Battle between Netherlands and China over chipmaker could disrupt car factories, companies say

Volvo, VW and Nissan among companies that could face supply problems due to Dutch takeover of Nexperia

Car companies across Europe and Japan including Volvo, Volkswagen, Honda and Nissan have warned that the battle between the Netherlands and China over control of the chipmaker Nexperia could hit production at factories.

Last week’s decision by the Dutch government to take control of the Chinese-owned chipmaker, which is based in the Netherlands, has sent shock waves across the car industry, which is already facing potential shortages of products such as magnets amid China’s latest restrictions on rare earths exports.