Car manufacturers wake up to new pecking order as chip crunch intensifies Premium FILE PHOTO: Automakers are responding to the shortage by lobbying governments to subsidize the construction of more chip-making capacity (REUTERS) . Updated: 19 Feb 2021, 03:06 PM IST Reuters Car manufacturers including Volkswagen, Ford and General Motors have cut output as the chip market was swept clean by makers of consumer electronics such as smartphones Share Via Read Full Story BERLIN: The semiconductor crunch that has battered the auto sector leaves carmakers with a stark choice: pay up, stock up or risk getting stuck on the sidelines as chipmakers focus on more lucrative business elsewhere.