The tight supply of automotive chips eased slightly in September, but still unable to meet production needs

    From January to September 2021, the national automobile production and sales reached 18.243 million and 18.623 million units, a year-on-year increase of 7.5% and 8.7%, and the growth rate continued to decline compared to January to August.

    In 2021, "based on the situation in that month, the tight supply of chips has slightly eased, but it still cannot meet production needs. In addition, with a high base in the same period last year, the month‘s automobile production and sales increased month on month, but decreased year-on-year. In addition, the orderly electricity consumption policies implemented in multiple provinces across the country have also had a certain impact on automobile production," said the relevant person in charge of the China Automobile Association.

    Among them, the decline in commercial vehicles is more significant. Data shows that in September, the production and sales of commercial vehicles nationwide reached 310000 and 317000, respectively, with a month on month increase of 35.6% and 28.3%, and a year-on-year decrease of 35.2% and 33.6%. Among the main varieties of commercial vehicles, compared to last month, the production and sales of trucks and buses have both shown growth, with the growth rate of trucks being more significant; Compared to the same period last year, the production and sales of passenger cars have slightly decreased, while the decrease in freight cars is still significant.

    The new energy vehicle market has performed outstandingly, with production and sales reaching new historical highs. Data shows that in September, the production and sales of new energy vehicles reached 353000 and 357000, respectively, with a month on month increase of 14.5% and 11.4%, both of which increased by 1.5 times year-on-year. From January to September 2021, the production and sales of new energy vehicles reached 2.166 million and 2.157 million respectively, a year-on-year increase of 1.8 times and 1.9 times, and the market penetration rate increased to 11.6%.

    According to the analysis of the China Automobile Association, in September this year, while the national energy consumption was under dual control, the implementation of orderly electricity consumption on a large scale nationwide was affected by the shortage of coal supply and the inversion of coal and electricity prices, resulting in an impact on enterprise production. The combination of high overall commodity prices and high international logistics costs has led to a slowdown in both supply and demand in the manufacturing industry. In particular, the automotive industry continues to be affected by chip supply shortages, resulting in significant operational pressure.

    Looking ahead to the fourth quarter, the macroeconomic situation is stable and improving, and the demand for automobile consumption remains stable. On the other hand, there is still significant uncertainty on the supply side. The overall supply of chips in the fourth quarter is expected to be better than in the third quarter, but chip supply is still in short supply; Orderly electricity use in various regions will increase the supply risk of the automotive industry; The rise in electricity bills and the sustained high prices of raw materials will further increase the cost pressure on enterprises, and to some extent, affect the operation of the industry. Taking into account various factors, we cautiously and optimistically view the development of the industry, and the market will be weaker than expected throughout the year, "said the relevant person in charge of the China Automobile Association.