As if there wasn’t enough chip shortage.
A Panama-flagged car carrier set fire around 90 nautical miles southwest from the Azores in Atlantic. Felicity Ace was a brand-new Volkswagen Group vehicle carrying it on its passage from Germany to America. Early estimates indicate that the loss due to the accident could have been as high as $335million. However, there isn’t any detail on the vehicles or their models.
American Volkswagen Group dealers are currently reaching out to customers whose cars were aboard the car carrier. According to reports, cars from Lamborghini, Audi, Porsche and Bentley were transported from Germany to North America. However, most of these vehicles are likely to have been completely destroyed by the huge fire. This is a bad news story for the automaker, as it already faces serious shortages that could cause production disruptions.
A Porsche dealer in suburban Philadelphia said Automotive News that it would cause more delays as there is now one less transport vessel. To compensate a customer who was expecting a four-month delay in receiving his brand new Cayenne, the dealer upgraded the vehicle to the Platinum trim for no additional cost. The Platinum trim is more costly than the original order. We are keeping the price the same for our customers.”
Although the Felicity Ace carried both electric and combustion vehicles, the cause of the fire is still unknown. Yesterday’s official press release, posted on the special webpage, stated that “there is no oil spillage confirmed from vessel” and that the stability of vessel is stable. One salvage craft is currently on passage, and the salvage crew hopes they can get on board today to hook up a trailer. A second salvage ship is expected to arrive on February 26.