How the Global Chip Shortage Is Impacting Japan’s Carmakers
- Toyota, Honda see wide impact as tight supplies continues
- Shortage may last until second quarter: China automakers group
Honda was among the first global automaker to warn of chip shortages, announcing a two-day halt in output at its U.K. plant on Jan. 5 and 6.
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Japan’s major automakers have cut production at various factories due to the worsening global semiconductor shortage brought about as chipmakers struggle to meet soaring demand from consumer-electronics companies.
Lockdowns and travel restrictions are prompting housebound shoppers to snap up more phones, game consoles, smart TVs and laptops, which in turn has fueled demand for the chips used in those devices. That means carmakers from Toyota Motor Corp. to Volkswagen AG are at risk of not getting enough parts to fuel a fledgling recovery in their own industry.