German media just broke a few days ago that Volkswagen Group is negotiating with suppliers on chip shortages, which may result in price increases. Immediately the latest news was revealed that chip manufacturers such as TSMC, which have the right to speak in the supply of goods, "take advantage of the fire", and plans to increase chip prices by 15% .
Regarding the automotive chip crisis that has swept the world this time, the industry has previously mentioned an "excuse". For example, McKinsey said, "When car companies and suppliers realize that the demand for new cars exceeds expectations, it is too late, and chip production capacity is already difficult to coordinate." That is because car companies underestimated the demand for the new car market in the post-epidemic era, especially the Chinese market. The rebound in China has led to an imbalance in the rhythm of chip supply.
But this statement, Daimler does not buy it. said on January 27, “As early as mid-2020, we noticed the recovery in demand for new Mercedes-Benz cars and immediately adjusted the production plan. All orders have been placed on time.”
I have to say that Daimler’s statement is very Gang, as a car company, they don't carry this pot and kick the pressure on the supply chain. Volkswagen is negotiating possible compensation with suppliers such as Bosch and Continental.
At the end of last year, in the Chinese market, mainstream car companies such as North and South Volkswagen were bombed with insufficient chips.
In January, Volkswagen China CEO Feng Sihan admitted that since December 2020, 's chip shortage has caused Volkswagen to produce 50,000 less cars in China.
According to the information of Volkswagen China, the chip shortage mainly exists in the sensors of the ESP electronic stability control system, which together with the anti-lock braking system prevent the vehicle from skidding. In the Chinese market, mainstream models are currently equipped with ESP, so the overall demand is huge.
"As long as a chip is missing, you will see how fragile our auto industry is." According to Volkswagen, the chip shortage will continue throughout the first quarter.
chip shortage is not limited to the Chinese market,It is a global supply chain crisis. has affected Volkswagen, Ford Motor Company, Subaru Company, Toyota Motor Company, Nissan Motor Company, Fiat Chrysler Automobile Company and other car manufacturers.
A few days ago, Audi CEO Dussman said that the global semiconductor shortage will delay the production of some models and even cause more than 10,000 employees to take leave. "We will do our best to control the total number of affected vehicles in the first quarter below 10,000." It is reported that Audi's two German factories will shorten their working hours by the end of January, and the production of A4 and A5 models will be affected.
Volkswagen said last month that due to chip supply bottlenecks, the global automobile manufacturing industry will experience major production interruptions in the first quarter of 2021. Mercedes-Benz is also cutting compact car production at its European plants. Other production cuts include Honda, Nissan, Toyota, Ford, General Motors and FCA.
According to the China Automobile Association's survey of more than 60 automakers in China in December last year, the main reasons for the shortage of chip supply are summarized as follows: First, the chip industry's capacity growth is conservative, and the imbalance between supply and demand has always existed. Especially when the epidemic caused suppliers to lower their market expectations, they did not have enough estimates of the market rebound in the Chinese market in the second half of the year. Second, the demand for chips in the consumer electronics field is increasing rapidly, taking up the production capacity of some automotive chips, and this trend may further intensify in 2021. Third, due to the continuous improvement of the degree of electrification, intelligence, and connectivity of automobiles, the global demand for automotive chips will be faster than the growth of vehicle sales.
But according to foreign media reports, the reason is not only that.
"Targeted chip actions during the Trump administration have exacerbated the problem to some extent." Foreign media believe that this has caused Chinese mobile phone and other manufacturers to increase chip inventory and eat up production capacity. And when capacity is insufficient, chip suppliers will prioritize the allocation of capacity to industries with high growth rates, such as consumer electronics, which further aggravates the structural shortage of chips in the automotive industry.
Therefore, the German "Auto Weekly" reported that Volkswagen is negotiating with chip suppliers, which may lead to price increases and change and adjust the original value distribution of the industry chain.
At the same time, Volkswagen hopes that Bosch and Continental can jointly bear the increased costs. A spokesperson for said that Bosch is currently working hard to maintain the supply chain. "We will directly discuss all further issues of semiconductor shortages with customers and suppliers." And these suppliers are mainly in Taiwan and Asian countries.
Looking at the political level, the attitude and actions of the German government, the German Minister of Economy Peter Altmaier urged Wang Meihua, the head of Taiwan’s Ministry of Economy, to persuade Taiwan’s chip manufacturers to help ease the problem of automotive chips.
The shortage of chips made the German auto industry see the uncontrolled, constrained and fragile smart car industry chain, and urged them to find ways to strengthen the security of the local industry chain. However, due to the global industrial layout of chips, it is difficult to achieve short-term results.
On the issue of whether to build chips, car companies in the past only considered two dimensions, whether it would help independent innovation and whether it would be more economical. It now appears that the production capacity is stuck in the hands of others, and it may be too much to expect social division of labor, especially the division of labor across the industrial chain across regions.
Sina Weibo: @凤凰网汽车
Click on it and you will look better
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-