Semiconductors: Stellantis plans a “complicated” supply until the end of 2023


Automaker Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares expects the semiconductor supply chain to remain tight until the end of next year. In an interview given to Parisian, the latter estimated that “the situation will remain very complicated until the end of 2023, then will relax a little”. And to call on founders to favor their customers by moderating any price increase. “Semiconductor manufacturers have an incentive to do business with us again, especially as they raise prices. »

For the past two years, shortages of semiconductor chips – whether caused by the Covid-19 health crisis, strict lockdowns in China or the Russian invasion of Ukraine – have forced automakers worldwide to pause the production of millions of cars. But if the shortages are now reduced, the sector is not spared from price increases, which are likely to last.

Like its competitors, Stellantis has already paid the price for the shortage of the chip. This led the manufacturer to shut down the production line of its factory located in Sochaux at the end of August.

Sluggish sales

Last year, the manufacturer, born of the merger between PSA and Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles, already had to extend the shutdown of its factories in Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine), Sochaux and Eisenach in Germany, loaded production of several SUV models from the manufacturer. To cope with the shortage, the manufacturer plans in particular to modify the range of chips it uses, and to give priority to its most profitable vehicles.

In France, shortages continue to affect manufacturers’ sales. While new car registrations rose 5% last month, according to industry figures released on Saturday, they remain down nearly 12% since the start of the year, as Reuters reported on Monday. .

Asked last May about this shortage of chips, Intel boss Pat Gelsinger estimated for his part that the global shortage of chips will remain a challenge for the industry until at least 2024, in particular in areas such as foundry capacity and tool availability.





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