Volkswagen afirma: ’Estamos bien en chips ahora, pero no hay garantías a largo plazo’
La escasez global de semiconductores finalmente cede terreno para el gigante automotriz, pero la calma podría ser temporal.
La cadena de suministro se estabiliza - por ahora
Después de años de interrupciones que paralizaron la producción, Volkswagen respira aliviado mientras los chips vuelven a fluir hacia sus fábricas. La compañía reporta inventarios saludables y líneas de ensamblaje funcionando a capacidad casi completa, marcando un punto de inflexión crucial para la industria.
Sin embargo, los ejecutivos mantienen la cautela. La naturaleza cíclica de la fabricación de semiconductores y la creciente demanda de vehículos eléctricos con mayor contenido tecnológico mantienen a todos en alerta máxima. Un solo evento geopolítico o falla en la cadena podría desencadenar otra crisis.
Los inversores en cripto observan con ironía - mientras las automotrices luchan por chips de 5nm, Bitcoin procesa transacciones globales sin una sola oblea de silicio.
La próxima prueba llegará cuando la demanda de vehículos inteligentes supere la capacidad de fabricación mundial de semiconductores, un escenario que parece inevitable considerando que cada nuevo modelo requiere el doble de potencia computacional que su predecesor.
China export ban pressures manufacturers
China blocked exports of finished semiconductor products from Nexperia, a chipmaker based in the Netherlands but owned by Wingtech, a Chinese firm.
The Netherlands moved to take control of Nexperia, after the United States raised national security concerns about Wingtech. China responded by freezing the movement of Nexperia chips out of the country.
This situation has forced European automakers, including Volkswagen, to think about what happens if the supply stops.
This chip dispute adds to existing pressure on the European auto industry. There are already U.S. tariffs on imported cars and Chinese export controls on rare earth minerals, which are necessary for electric motors and batteries.
Blume, who is also currently CEO of Porsche, said Porsche is already facing a “massive crisis” due to falling sales in China and the tariffs placed by the United States. Porsche reported a third-quarter operating loss of almost 1 billion euros, equal to about $1.2 billion.
Porsche plans to change leadership in 2026. The CEO role will shift from Blume to Michael Leiters, who previously ran McLaren Automotive. Blume said Leiters had been on his list of possible successors, calling him “a sports car professional” and saying he would be “a good Porsche boss.” This comes after investors complained for a long time that one person could not run both Volkswagen and Porsche at the same time.
Automakers look for alternatives, but replacements take time
Volkswagen appears to be more dependent on Nexperia chips than some of its competitors. Analysts said a long disruption could affect many European automakers, not just one.
Volvo Cars, which is owned by Geely of China, said it has not seen direct problems yet, but it said it could still be affected by broader supply chain delays. Every major carmaker still remembers how the Covid-19 pandemic stopped production lines when workers were told to stay home and shipping stopped.
Since then, companies have tried to diversify suppliers, but many still rely on China.China mines 70% of the world’s rare earths, and handles 90% of the chemical processing required for them.
Sigrid de Vries, head of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), said, “Automakers have taken steps over the last years to diversify supply chains, but risk cannot be mitigated down to zero.” She said this is a problem that affects almost every supplier.
Nexperia runs a spread-out production network.It designs chip models in Europe, presses silicon wafers in factories in Britain and Germany, and assembles and tests chips in China, the Philippines, and Malaysia.
Automakers usually do not buy directly from Nexperia. The chips go first to automotive suppliers, who build them into parts and then sell those parts to Volkswagen and others.
Replacing Nexperia chips cannot happen quickly.
New chips must be tested for automotive safety, a process that takes time. Analysts at Deutsche Bank said that if no solution is found, German car output could fall by one-third in the worst case, with a 10% drop being more likely.
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