There is currently a global supply shortage of certain semiconductor components. These are the main component of microchips, which are used in electronic devices and allow electronically controlled functions.
In a vehicle, for example, they regulate the drive and handling characteristics in control units. But they also control comfort and assistance systems.
The changed and surging demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for electronic products such as mobile phones, tablets, computers and game consoles, cannot be fully met by the world semiconductor market and is leading to shortages.
The entire automotive industry has not been spared from this, despite timely and sufficient notification of our needs. Chip manufacturers were temporarily unable to continue production owing to compulsory local lockdowns.
Unfortunately, experts are currently unable to reliably forecast when a complete recovery of the supply situation can be expected.
For this reason, we are unfortunately having to impose restrictions on certain vehicle features in some markets and model series for the time being. This is leading to delivery delays or delivery with reduced features. In some cases, the features can be retrofitted free of charge at a later date by our Mercedes-Benz Service, as soon as the missing parts are available again.
The different ways to deal with this result from country-specific legal regulations as well as from the current supply situation in the individual plants, which often changes at very short notice owing to the volatile overall situation.
At present, the restrictions affect availability of the camera for MBUX Augmented Reality as well as the LTE communication module, which is necessary for the use of Mercedes me connect services and serves various equipment features as part of the standard equipment. This means that other Mercedes me connect services, such as real-time traffic information, are not available. It also means that the Mercedes me App can only be used to a limited extent.
If you have any specific questions regarding your order or the planned configuration of your new Mercedes-Benz, your Mercedes-Benz salesperson is always the right person to contact.
With regard to the LTE communication module, we will be able to retrofit affected vehicles when parts become available again. Our customers will be contacted immediately by our After-Sales service as soon as this is the case. At the customer’s request, the vehicle will then be linked directly to Mercedes me, and all associated functions as well as the corresponding Mercedes me services will be activated. The agreed period of free use will then commence. Naturally, our customers do not incur any costs for these measures.
At this point, we must point out that – as already mentioned – even experts from the semiconductor industry are currently unable to make any reliable forecasts, so that we are currently unable to give a firm estimate of when retrofitting can actually be expected to begin. We remain in close contact with our partners to keep the waiting time for our customers as short as possible.
“Buying a Mercedes is always something special, something many even dream about. Once the perfect ‘star’ has been found, no one wants to wait for a longer time. Unfortunately, the entire industry has to cope with longer waiting times due to a restricted availability of certain semiconductors. We are truly sorry for any inconvenience this situation might have caused for you. It is our top priority to find an individual solution together with you and shorten the wait best possibly.”
Britta Seeger, member of the Board of Management Mercedes‑Benz Group AG & Mercedes-Benz AG responsible for Marketing and Sales
If you are concerned about your order or have further questions regarding the configuration of your new Mercedes-Benz, please feel free to contact your Mercedes-Benz salesperson directly.
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