch, Bloomberg reported last week.
