Nissan and Mercedes also on alert for Nexperia chip crisis

Among the manufacturers at the forefront of the semiconductor supply alarm due to the 'Nexperia crisis' are Nissan Motor and Mercedes-Benz Group. Nissan, which is also facing a severe crisis, stated that current stocks guarantee production 'only until the first week of November'. "This is not a small problem, it is a big problem. For the time being, we do not have full visibility," said Nissan's Chief Performance Officer Guillaume Cartier. Mercedes-Benz, for its part, has launched global searches for alternative supplies, although it considers the coverage adequate in the short term. "We learnt during the last chip crisis that if you rely too much on a single supply, problems can arise. Therefore, we have a double supply for many components. This case is completely different, however. The bottleneck is political, mainly between the US and China with Europe caught in the middle.

The reason for the serious concern lies in the fact that the 'discrete' chips produced by Nexperia, although simple and inexpensive, are widely used in vehicle electrical systems: lights, sensors, control units, electric motors. Even if car manufacturers have stocks and established relationships with 'Tier 1' suppliers, quickly replacing these components with other qualified ones takes months, due to the necessary testing and approvals. From an industrial and European perspective, ACEA has raised the alarm: 'supplies are rapidly running out and there are companies already prepared to stop their lines if the situation does not unblock'. The crisis is affecting car production globally. Honda has reduced or suspended production at several plants in North America; Volkswagen has said that production at its factories is safe for October, but some short-term effects on its network remain possible. In Brazil, some car manufacturers may where