A major earthquake in Japan threatens to exacerbate the ongoing global microchip shortage as the total number of vehicles removed from production plans this year surpassed 1 million.

The number of vehicles cut from automakers’ production plans this year because of the chip shortage surged 42 percent from a previous estimate, according to AutoForecast Solutions.

Another 75,300 vehicles were eliminated from schedules because of the semiconductor shortage, mostly at North American factories.

North American factories took another 26,000 vehicles out of their production schedules last week, significantly more than companies were cutting at the beginning of the month.

Automakers and battery companies are spending unprecedented sums of money as they build out North America's EV supply chain.

Automakers continue to talk up the outlook for electric vehicles, but global suppliers may need some more convincing.

Automotive suppliers are deploying with health technology aimed at detecting COVID-19, alerting someone of signs of a heart attack and purifying the air in their vehicle.

Global executives foresee a major shift to online auto sales by 2030, with a steep rise in automaker direct-to-consumer sales.

Two years of disruptions caused by the pandemic, the microchip shortage and a wide range of supply chain challenges are prompting automakers and suppliers to pursue a better sense of where their parts are.