Production in Portugal’s Autoeuropa car assembly plant has been halted for a second time since March due to the worldwide shortage of semiconductor chips. The ‘crisis’ which has been estimated to cost car manufacturers globally around €100 billion has been precipitated by the pandemic: demand for the chips increased as workers were ‘laid off’ and lockdowns imposed. In Autoeuropa’s case, the crisis has already reduced production by around 70,000 vehicles. The current hiatus is expected to last till June 27.
