Carmakers facing stock shortages as demand soars

Wednesday, 12 May 2021

The Toyota Hilux retains a slim lead overall, but the Ford Ranger had a good month in April, so is closing in on it.

Toyota is in a bit of a pinch. It has a range of desirable vehicles, proven by consistent top-five finishes in the monthly sales charts across a range of segments, but the factories can’t produce enough to sate local demand.

This is largely to do with the ongoing global semiconductor shortage, as well as Covid-19-related delays, which is hurting the production of vehicles from all brands, not just Toyota.

However, Toyota is also grappling with the supply and delivery of accessories, especially if they are sourced overseas. Strong demand in countries like Australia has pushed New Zealand further down the queue.

If you want a new Hilux, you are in for a bit of a wait. Supply issues mean new Toyotas are at least two months away, with the more popular models even further out.

Steve Prangnell, general manager for new vehicles, logistics and franchise development for Toyota New Zealand, told Stuff: “For customers in New Zealand the average delivery time of a new Toyota is currently 16 weeks but it does vary by model, with some Hilux and RAV4 Hybrid models having longer wait times of up to 4 to 8 weeks more. Some models are less, such as Corolla, Camry or Hiace.”

**READ MORE:

Other models, like the C-HR, are not quite as distant but buying one still is not as instantaneous as it once was.

* Chip shortage forces carmakers to leave out some high-end features

* NZ car supply already under pressure, computer chip shortage adds to woes

Ranger supply is (so far) unaffected, which is helping the ute fend the Hilux off the top monthly sales chart.

* Covid-19 delays new vehicle deliveries

Prangnell said that buying a new car was not quite as instantaneous as it was in pre-Covid days and was currently a matter of ordering exactly what you want and waiting for it to be built, shipped and delivered.

“We are incredibly grateful for our customers’ patience at this time as we process approximately 2500 deliveries every month through our stores, with more than 95 per cent of our cars arriving in New Zealand pre-sold,” he said.

“To this end the customer experience is our number one priority, and we are continuing to look at areas where we can improve the customer experience and communication.”

A spokesperson from Ford New Zealand also confirmed that it was seeing the effect of the semiconductor shortage as well but so far not in respect to the top-selling Ranger ute.

“Ford is concentrating on how to best use our allocation of semiconductors to deliver high-demand vehicles to customers around the world. Our most recent forecast for the second quarter is based on commitments from our suppliers who also support other automakers.

“Locally, we are seeing the impact mostly on Escape and Focus (both built in Europe).”

April 2021 was the strongest April on record for sales of new vehicles , thanks to a glut of new vehicles arriving, but the stock constraints will likely play a part in May and June sales. Toyota is currently sitting in the top sales slot, with Ford in third, only slightly trailing Mitsubishi.

A spokesperson for Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand said: “As with all manufacturers, Mitsubishi is experiencing delays due to the semiconductor global shortage. However, due to confident ordering earlier in the year, as well as some innovative thinking, we are in a strong position to minimise these delays for our customers.”