Component crisis and lack of car carriers prevent vehicles from reaching dealerships

The first motive is rooted in the person himself. component crisis where the producers live. The stresses in the supply chains meant that there were fewer of these essential elements – such as semiconductors – to manufacture vehicles. And if less is found, the proportion of cars produced will suffer. The ERTEs this year and will continue into 2023 at factories like Seat in Martorell or Ford in Almussafes are the best proof that productivity shortages remain a reality. Y, If there are fewer cars to be distributed, their arrival at the point of sale is delayed.

“Dealers have trouble getting cars from manufacturers’ fields or from the ports themselves,” Raúl Morales, communications director for the dealers-employers association Faconauto, tells this newspaper, “because there aren’t many,” he insists. production, arrival becomes more chaotic.” However, in this already difficult situation, another even more contrived problem arose: there are not enough carriers to “manage the arrival of cars at dealerships”.

In short, it’s a tumultuous road for vehicles that initially have the challenge of putting all the necessary components together and when the unit is complete, the lack of vehicle carriers leaves it piled up most of the time, preventing it from reaching its destination, the dealership. The collapse of the Stellantis field in Figueruelas (Zaragoza) last week as reported by El Periódico de Aragón (from Prince Ibérica as Levante-EMV) is a meaningful indicator of this.

Fewer drivers and trucks

The situation is supported by this mobility sector. As he explained José Manuel Peña Mascuñán, president of Transportave (the association associated with small companies and the self-employed in this transport subsector), both drivers and trucks missing. “They have about 25% gone Proportion of those using this service in 2019. It was around 3,400 before, and now we should be at 2,600,” he stresses, “to other modes of transport”, as well as a huge job shortage that started with the pandemic, causing many of these carriers to “subsector and stop transporting vehicles.”

With this situation, if we add the following in this last period of the year some factories got more components that allowed them to finish their units, the translation that took place was that they had to store tools in a larger proportion wherever possible. Can’t take it to dealers.

“There’s a lack of transport, it’s true,” Saturnino Peña, manager of Volvo Auto Sweden, tells this newspaper. confirming that this prolongs the delivery of vehicles to customers “between fifteen days and one month”. In other cases, these and other problems cause the maturities to become longer. “We have a month and a half delays. Cars that were supposed to be delivered in October are delayed by a month and a half,” summarizes Juan de Angulo, Mitsubishi Levante’s head of sales.. Y these temporary extensions are also recognized by JR Valle (Official dealer of Seat, Skoda and Cupra in Valencia).

Solutions to avoid worsening the situation

Therefore, both Angulo and Peña, sometimes or from the brand itself, In order not to worsen the situation, a “solution” is sought in the form of alternative transportation.. Unsurprisingly, the end doesn’t seem to be coming anytime soon. As Manuel Palma, president of Automóviles Palma (several of its dealers are located in the state of Valencia) right now, “I can’t tell you how long a car lasts because sometimes it can take up to six months”, and as we look to the future, “Manufacturers’ forecasts are that the vehicle in the first half of 2023 that we’re still going to have problems on his arrival”.

What is clear is, according to Peña, that horizon “will take longer to deliver and we’ll have to get used to cars that are six or eight months away. And the more complex it is, the longer it will take.”