Datastream

The Global Chip Shortage Impact on American Automakers

Published

2 weeks ago

July 14, 2021

Omri Wallach

Graphics/Design:

Joyce Ma

Global Chip Shortage Impact Automakers

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The Briefing

Delays in semiconductor (chip) manufacturing are hitting vehicle production, with more than 1 million vehicles delayed in North America alone.
American-based manufacturers Ford, Stellantis and GM are taking the hardest hit, combining for a delay of 855,000 vehicles.
Modern cars are built with anywhere between 500-1,500 different chips.

The Global Chip Shortage Impact on American Automakers

Chips, or semiconductor devices, are behind all of the world’s increasingly complex electrical and digital devices.

That includes well-known items like computers and smartphones, but also other products that are becoming “smarter” including appliances, watches, and especially cars.

The automotive industry accounts for a large share of global chip consumption, with modern cars having smart and complex entertainment systems, navigation, and sensors. A modern car can have anywhere from 500-1,500 different chips powering its different functions.

But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, shifting consumer demands and a slowing economy called for a reduction in semiconductor manufacturing. And unfortunately, it can take the supply chain a long time to come back online, as much as 1.5 years.

American Manufacturers Take the Biggest Hit

As the global economy has started to bounce back and demand for digital devices has increased, the chip manufacturing supply chain has become strained on its still-low supply.

And unfortunately for automakers, cars are taking the brunt of the hit.

Manufacturer	Model	Estimated Volume Impact (10k+)
Ford	Ford F-Series	109,710
Stellantis	Jeep Cherokee	98,584
GM	Chevrolet Equinox	81,833
GM	Chevrolet Malibu	56,929
Ford	Ford Explorer	46,766
Stellantis	Jeep Compass	42,195
Ford	Ford Edge	37,521
Ford	Ford Escape	36,463
Ford	Ford Transit	26,507
Stellantis	Chrysler Voyager	25,728
Subaru	Subaru Outback	23,882
Stellantis	Chrysler Pacifica	19,601
GM	GMC Terrain	18,417
GM	Chevrolet Express	18,268
Volkswagen	Volkswagen Jetta	18,044
GM	Chevrolet Colorado	15,153
Stellantis	Ram 1500	14,793
Stellantis	Jeep Grand Cherokee	14,731
GM	Chevrolet Blazer	14,418
Stellantis	Dodge Charger	13,492
GM	Cadillac XT4	12,233
Ford	Ford Mustang	12,019
Volkswagen	Volkswagen Tiguan	12,010
Toyota	Toyota Tundra	11,411
Ford	Lincoln Nautilus	10,601
Subaru	Subaru Ascent	10,508
GM	Chevrolet Camaro	10,489
Honda	Honda Civic	10,206

Though most of the world’s major automakers have factory production in North America, American-based manufacturers are estimated to take the hardest hit.

Of the more than 1.1 million vehicles estimated to face production delays, Ford, Stellantis, and GM combine for 855,000. Ford specifically has five of the top 10 models facing delays, including the largest hit: the F-series at 109,710 delayed units.

Manufacturer	Estimated Volume Impact
Ford	324,616
General Motors	277,966
Stellantis	252,193
Subaru	45,272
Volkswagen	45,215
Honda	42,951
Nissan	41,928
Toyota	23,670
Tesla	6,418
Mazda	6,133
COMPAS	4,200
Hyundai	2,548
Volvo	1,287

Other automakers with less production based in North America are facing far softer impacts. Japanese automakers Honda, Nissan, and Toyota are estimated to take a collective hit of 108,549 delayed models, while companies like Hyundai and Volvo have less than 3,000 vehicles impacted.

The biggest reason for the discrepancy? Where each automaker sources and installs its chips. For American manufacturers in particular, the over-dependence on chips coming through China, Korea, and Taiwan has caused the current U.S. government to look for solutions, with the Senate recently approving $52 billion in subsidies for local chip manufacturing.

When the chip shortage will end is currently anybody’s guess, as manufacturers and countries are scrambling to increase capacity. Whether the financial influx from the U.S. will be enough, and how long it will take to affect a very-slow manufacturing process, remains up in the air.

Where does this data come from?

Source: AutoForecast Solutions, Detroit Free Press.

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Datastream

Olympics 2021: Comparing Every Sports Ball

Here are the different sizes and weights of each Olympic sports ball used in the Tokyo Olympics.

