“Due to missing parts, we are forced to stop car production at the Berlin-Brandenburg gigafactory from January 29 to February 11, with the exception of some sections,” Tesla said in a statement. “From February 12, production will be fully resumed,” she added. The Reuters agency writes that Tesla is the first company to inform about the interruption of production due to the situation in the Red Sea. Other companies, including the Chinese car manufacturer Geely or the Swedish furniture company Ikea, warned of delays in deliveries.
Tesla explained that the tension in the Red Sea and the associated rerouting of sea routes between Asia and Europe via the Cape of Good Hope also have an impact on its factory near Berlin. “Due to significantly longer transport times, there is a gap in supply chains,” added the company.
Since the start of Israel’s war against the Hamas terrorist movement in the Gaza Strip, Yemen’s Houthi rebels have been attacking ships in the Red Sea that they say have ties to Israel. Large shipping companies are therefore increasingly avoiding this important trade route, which also passes through the Suez Canal, which is the fastest connection between Asia and Europe. The United States and Britain launched retaliatory strikes against the Houthis overnight.
At the Tesla plant in Grünheide near Berlin, electric cars will be produced from March 2022. Around 11,500 people work in the factory. Currently, more than 250,000 are produced there aut annually, the company plans to increase its capacity several times in the future.
According to Reuters, analysts expect that the worsening security situation may affect other manufacturers as well aut, who rely on supplies of parts from Asia, especially China. “Tesla is reliant on China for battery components that need to be shipped to Europe via the Red Sea, which is a constant risk for manufacturing in Europe,” said Sam Fiorani of AutoForecast Solutions, which tracks automotive manufacturing and supply chains .
Electric car manufacturers and analysts have warned in recent months that sales in this industry are not growing as fast as hoped. Because of this, some companies are cutting prices in an attempt to support demand, which has been negatively affected by economic uncertainty.
