As Kyodo News reports, citing Reuters, the shortage of components is caused by Chinese restrictions on the export of rare earth metals and magnets. These materials are key to the production of electric and hybrid vehicles. This is causing difficulties not only for Nissan — other major manufacturers, including Ford and Suzuki, are facing similar problems.
The European Association of Automotive Suppliers has already made an official statement: Chinese restrictions could seriously destabilize the entire supply chain. As a result, suppliers sometimes cannot obtain the necessary resources in time, which has a knock-on effect on automakers.
It is worth mentioning that the premiere of the new Nissan Leaf was planned for global markets in the fall. This is an electric crossover capable of traveling up to 605 km on a single charge, and the most powerful version produces 218 hp. In addition to the latest platform, the car received a fully digital instrument panel and improved driver assistance systems.
