The Next Shortage That’s Making the Auto Industry Nervous

As if U.S. automakers haven’t had enough problems during the pandemic — plant shutdowns, Covid-19 outbreaks, a global semiconductor shortage — supply chain experts are warning of another on the horizon: natural rubber.

A white sap that bleeds from rubber trees grown in warm, humid countries like Thailand and Indonesia, natural rubber has unique properties that make it critical for tires and car parts.