BEIJING : German automaker Volkswagen AG, the top foreign automaker in China, the world's biggest car market, said on Friday that it expected chip supplies to improve in the next six months. Automakers around the world have had to adjust assembly lines due to the shortages, caused by manufacturing delays that some semiconductor makers blame on a faster-than expected recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. "We hope the chip supply crisis will bottom out this summer and expect to see an improvement in this situation within the second half of the year," Volkswagen's China chief, Stephan Woellenstein, told reporters. Starting in August, Volkswagen will source some chips from a new supplier, Woellenstein said, adding that the move would start to ease the shortage in September. Because of the chip shortage, Volkswagen, which has partnerships with FAW Group and SAIC Motor, saw its sales drop 12.3% between April and June compared with a year earlier.