The estimated number of vehicles axed from assembly plant schedules worldwide because of the microchip shortage rose 11 percent from a week earlier, due in large part to cuts at North American and European plants, according to AutoForecast Solutions.
AFS said about 643,100 vehicles have been eliminated from global production schedules so far in 2022, up from its estimate of 577,900 a week earlier.
Europe saw the most cuts from a week earlier, with about 35,800 vehicles added to its year-to-date estimate. North American plants canceled about 27,700, with an additional 1,900 cuts or so being dropped at plants in the Middle East and Africa.
But for the fourth consecutive week, AFS reported no additional cuts at Chinese assembly plants, which have lost about 51,100 vehicles so far this year. Plants in the rest of Asia and in South America also received a reprieve.
So far this year, Ford Motor Co.’s Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville leads all other North American assembly plants in the number of vehicles eliminated because of the chip shortage, with about 23,600 cut from its schedule. It is followed by Toyota Motor Corp. assembly plants in Woodstock, Ontario, and Georgetown, Ky., which have recorded losses of 16,200 and 15,800, respectively.
