According to online sources, Audi is forced to reduce the supply of its first electric car. The reason for this was the lack of components, namely: the lack of rechargeable batteries, which are supplied by the South Korean company LG Chem. According to experts, the company will have time to produce about 45 electric cars this year, which is 000 less than originally planned. Supply chain issues have led Audi to postpone the start of production of the second vehicle in the e-tron range () next year.
Recall, LG Chem is the main supplier of lithium-ion batteries for Audi and Mercedes-Benz, as well as their parent companies Volkswagen and Daimler. In the future, the automotive giants intend to organize their own production of batteries for electric cars or create a joint venture with suppliers, following the example of Tesla and Panasonic cooperation in this area. Until that happens, companies are heavily dependent on LG Chem and other lithium-ion battery makers. Sources say that the South Korean company is taking advantage of its position by increasing the selling price of its products.
It is worth saying that the first car of the e-tron line is haunted by a series of failures. In addition to problems with the supply of batteries and their rising price, Audi had to postpone the launch of series production several times. Last August, the e-tron launch event was canceled due to with the CEO of Audi. In the fall of 2018, there were problems with updating the software, which negatively affected the production of electric cars. All this led to the fact that the first deliveries of electric cars from Audi began only in March 2019.
Source: 3dnews.ru