Honda will suspend production at its Japanese factories on January 5 and 6, 2026, as the global ip shortage continues to disrupt the automotive industry. The automaker will also temporarily shut down its three Guangqi Honda Automobile plants in China from December 29 to January 2.
The ongoing chip shortage has been exacerbated by a geopolitical dispute between China and the Netherlands. The standoff led China to restrict exports of chips produced by Nexperia. Although the Netherlands later suspended its intervention and China partially eased restrictions following diplomatic talks, the measures have fallen short of fully restoring chip supplies.
Honda is not alone in facing the fallout. Several automakers have seen production schedules thrown into disarray in recent months as China’s export curbs tightened the availability of key components.
However, Honda has been particularly hard hit, with the company reducing its global sales forecast to 3.34 million vehicles from an earlier estimate of 3.62 million. It had already reduced or halted output at some North American plants due to the shortage.
The latest production suspension marks a setback from Honda’s earlier guidance, in which the company said manufacturing conditions were expected to normalise from late November. The renewed stoppage underscores that supply chain challenges remain unresolved, complicating efforts to return to stable production levels.
(Source: Engadget, The Edge Malaysia, CNC)
