Mazda to halt production at Japanese plant due to chip shortage

Mazda Motor said on Wednesday that it will suspend production at a factory in Japan for about ten days in July as the chip shortage continue.

The automaker’s Hofu Plant No.1 in Yamaguchi prefecture in southwest Japan, will temporarily halt production between July 5 and 9 and also during July 12 and 16.

The chip shortage, which has hit automakers worldwide, emerges from a confluence of factors as automakers, which closed plants for two months during the coronavirus pandemic last year, rival against the sprawling consumer electronics industry for chip supplies. A factory fire suffered by Japanese chipmaker Renesas this year is also cited as a reason behind the chip shortage.