VW, German Aumovio receive Nexperia chips after China eases export ban
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Volkswagen and supplier Aumovio say Nexperia chip deliveries from China have resumed after Beijing issued special export permits.
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Employees of the German car manufacturer Volkswagen assemble an ID.3 electric car at the transparent factory in Dresden, Germany, May 14, 2025 (AP)
Volkswagen and German auto supplier Aumovio said they have begun receiving shipments of semiconductors from Nexperia in China after Beijing moved to grant limited export exemptions that followed high-level diplomatic contacts and a recent US-China agreement.
Initial shipments and company statement
Volkswagen’s China boss Ralf Brandstätter told Handelsblatt that “there have already been initial exports.” He said the Chinese Ministry of Commerce “reacted quickly” after the US settlement and began issuing short-term special permits for shipments.
Aumovio confirmed it had secured an export exemption. CEO Philipp von Hirschheydt said the company “applied for and received an exemption from the export restrictions.”
“We received it the day before yesterday verbally, yesterday in writing,” allowing deliveries to resume and easing near-term production fears.
Diplomacy, the US-China context, Netherlands talks
The resumption follows diplomatic moves that have sought to defuse a supply shock after the Dutch government took advantage of an emergency law to take temporary control of Nexperia's headquarters in Nijmegen at the end of September.
That unprovoked action prompted Beijing to block crucial exports from Nexperia’s Chinese factories in early October, forcing European automakers into a state of panic. China subsequently agreed to allow case-by-case exports after the US and China reached a settlement that temporarily eased US export restrictions on the company.
The Netherlands has also engaged Beijing directly. Dutch ministers held talks with Chinese counterparts and requested meetings in China to seek a longer-term solution for the firm and the broader supply chain. The Dutch government said it would remain in contact with Chinese authorities to work toward a constructive outcome.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on the sidelines of the climate summit in Belem that, after speaking with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, “It now seems that the path is open for the resumption of delivery.”
Read more: Why Nexperia matters
Industry impact and outlook
Nexperia supplies high-volume discrete semiconductors widely used across automotive electronic control units. Automakers and supplier groups had warned that sustained export curbs could trigger assembly-line stoppages because many parts are qualified for specific vehicle platforms and substitution takes months. While the immediate risk to production has receded with these exemptions, industry executives cautioned that the longer-term stability of supplies will depend on the trajectory of US-China and China–Europe relations.
For now, initial shipments provide relief to European manufacturers such as Volkswagen and Aumovio, but companies and governments alike will be watching whether the special-permit system becomes a durable mechanism or a stopgap that leaves supply chains vulnerable to renewed political tensions.
Read more: Why can't Chinese manufacturers be replaced quickly
