Folks,

 

I've seen (unconfirmed) reports today that Skoda are halting production of all their cars build in CZ for the rest of 2021 due to the chip shortages they are experiencing.

Not sure how will effect the factories in China or India, but as this shortage is global, I imagine it will be a problem.

 

New cars are going to be v.thin on the ground - makes our Second Hand (or as the industry calls them now - pre-loved) vehicles worth even more.  My Scout has gone up a £1000 in a week (according to Auto Trader).....that's crazy money.

1 hour ago, varaderoguy said:

My Scout has gone up a £1000 in a week (according to Auto Trader).....that's crazy money.

 

My Fabia has went up £230 from the price which I paid in March, not bad considering I paid £1,500

Interestingly enough, chip shortages may not be the thing that ends car production in the near future, for most manufactures. It seems to be going under the radar that we are running out of Magnesium and most of our cars require the stuff, you need it for aluminium parts as well as various alloys. As one journalist said "you can't build cars without aluminium and you can't work with aluminium, without magnesium". 

 

China, which is the world's main supplier of magnesium, apparently somewhere around 85% of it comes for there! The story goes that 35 of the 50 factories that produce magnesium have been shut, due to power shortages and the remaining 15 factories have had their output cut by half. The bottom line seems to be unless something changes pronto, Europe could run out of magnesium before Christmas. Sadly the stuff is incredibly hard to store too, owing to the fact it oxidises really quickly. America does produce a fair bit of the stuff, but nothing like the amount that China does. 

A member posted this in one of the many Delivery threads in different sections.

 

Extended shutdown over Christmas holiday.  Dec 23 to Jan 10.

 

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/vws-skoda-extend-holiday-break-until-jan-10-unions-say-2021-12-16/

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 17 December, 20214 yr by roottoot