Automotive Industry On The Verge Of A New Crisis

The automotive industry stands on the brink of a new crisis. After the chip crisis, there is now a shortage of natural rubber.

The automotive industry, which experienced a chip crisis during the coronavirus epidemic, seems to be on the verge of a new crisis on natural rubber now. Natural rubber obtained from the bark of the rubber tree and grown in countries such as Thailand and Indonesia is also used in many sectors, especially in the automotive sector. Sector representatives express that they are at the beginning of the rally in rubber prices due to the floods. Last year, in China, the world's largest consumer of natural rubber, the economy started to recover and large-scale purchases brought the attention to the center. US auto manufacturers, which shelved purchases due to quarantine practices, started purchases as of December. In the current situation, although it seems that there is no problem in the sector, industry representatives say the situation is getting worrying. During the coronavirus epidemic, a global chip crisis occurred in many industries from automotive to electronics, and billions of dollars of damage occurred when production disruptions occurred.     This article has contributions of Bloomberg HT.