How the war in Ukraine affects car production and drivers
We are all aware that vehicle manufacturing, along with other things, has already been hampered by the shortage of components and staff due to the COVID-19 pandemic causing severe delays to production and deliveries. And sadly with the recent events unfolding in Ukraine right now, car manufacturers in Europe have had to slow down even more or halt the production of vehicles due to an added disruption to the supply chain.
Why do the events in Ukraine affect my car? Not many people are aware that Ukraine actually play a key part in the EV (Electric Vehicle) revolution. Supplying around 7% to just the European Union alone of their wire harness needs.
What is a wire harness and why does my car need one? Yes, all vehicles need this. We won’t lie, we weren’t aware of what a wire harness was before all this happened and the supply chain got interrupted. The wire harness enables all the wiring to be hugged neatly together so none of the wires gets lost or flies away or causes any damage to the car while in use.
Which vehicles are affected? Now, this acute lack of components has led to companies such as Volkswagen, Skoda, BMW, Audi having to temporarily halt the production at their plants in Germany and the Czech Republic, but only until they can find a solution to the supply shortages.
Currently, only a small number of vehicles have been affected by this delay, for example – Volkswagen ID.3, ID.4, CUPRA Born, Audi Q4 E-Tron and Skoda Enyaq iV.
Have the vehicle manufacturers put any sanctions on Russia as a result of their current interference? Yes. Like a huge amount of other companies across the world, vehicle manufacturers have decided as a result of the Russian attack on Ukraine to ban all exports and sales within Russia as a direct response.
Volkswagen last week went as far as to announce that production at their factories in Russia would stop with immediate effect.
Toyota also released a statement that they will halt all production at their plant in St Petersburg where they make the RAV4 and Camry models. However, according to Toyota, these cars were mainly meant for the Russian market.
What about other vehicle components? Neither Russia nor Ukraine makes any other vehicle components needed for vehicle production, but they do supply raw materials that are used in making parts such as catalytic converters and semiconductors, and it is indeed possible these too could start to become sparse.
Will the current situation affect the delivery of my new vehicle? In all honesty, it is hard to tell. It really all comes down to where your vehicle is being built and the route it will take to get to the UK.
Why is the cost of fuel rising? Many countries, including the UK, buy oil and gas from Russia which is the third largest supplier of oil in the world. Although energy imports have slowed down because of economic sanctions, the UK has not yet stopped buying oil from Russia. However the drop in energy supply has led to a sharp rise in fuel prices felt by drivers.
At UK Carline we take pride in ourselves in making sure to show excellent customer service and have always put the customer first in everything we do. If your vehicle is delayed due to anything and we mean anything we will update you straight away.
If you are ever worried or want more advice on your vehicle then please do not hesitate in contacting us on 01995 638171 or email us at info@ukcarline.com
Not all vehicle manufacturing has been affected by current events and there are still plenty of cars available for leasing. Take a look at our website today for all the latest offers.
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