Published

7 days ago

July 19, 2021

Omri Wallach

Olympics 2021 Comparing Every Sports Ball Preview

The Briefing

Table tennis has the smallest sports ball used in the Tokyo Olympics at just 4cm in diameter and 2.7g in weight.
The biggest by size is the basketball at 24.35cm in diameter, but the shot is more than 10 times heavier at 7.26kg.

Olympics 2021: Comparing Every Sports Ball

It might be strange having the Olympics in 2021 (an odd year), but 2020 was anything but normal.

After facing a 12-month delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo are set to kick off from July 23 to August 8.

In addition to hosting traditional sports like running and aquatics, some sports are being introduced for the first time (karate, skateboarding) or returning after an absence (baseball).

One thing that many Olympic sports share in common? There are 17 different sports that use balls or spheres of some sort, ranging in size and weight. Here are the different balls used in the Tokyo Olympics.

Olympic Sports Balls by Size and Weight

The 2021 Olympics, which are still officially called the 2020 Olympics to keep the four-year cycle and branding consistent, are hosting 339 events across 33 different sports.

17 of those sports use balls or spheres. The official sizes and weights vary from a small diameter of 4cm for table tennis to the largest ball, a basketball with a diameter of 24.35cm.

Sport	Diameter	Weight
Table Tennis	4.00cm	2.7g
Golf	4.27cm	45.93g
Tennis	6.70cm	57.7g
Field Hockey	7.48cm	163g
Baseball	7.50cm	149g
Softball	9.55cm	177g
Shot Put	12.00cm	7,260g
Handball (Women’s)	17.51cm	350g
Handball (Men’s)	18.78cm	450g
Rhythmic Gymnastics	19.00cm	400g
Volleyball	21.01cm	270g
Water Polo (Women’s)	21.01cm	425g
Beach Volleyball	21.33cm	270g
Soccer	21.96cm	432.5g
Water Polo (Men’s)	22.28cm	425g
Basketball (Women’s)	23.24cm	538g
Basketball (Men’s)	24.35cm	608g

Even within the same categories of sports, balls have different size and weight rules based on event or gender. Water polo, handball, and basketball all have slight variations of a few centimeters in diameter and up to 100g in weight for different gender events.

But sorting the balls by weight shows that the shot is far and away the heaviest. At 7.26kg, the shot is more than 10 times heavier than a basketball. That’s because while most sporting balls are made of light material filled with air, shots are typically constructed entirely of metal.

Where does this data come from?

Source: Wired, Official Sport Rulebooks.

Datastream

Top 50 Companies Proportion of World GDP

The world’s top 50 companies are becoming more valuable, especially compared to global GDP.

Published

7 days ago

July 19, 2021

Omri Wallach

The Briefing

The combined market cap of the world’s top 50 companies was proportional to 27.6% of global GDP in 2020, up from just 4.7% of global GDP in 1990
Tech’s role continues to grow, now accounting for 21 of the top 50 companies

Top 50 Companies Proportion of World GDP

The world’s top 50 companies have become increasingly more valuable, and more powerful, over time.

As global GDP has grown over the last four decades, from $23.6 trillion in 1990 to $84.5 trillion in 2020, the proportional share of the world’s top companies by market capitalization has grown over five-fold.

Year	Global GDP	Top 50 Companies Market Cap as a % of GDP
1990	$23.6T	4.7%
2000	$34.0T	22.1%
2010	$66.2T	12.7%
2020	$84.5T	27.6%

Though the world’s top 50 companies change year-to-year, there’s also a lot of overlap.

Which Companies Dominated Each Decade?

2020’s largest company by market cap, Apple at $2.26 trillion, was the third largest company in 2010. Likewise, 2010’s largest company was Exxon Mobil, which was the second largest company in both 1990 and 2000 (but has since fallen off).

The top 50 companies in the world also highlight the increasing role of tech in the modern market. 1990’s largest company IBM was just one of three tech companies that made the ranking that year. Even in 2000, when the world’s largest company was GE, tech companies like Cisco and Microsoft only made up three of the top 10 companies by market cap.

Fast forward to 2020, and tech accounted for 42% of the top 50 companies in the world. It also plays a more prominent role on the high end of the spectrum, as six of 2020’s seven largest companies were tech-based, with only oil giant Saudi Aramco the odd one out.

Though digitization is a primary driver of current economic growth, will these trends remain steady in 10 or more years from now? Or will companies from other booming industries such as green energy take over the leaderboard?

>>Like this? You might find this article interesting, 23 Years of Shifting Tech Market Caps

Where does this data come from?

Source: Bloomberg, IMF.