Recently, Volkswagen does not believe that the worst-case scenario for the shortage of semiconductor chips is over, and is ready to let the number of production continue to decline.
German foreign media reported that the automaker is preparing for a situation where the chip crisis continues into 2023. Its most pessimistic forecasts suggest that production in 2022 will fall from 9 million this year to 8 million. Even if things go relatively well, it still expects production to decline from 2021, the report said.
In an interview with Reuters, Volkswagen said it expects chip scarcity to ease slightly in 2022, but believes the first half of this year will remain highly volatile. Its German rivals BMW and Daimler said their expectations were roughly the same, predicting the shortage would continue into next year.
In response to the ongoing crisis, Volkswagen's brands Audi and Skoda have said they will extend the holiday to January 10 due to supply bottlenecks, while Audi says it expects this to continue for several months. "We expect to be occupied by this crisis for several months in the coming year," a spokesman said. "Scarcity is likely to last longer."
Porsche is also pessimistic about the possibility of a quick end to the chip crisis, arguing that automakers must take production into their own hands. CEO Oliver Blume told German media: "Anyone who thinks the chip crisis will subside next year is wrong".
The chip shortage cost the auto industry $210 billion in revenue and led to 7.7 million fewer cars produced in 2021 than the original.