Automaker Stellantis shuts down second plant until end of this year due to chip shortage | Abroad

Shortages in semiconductors, an essential part of automobile electronic systems, are causing production problems around the world. In some cases, the shortage has already led to layoffs of employees who no longer have a job. The auto industry competes for biochips with manufacturers of computers and smartphones.

It was already clear that the problems severely affected the production of cars from the numbers of the German auto industry, among other things. Less than 200,000 cars were sold in September, the worst sales numbers in 30 years. The situation in the UK is not much better. There, car production fell by more than a third last month to its lowest level since 1998.

For Stellantis, this is the second plant to be closed until the end of this year. It was announced last week that the Opel assembly plant in Eisenach, Germany, where the Grandland X SUV rolls off the belt, will be temporarily closed. Car manufacturers around the world are struggling with chip shortages. The Belgian car factories of Audi and Volvo have also had to pause production in recent months, but each time at shorter intervals.