In recent years the automotive industry has endured significant challenges in securing semiconductors for use in vehicles. As COVID lockdowns commenced in 2020, many OEMs cancelled their contracts with chip manufacturers and then found capacity exhausted when attempting to place new orders. As lead times reached upwards of a year, significant shortages ensued. As a result, the manufacturing equivalent of 9.5 million light vehicle units were lost in 2021, according to S&P Global Mobility.
