European auto factories had to cut 25,000 more vehicles out of their production schedules last week because of the worldwide shortage of microchips, and North American producers cut a similar number, according to the latest report on the situation by AutoForecast Solutions.
At the same time, plants in Asia outside of China have reduced production plans by more than 23,000 vehicles, according to AFS, which has been monitoring the impact of the chip shortage since it emerged in early 2021.
AFS now forecasts that automakers will lose more than 3.1 million vehicles from their global 2022 plans because of inadequate chip availability — separate from other supply chain problems the industry may be dealing with.
That forecast reveals a gradual worsening of the impact this year, despite hopes that the situation was improving. The forecast has added 800,000 vehicles to the full-year tally in just the last 60 days.