India, June 17 -- Remember the pandemic era when automakers worldwide had no option but to cry havoc as semiconductor supplies ran short? The world has been juggling a similar fate for the last two months. But, it's neither the pandemic nor the semiconductor bottleneck that's back to haunt the global automotive industry. It's something more crucial - rare earth elements.

Sending a clear message to US president Donald Trump's tariff move that China is not to be meddled with, the East Asian nation has banned the export of rare earth minerals.

China's stance has left many in the lurch, including India. This is simply because China controls nearly 90% of the world's rare earth minerals. The second blazing problem at hand is that automakers ...