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[뉴욕=이데일리 김정남 특파원] General Motors (GM), an American automaker, will cut production next week at four factories around the world, including Bupyeong, Korea. It was hit by a shortage of global automotive semiconductors. The sudden shortage of semiconductors has emerged as the biggest concern of the global automobile industry.
GM cuts production at 4 plants in the next week
According to Reuters on the 3rd (local time), GM will stop production of vehicles at three factories, including Fairfax, Kansas, Ingersall, Ontario, and Potosi, San Luis, from the 8th. Next week’s Bupyeong 2 plant will cut production by half.
Vehicles affected by this production cut are the Chevrolet Malibu Sedan, Cadillac XT4 SUV, Chevrolet Equinox and Trax, GMC Terrain SUV, and Buick Encore Small Crossover. For the time being, GM plans to focus on maintaining the production of highly profitable vehicles such as Chevrolet Corvette sports cars and full-size pickup trucks.
The reason for the lack of automotive semiconductors is that the semiconductor industry has increased the proportion of IT applications such as smartphones and PCs as demand for automobiles has sharply decreased since last year’s Corona 19. However, since the second half of last year, automobile demand has recovered faster than expected, and the automobile industry, which was trying to increase production, was faced with a problem of mismatch in semiconductor supply and demand.
GM did not say how much it would cut production next week. However, AutoForcast Solutions, an automobile market information company, estimated that GM’s losses will be close to 10,000 next week. Reuters said, “GM has become a company that is hit hardest by semiconductor shortages.”
GM spokesman David Banas said, “The shortage of semiconductors will have an impact on vehicle production this year.” “The semiconductor supply to the automotive industry is still very fluid.” “We are working closely with the semiconductor supply chain to minimize the impact on GM,” he said.
Shortage of semiconductors, going until the third quarter of this year
It’s not just GM. Mazda is considering a plan to reduce auto production by 34,000 units in February and March, citing sources, Reuters reported on the day. Major automakers such as Volkswagen, Ford, Subaru, Toyota, Nissan and Stellaantis have already decided to cut production. Nissan, for example, recently stopped its truck production line at its Canton plant in Mississippi for three days and began adjusting production.
According to IHS Markit’s estimates, global auto production in the first quarter of this year is expected to decrease by 672,000 units than expected. Autoforcast Solutions analyzed that the actual reduction of the automobile industry so far is 564,000 units, and the total volume that can be affected this year is 964,000 units. IHS Markit said, “The shortage of semiconductors for vehicles will continue until the third quarter of this year.”
The situation is so serious that the governments of major countries, such as the United States, Japan, and Germany, request an unusual increase in semiconductor production from Taiwan, where TSMC, the world’s largest semiconductor foundry (consignment production) company, is located. The Taiwanese government plans to hold a videoconference with the US at the end of this week to discuss the automotive semiconductor supply chain.
Fifteen senators from major automobile production bases in Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and South Carolina in the United States recently sent a letter to the White House, saying, “To resolve the shortage of automotive semiconductors, We have to cooperate.”