Chip shortage to hit about 100,000 Mazda vehicles in 2021

(Reuters) - Mazda Motor Corp said on Friday it expects a semiconductor crunch to affect around 100,000 of the Japanese automaker's vehicles globally during the fiscal year.

However, Mazda will fully leverage available inventory to minimize the hit to about 70,000 wholesale units, it said in a statement.

The worldwide shift to remote work and learning during the pandemic had boosted demand for laptops and other gadgets, exacerbating a global chip shortage.

The shortfall will cost automakers $110 billion in lost revenues this year, up from a prior estimate of $61 billion, consulting firm AlixPartners said, forecasting the crisis will hit the production of 3.9 million vehicles.

Automobiles depend on chips for everything from computer management of engines for better fuel economy to driver-assistance features such as emergency braking.

(Reporting by Shreyasee Raj in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)