The shortage of microchips in the auto industry - who is to blame for the situation?

The situation with microchips in 2021 has heated up, everyone has suffered from it, including automakers. Experts say that due to the pandemic and problems with the supply of electronics, the world will not receive 3 brand new cars.


It seems logical - the demand for cars fell due to the coronavirus, production was stopped ... But in fact, they didn’t buy cars less, and as soon as the isolation was lifted, people rushed to the salons.

But cars there wasn't enough for everyone. Manufacturers blame microchip suppliers for this, saying that there were fires, tsunamis and force majeure at Asian factories. They also hint at a secret trade war between China and the US.

But the words of Mark Liu, head of TSMC, a major microchip manufacturer, sounded like a bolt from the blue. It turned out that the supply of auto electronics has long been established, obligations to customers have been fulfilled. TSMC is able to increase production, but there is no need for this.

Mark Liu voiced his version of what is happening - it is possible that these intermediaries are specifically buying up microchips and stuffing warehouses. The reason is banal - to wait, and then sharply increase the cost.



But everything is not so simple and the voiced version is only one of many. Maybe it was politics. There are prerequisites for this - the authorities of European countries and the United States want to reduce their dependence on the Asian market.

For this to happen, you need to force your manufacturers to produce semiconductors. Artificial scarcity and rising cost of auto electronics will force it to do so.

The European Union has already officially announced that by 2030 it plans to produce about 20% of chips in the world market. Joe Biden, President of the United States, plans to invest $50 billion from the state budget in this industry.

Or maybe everything is easier? Because of the lockdowns, automakers suffered losses, some had to close factories and showrooms, and debts accumulated. How to get out of the situation? The simplest solution is to negotiate among themselves and raise the price of cars.
But how can this be reasonably done? And the problems with microchips came in handy! We create an artificial shortage, and the buyer will purchase the product at any price! And the upgrade is well worth it!

And now cars of even the most popular brands have become sharply missed! For what remains, they increase the cost, offer richly equipped versions, costing from 30 to 100% more than the base ones.



You can not blame automakers for all the sins, it is possible that they have nothing to do with it. But the fact that it turned out to be in the hands of concerns is obvious.
Now factories have received orders for months ahead, buyers are waiting for already paid cars at higher prices. How long this situation will last, only time will tell. But the point is no longer a shortage of microchips for the automotive industry.