The global semiconductor shortage has taken its toll on Defender production, with the line in Nitra, Slovakia idled until more stock can be sourced.
The global semiconductor shortage has taken its toll on Defender production, with the line in Nitra, Slovakia idled until more stock can be sourced.
The shortage had previously hit the Halewood, England plant that makes Range Rover Evoques and Discovery Sports. It’s now come to the Defender line, with production halted on both the 90 and 110. Unclear so far is how this impacts production of Discovery 5, which has been produced in Slovakia since 2019.
The shortage could make a huge impact on JLR’s sales, with predictions of a 50% reduction in dealer wholesale sales in Q3. There are already 100,000 orders for the Defender on the books, with a large portion of the 2022 model year build slots sold out. The Defender V8 is also about to go on sale, with high-value orders already placed, so presumably they’re planning to start up the line as soon as possible. But the semiconductor shortage has no foreseeable end, so how exactly this will go forward is unclear.
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