MONEY MASTER

European automakers are facing the prospect of major production disruptions if a growing dispute over Dutch chipmaker  Nexperia  isn’t swiftly resolved, the  European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA)  cautioned on Thursday. The conflict stems from the Dutch government’s decision to  seize control of Nexperia , a China-owned firm, due to concerns about potential technology transfer to its parent company,  Wingtech . The move has placed Nexperia squarely in the middle of rising  U.S.-China tech tensions , with President  Donald Trump  imposing pressure on Chinese firms while Beijing retaliates through  export restrictions . Supply Chain Concerns Nexperia informed clients last week that it could no longer guarantee chip deliveries, prompting alarm across Europe’s auto sector. “Without these chips, suppliers cannot build key components for automakers — threatening production stoppages,” ACEA said in a statement. While Nexperia’s ...

Bosch CEO Stefan Hartung anticipates minimal growth in the global car and commercial vehicle markets this year and next, attributing the sluggish demand to factors lower than the industry predicted five years ago. " Demand on the car market globally is lower than the industry expected five years ago," Hartung said during the IAA Transportation trade fair in Hanover, Germany. He mentioned that Europe is projected to produce several million fewer cars than anticipated five years ago, and he expects it will take a few years for demand to recover. European carmakers are currently grappling with high labor and energy costs, compounded by increasing competition from lower-cost Asian rivals. For example, Volkswagen , Europe's largest carmaker by sales, recently stated that it is considering shutting some plants in Germany for the first time in its history as part of a cost-cutting strategy to stay competitive against Asian competitors. Hartung also noted a slowdown in the g...