Latest supply chain disruption: Tesla and Volvo affected due to missing parts

Image: Tesla

Tesla apparently coped well with the supply chain disruptions caused by the coronavirus from the beginning of 2020, a freighter stuck in the Suez Canal in mid-2021 and the Russian attack on Ukraine from February 2022, but the latest disruption is now also affecting the German Gigafactory: from the end of January, production there will largely be at a standstill for two weeks, the company announced on Thursday with. They are forced to do this because components from overseas are missing.

Tesla and Volvo are missing parts

The trigger for this is once again the situation at the Suez Canal, which under normal circumstances saves ships from Asia the long detour around Africa for Europe. It is currently not blocked, but since December the Houthi militia in Yemen has been attacking ships heading for the canal through the Red Sea. Tesla deliveries from China then changed their routes and arrived late in Europe via the Cape of Good Hope. This week, US and British aircraft carried out attacks on Houthi positions, but the route through the Red Sea is apparently still not safe.

According to a report by Reuters, Tesla did not reveal which components were not specifically available for the Model Y from Grünheide. A little later, Volvo Car, which belongs to the Chinese Geely group, also announced a production break due to the new logistics problems. There is said to be a lack of gearboxes that are normally installed in the Ghent plant in Belgium, and production will therefore be suspended for three days. The German Tesla factory was recently not active over Christmas and New Year.
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It's not real

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 11, 2024

In the USA, Tesla does not seem to be affected by the difficult situation on the Red Sea, and sales of the refreshed version of the Model 3 have now begun there (see photo above). It has been around in Europe and the production country of China since October 2023 and was previously often referred to as “Highland”. This was the code name for the facelift, which could also be seen in official documents. Tesla CEO Elon Musk caused confusion at the US launch by stating on X that the name was “not real”.

Regardless of this, the Model 3 is now only available in two versions in North America, Asia and Europe, as a basic version with rear-wheel drive and a smaller battery and as a long range with all-wheel drive. US prices remained unchanged compared to the end of 2023 - but that amounts to $7,500 more for most customers because the Model 3 will no longer qualify for the government subsidy of this amount in the new year.

Hertz sells 20,000 electric cars

This is probably due to the rules for the origin of batteries and materials becoming stricter every year. Tesla had already pointed out in December that US funding for its Model 3 would stop in 2024. All three variants of the Model Y, on the other hand, are fully supported, although the basic version for North America has reportedly been using LFP batteries from China like the Model 3 for some time. As a result, the SUV-sized electric car now costs US customers less than the sedan. They should pay at least $38,990 for the refreshed Model 3; The Model Y starts at $43,990, of which $36,490 remains after the subsidy is deducted.

With the Model 3, Tesla is apparently relying entirely on the traction of the Highland refresh. However, used prices for the previous version came under pressure this week because the landlord Hertz, which helped its own shares and those of Tesla reach new records at the end of 2021 by announcing the purchase of 100,000 Model 3s, is becoming increasingly dissatisfied with it. In October 2023, he reported that falling new prices and high repair costs had weighed on his own profits. And now Hertz has announced that it has started selling a third of its fleet of around 60,000 electric cars from various manufacturers. Young Model 3s are said to cost less than $18,000.

Tesla lowers China prices, BYD lowers German prices

At the beginning of 2023, Tesla put pressure on competitors worldwide with sometimes drastic price cuts for its electric cars. There could be a similar development this year, because on Friday the US company lowered the prices for Model 3 and Model Y in China, which had already started a year ago. The Model 3, introduced in the Highland refresh for 259,900 renminbi, now costs from 245,900 renminbi (around 31,500 euros), almost 6 percent less than at launch, reports CnEVPost. For the Model Y, the China reduction was less at just over 2 percent; the price of the performance version remained at 363,900 renminbi (46,700 euros).

In Europe, Tesla has not yet changed its prices widely in the new year. Instead, the first steps in this direction were taken by competitors Volkswagen and BYD. The German brand introduced electric car discounts in its home country in the first week of January, some of which are higher than the environmental bonus that was abolished in December 2023. This week, similar actions followed in other European markets such as France and Norway. In addition, according to electrive, Tesla's major competitor BYD from China announced price reductions of 5-15 percent for its electric cars in Germany.
According to a report by teslamag.de