Auto industry hit by China's rare earth export curbs as worldwide concerns grow

Open this photo in gallery: Mercedes-Benz is considering building ‘buffers’ such as stockpiles to protect against potential threats to supply of rare earths.Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters Some European auto parts plants have suspended output and Mercedes-Benz is considering ways to protect against shortages of rare earths, as concerns about the damage from China's restrictions on critical mineral exports deepen across the globe. China's decision in April to suspend exports of a wide range of rare earths and related magnets has upended the supply chains central to automakers, aerospace manufacturers, semiconductor companies and military contractors around the world. China's dominance of the critical…