Carmakers across the world have had to curb output due to a shortage of chips used in everything from computer management of engines to driver assistance systems, which is hampering their recovery from the pandemic, a Reuters report noted.
“The longer the chip crisis lasts, the harder it will be to sustain the auto industry’s current business model,” Stellantis’ Carlos Tavares told an FT web conference.
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The automaker had said earlier the chip shortage should improve in the second half of this year but disruption to the auto industry could last into 2022.
Tavares said at the FT event the industry was also facing a raw material inflation issue and the solution was increasing the use of renewable raw materials.
He also said the challenge for the industry was keeping clean mobility “affordable”, noting that a shift to electric vehicles was a top-down decision imposed with “brutality” by governments and not decided by carmakers, Reuters reported.
“If you offer clean mobility only affordable to rich customers, then you will not have a significant impact on carbon emissions,” he said.
“It’s hard to sell a EUR30,000 battery electric car when people can buy the correspondent traditional model for half the price.”
On Alfa Romeo, Lancia and DS, and luxury Maserati, Tavares said the group had room for all three premium brands.
“They’re perfectly complementary,” he said.
“I don’t think autonomous drive will ever take over completely, there will always be room for the pleasure of driving.”
