Chinese electric vehicle maker Nio became the latest carmaker to temporarily suspend production on Friday as a result of a global semiconductor chip shortage that has led to major losses. Ford Motor, Honda Motor, General Motors and Volkswagen were among the automakers caught off guard by the shortage, forcing many to hold back production even as car demand picked up during the pandemic. Chip shortages have cost the global auto industry 130,000 vehicles in lost production, research firm AutoForecast Solutions estimates, with the heaviest impact in North America, with 74,000 units lost, and Western Europe, with 35,000 lost. The chip scarcity is also a result of an increased demand from the consumer electronics industry as people worked from home and played more video games during the crisis. Sanctions against Chinese technology companies have also played a role. Nio, one the main challengers to Tesla, which dominates the EV market in …