Carmakers are stripping out digital bells and whistles as global chips shortages send assemblers back to analogue features
- Nissan is leaving navigation systems out of thousands of vehicles that typically would have them, while Ram no longer offers its 1500 pickups with a standard “intelligent” rear-view mirror that monitors for blind spots
- Renault has stopped offering an oversized digital screen behind the steering wheel on its Arkana SUV
When automakers were first hit with chip shortages at the end of last year, they tried idling factories until the troubles blew over. But with the crisis stretching into its fifth month and getting worse, they’re getting creative to keep at least some production moving forward.
Nissan is leaving navigation systems out of thousands of vehicles that typically would have them because of the shortages. Ram no longer offers its 1500 pickups with a standard “intelligent” rear view mirror that monitors for blind spots. Renault has stopped offering an oversized digital screen behind the steering wheel on its Arkana SUV – also to save on chips.
That rollback underscores the depth of the issues facing the industry. Just last week, BMW, Honda Motor and Ford Motor all flagged worsening problems from chip shortages. A failure to secure critical supplies is a massive short-term setback – millions of vehicle sales will be lost this year – and bodes ill for the future as competition from tech-savvy internet and consumer-electronics companies intensifies.
“This probably gets worse before it gets better,” said Stacy Rasgon, who covers the semiconductor industry for Sanford C. Bernstein. “It just takes a long time to bring this capacity online.”