It’s been a difficult time for the industry. But it’s only going to get worse before it gets better.
Global chip shortage is real, and it’s affecting production schedules in the auto industry. Automakers are already feeling the heat from the shortage since the beginning of 2021. As a result, assembly plants are taking vacations one at a time, while Toyota, the largest automaker in the world, also feels the effects of the semiconductor shortage in august, which saw it idle factories in the US and Canada as well as Mexico.
Mercedes-Benz is the latest automaker to admit to the shortage. It revealed to German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, that customer waiting times could be as long as a year.
According to Reuters the confirmation was made by Ola Kallenius, CEO of Daimler.
Kallenius stated that Mercedes-Benz has a huge demand, but there are also severe limitations. Kallenius spoke to FAZ. “For some models, the waiting times can be longer than we would prefer. In some cases, it can take over a year.”
Kallenius also reiterated the previously reported information about the issue in the interview. Mercedes and BMW claim that the global shortage of chips may not disappear until 2023 due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, it should have a less significant impact on vehicle production next year.
In August, it was reported that Mercedes was causing the death of nearly all 2022-model year V8-powered cars within the US. This is due to global supply chain problems. However, the automaker has recently refuted this claim, stating that the V8 cancellation was due to supply issues, and not quality.
Furthermore, Philipp Scheimer, Mercedes-AMG head honcho, stated in another interview that Mercedes-V8s will still be available for 10 more years because of the high demand from customers around the globe.