BERLIN -- Volkswagen Group and BMW are among automakers scrambling to find alternative sources of vital parts made in Ukraine from as far afield as China and Mexico, as Russia's invasion halts assembly lines and breaks complex supply chains.
The hunt for new supplies is the latest challenge for an auto industry already reeling from soaring metal and energy prices, supply chains snarled by the pandemic, and a shortage of semiconductor chips.
The fighting in Ukraine has now disrupted output of wire harnesses, which bundle up to 5 km (3.1 miles) of cables in the average car. Unique to each model, vehicles cannot be built without them.
VW Group's premium brand, Audi, said the entire group is working to get major suppliers to relocate their Ukrainian wire harness production to other plants or find alternative suppliers. That search includes eastern Europe, North Africa, Mexico and "possibly" China, it said.
"We have been working successfully with various suppliers from these regions for our models for years," Audi said. "It is possible, for example, that suppliers will split production across several locations."