[Asia Economy Reporter Yu Je-hoon] Since last year, the ripple effects of the shortage of automotive semiconductors have continued, making it difficult for domestic automakers to resolve the 'delivery chaos.' For dedicated electric vehicles or some popular models, it sometimes takes about a year from ordering the vehicle to delivery.
According to the industry on the 15th, Hyundai Motor's first dedicated electric vehicle, the Ioniq 5, currently requires more than 12 months from order to delivery as of early this month. The Genesis GV60, which uses the same E-GMP platform, also takes more than 12 months, and the Kia EV6 takes more than 13 months.
Other popular models besides dedicated electric vehicles also require a considerable amount of time until vehicle delivery. For the Kia Sorento, which always ranks in the top 10 in domestic car sales, the hybrid (HEV) model takes more than 14 months, while the diesel and gasoline models take more than 13 months and 10 months, respectively. The delivery time for this model has been gradually increasing since last year.
The Grandeur and Avante, which ranked first and second in total sales last year, are also struggling. The Grandeur hybrid model takes 6 to 7 months for delivery, and the gasoline model takes at least 9 to 10 weeks up to 4 to 5 months depending on the trim. The Avante also takes 6 months for both hybrid and gasoline models. Even compact cars are no exception, with the Kia Morning and Ray requiring a wait of 10 to 11 weeks for all specifications.
The cause of the delivery wait is attributed to the automotive semiconductor shortage, which shows no signs of being resolved anytime soon. Although the semiconductor supply situation has somewhat improved since the fourth quarter of last year, it is still insufficient to meet the increased waiting demand. Delivery times can be somewhat shortened if advanced features are excluded, but since advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) have become widespread, giving them up is not easy.
The industry expects that the semiconductor shortage will only be resolved by the end of this year or next year at the earliest, so such delivery delays are likely to continue for the time being. The HMG Management Research Institute recently stated at a seminar, "Even if the spread of COVID-19 subsides this year, due to incomplete resolution of semiconductor supply issues, sales recovery to the 2019 level before COVID-19 is expected only in 2023."
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