The new car supply situation for some fleets is worsening and remains extremely patchy for almost all, the Association of Fleet Professionals is reporting.
Paul Hollick, chair, explained said that feedback from across its membership showed that serious problems were persisting and causing increasing operational disruption.
“This is, of course, a worldwide problem caused by worldwide issues, ranging from demand for raw materials to semiconductor shortages through to, more recently, the war in Ukraine hitting manufacturing of key components.
“However, it is also a problem that is very much affecting fleet managers in the UK and we are hearing many stories that suggest the situation is worsening, at least for certain businesses, and show no apparent signs of improving.
“Some fleet managers are telling us that drivers are having to go through the process of choosing a new car half a dozen times before finding one for which a manufacturer will even provide an production slot – and that date is likely to be a year or more away.”
He added, “Other manufacturers have closed their order books either completely or for certain models. In general terms, PHEVs have become very difficult to acquire and it seems that production is being skewed away from them towards EVs, probably because of CAFE regulations.
“Even when cars can be obtained, they are often being delivered without meeting the order specification. The wrong colour is fairly commonplace but equipment is often missing – parking sensors seem to be a particular issue – with no resulting adjustment in price.
“All of these problems exist for petrol and diesel cars but can generally be doubled for EVs.”
