PARIS — Stellantis mentioned it would exchange digital speedometers with extra old style analogue ones in its Peugeot 308 mannequin, in a fallout from a world scarcity of semiconductor chips that’s hitting the auto trade.

“It is a nifty and agile manner of getting round an actual hurdle for automobile manufacturing, till the ‘chips’ disaster ends,” a spokesman for Stellantis advised Reuters.

Manufacturing of Peugeot 308 vehicles had already been disrupted on the group’s French manufacturing facility of Sochaux as a result of scarcity in latest months. The shortage of semiconductors has induced short-term halts and manufacturing cutbacks globally at automakers from Ford to Volkswagen Group.

The COVID-19 pandemic drove up demand for semiconductor chips to be used in electronics equivalent to computer systems, as individuals labored from house, and suppliers are struggling to regulate.

The standard speedometers on Peugeot 308 vehicles ought to begin showing in autos by the tip of Might, the corporate mentioned, whereas Stellantis is preserving chips for digital dashboards on its hottest fashions, such because the Peugeot 3008 SUV.

The present Peugeot 308 is because of be phased out within the autumn, and the next generation will probably be produced with digital speedometers at a special manufacturing facility, in Mulhouse.

Peugeot bought round 98,000 of its 308 fashions final yr.

French information channel LCI mentioned Peugeot was mulling a 400-euro low cost on vehicles with the analogue speedometers. Stellantis declined to remark.