Fiat recall causes ‘supply shock’ in palladium

Bloomberg

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV’s recall of 862,520 gasoline-fuelled vehicles could spur additional demand for the palladium market that’s already reeling from shortages.
Replacing the catalytic converters in these vehicles would require an additional 77,000 ounces of palladium, said Miguel Perez-Santalla, sales and marketing manager at refiner Heraeus Metals New York LLC. Prices of the metal that’s used to curb greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles have been climbing to records this year as producers struggle to keep up with demand.
“This eventually will be a bit of a supply shock,” said Maxwell Gold, director of investment strategy at Aberdeen Standard Investments, which oversees $736 billion. “Overall, this does paint a very positive picture of just growing emission standards globally, particularly in US for palladium and gasoline engines.”
Production of the precious metal will trail consumption by 545,000 ounces this year, Citigroup Inc. said in December. Newer and stricter regulations to curb emissions in gasoline vehicles have been forcing automakers to boost their purchases of palladium, fueling the surge in demand even amid a slowdown in car sales in China, Europe and the US.
In the of case of Fiat, the new recall was prompted by a so-called in-use investigation by US Environmental Protection Agency as well as testing done by the car company that was required by agency rules, the regulator said. The EPA routinely tests vehicles driven by consumers to ensure emissions remain within legal limits over time. Repairs required for Fiat vehicles will include replacing components associated with the vehicles’ catalytic converter, a key part of a vehicle’s emissions-control system, the agency said.
About 70 percent of 110,000 ounces of precious metals needed to replace the catalytic converters will be palladium, Perez-Santalla said.