Automobiles: Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz Production Halts in Brazil Due to Material Shortage

In Brazil, The Problem That Arose During The Pandemic Was Aggravated By The Conflict In Eastern Europe And The Assembly Of Volkswagen And Mercedes-Benz Automobiles Is Suspended

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the shortage of electronic materials for automobile production has been causing serious losses. To this day, this problem is still recurring for Brazil and other countries. The scenario worsened even further with the latest conflict between the two countries in Eastern Europe, Russia and Ukraine, as there was a reduction in the supply of materials. Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz have already been negatively impacted.

According to an article written by Bruna Machado for the Capitalist portal, on April 18, Monday, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen, two automotive giants, had to suspend their activities in Brazil due to the lack of essential materials for production.

In the first half of 2022, there was still some expectation for the automotive sector regarding the supply of necessary parts in Brazil. However, with the conflict between Russia and Ukraine combined with a simultaneous increase in COVID-19 cases in China, plans changed.

About The Suspensions Of Major Automakers

Thus, automobile production in Brazil has already begun to be suspended. Mercedes-Benz, which has a new electric SUV, had to declare collective vacations for all employees involved in the production of automobiles such as trucks, buses, cabs, etc. Thus, around 6,000 employees from the units in the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais will only return to work at the beginning of May.

Additionally, Mercedes-Benz, which is in high season for trucks in Brazil, had already suspended the work of 600 workers for a period of 12 days, ending on March 25. After this suspension period, Mercedes-Benz suspended the work of another 600 employees, leading to further interruptions in automobile manufacturing.

In turn, at the Volkswagen unit in São Bernardo do Campo, in the state of São Paulo, for example, there was a need to suspend operations until the holiday on April 21, Thursday, considering that there was a high quantity of automobiles with pending materials to be completed.

In addition, another Volkswagen plant – a brand that will recall electric cars – also had to interrupt its activities. This time, due to the lack of adjustment in the production line, the automobile manufacturer in Taubaté, also in the state of São Paulo, suspended its productions.

With all this in mind, it is estimated that the manufacturing activities of the automotive sector in Brazil will only be regularized next year, 2023.

Volkswagen’s New Electric Car Platform Promises Electric Sedan With 700 Km Range

Volkswagen continues working on the development of its MEB electric car platform, and one of the upcoming novelties in this architecture announced on the afternoon of this Wednesday (13) will be a mid-size electric sedan, the first of the brand, which will serve as a successor to the current Passat, yet without emitting any pollutants and promising to provide a significant leap in terms of range. So far, Volkswagen’s platform has already supported models from the ID line, such as ID.3, ID.4, ID.5, ID.6, and ID. Buzz, yet the future electric sedan promises to take a step further.
Known as Volkswagen Aero B, the electric car has not had many technical details disclosed by the German automaker; however, during the last results conference, the company released some important data about the electric sedan. To learn more, read the full article here at this link.