The Maserati Grecale is the latest victim of the global chip shortage. To recap, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic caused many factories that produce semiconductors and other chips to slow down or halt production. Those production delays eventually led to a global shortage of chips which affected supply chains across several industries, automotive included.

Maserati Grecale SUV delayed due to chip shortage

The highly anticipated Maserati Grecale SUV was supposed to make its grand debut in November 2021. However, according to a report from Reuters, that debut has been pushed back to February 2022. The Italian automaker blamed the delay on the continuing global chip shortage, which will prevent them from producing enough of the Maserati Grecale SUV to meet the expected demand. The supply chain for various components, including semiconductors, has been too unpredictable for Maserati’s comfort.

“In particular, due to a scarcity of semiconductors, production volumes would not adequately meet expected global demand,” Said Maserati in a statement.

The world premiere for the Maserati Grecale SUV was set to happen in Cassino (central Italy) on November 16, 2021.

Maserati parent company Stellantis confirmed that the Alfa Romeo Tonale SUV would also be delayed to March 2022 from its initially scheduled debut of December 2021.

The semiconductor shortage will be worse for Maserati than COVID-19

While the coronavirus pandemic was the catalyst for the global chip shortage, experts have stated that the shortage will end up being much worse than COVID in the long run for Stellantis brands.

The head of the FIM-CISL union Ferdinando Uliano strongly suggested that the shortage of chips will have a lasting effect on the ability of Stellantis’ European factories to keep up with production.

“The semiconductor hurricane is causing production stoppages that are weighing more than the lockdown in 2020,” said Uliano. “The forecasts are that such situation will carry on for the whole first half of 2022”.

The union head shared fears that due to the chip shortage, Stellantis will alter (or cancel) its future plans for other vehicles, which would mean fewer jobs for autoworkers.

“The main risk is that Stellantis decides to delay planned investments and new model launches, as the chip crisis pushes sales down,” Uliano said.

With the announced delay of the Maserati Grecale SUV, it looks like Uliano’sUliano’s predictions may have come to pass.

The shortage may not last as long as we think

The impact of the global chip shortage may seem like it is endless and insolvable; however, there is some evidence to suggest that there is light at the end of the tunnel. As devastating as the shortage has been for the supply chains of many industries, some corporations are taking the opportunity to learn from this situation.

For example, Hyundai has expressed interest in producing semiconductor chips in-house via its Hyundai Mobis division. With Hyundai manufacturing its own chips, it will become less reliant on third-party suppliers. Hyundai could also become a supplier itself, which provides more options for manufacturers and a smaller risk of shortages.

Global semiconductor supplies may stabilize much sooner than expected if other automakers go the same route as Hyundai.