While global automakers are hit by a shortage of automotive semiconductors, there are concerns that domestic automakers will also be affected.
According to Yonhap News on the 28th, the industry predicts that the disruption in supply and demand for vehicle semiconductors will continue for more than six months until the third quarter of this year.
The global automotive semiconductor supply and demand situation is expected to worsen as major automotive semiconductor companies such as NXP and Infineon stop operating their lines due to the record blackout in the US.
GM Korea plans to operate only half of its Bupyeong 2 plant by mid-next month, and then decide on a production plan after reporting the supply and demand of semiconductors for vehicles.
GM Korea has been operating 50% of its Bupyeong 2 plant, which produces Chevrolet Malibu and Trax since the 8th. Bupyeong Plant 1 and Changwon Plant are in normal operation.
General Motors (GM) has announced that it will extend production cuts for its three assembly plants in North America until at least mid-March due to the lack of automotive semiconductors.
It was also found that Hyundai Motor Company and Kia are also operating production lines centering on models that have semiconductor stocks as the supply and demand for vehicle semiconductors has prolonged.
There are no plans to cut production so far, but as the sense of crisis over production disruptions has risen, the stock of semiconductors for vehicles is being checked on a weekly basis. In addition, rather than entrusting only the primary suppliers to secure inventory, they are directly negotiating with semiconductor manufacturers to secure the quantity of semiconductors for vehicles.
Hyundai Motor Company and Kia are receiving automotive semiconductor-applied parts from component partners such as Bosch, Continental and Hyundai Mobis.
However, as the semiconductor supply and demand problem is prolonged, there are concerns in the industry that there will be a disruption in mass production of the first exclusive electric vehicle’Ioniq 5’that Hyundai Motor Company unveiled on the 23rd.
The IONIC 5 is a model that Hyundai Motor Company announced this year as the first year of electric vehicle leap forward and set a new record of 23,000 units from the first day of the pre-contract and set a new record for this year’s sales (26,000 units). However, if it cannot meet the crowded demand, the corporate image is inevitable.
In addition, major global automakers such as Toyota, Volkswagen, Stellaantis, Ford, Renault, Subaru, Nissan, Honda and Mazda are experiencing production disruptions. It is reported that Tesla has also stopped production of the model 3, an entry-level sedan, for the last two weeks.
Market information company IHS Markit predicted that automobile production in the first quarter of this year will be delayed by nearly 1 million units due to a disruption in the automobile semiconductor supply chain.
(Photo = Yonhap News)