The Wait for Semiconductors Turns Ominous for Automakers
- Gap between ordering chip and delivery hit record 21.7 weeks
- Automakers are projected to lose about $210 billion in sales
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The amount of time that automakers and other companies need to wait for chip orders to get filled rose yet again in September, signaling that semiconductor shortages will continue to hamper the global economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The gap between putting in a semiconductor order and taking delivery, known as the lead time in the industry, rose another five days in September to an average of 21.7 weeks, according to research by Susquehanna Financial Group. That wait has increased for nine months in a row and is by far the longest since the firm began tracking the data in 2017.