As the novel coronavirus continues to spread across the world, automakers are taking extreme measures in the form of plant closures to halt the spread of COVID-19, which the coronavirus causes. The situation remains fluid as more European companies suspend work and the first US plants go offline.
So far, here are all the automakers and companies that have elected to halt production in the US and Europe. Information on Detroit’s Big Three begin our coverage, with all other shutdowns organized by the date automakers announced them following.
Ford
As of March 19, Ford will suspend all production work in North America. The automaker made the decision on March 18 to shut its factories down to help combat the spread of COVID-19. The automaker also reported a single case of the virus at one of its Michigan-based plants. That plant shut down as of today, while the rest of its operations across the US, Canada and Mexico will go offline on Thursday. Ford said this suspension will last until March 30.
On March 17, the automaker announced all plant operations in continental Europe will close temporarily starting March 19. The company said it expects the shutdown to last “a number of weeks” and cited disruptions to its supply chain and a number of dealers closing down to slow COVID-19’s spread.
On March 24, Ford said it will not reopen production plants on March 30 as it intended. Right now, there’s no clear timeline for when workers will return to facilities.
General Motors
GM joined Ford on March 18 in announcing a total suspension of all North American production starting March 19. The automaker will pull its facilities offline in a “cadence” and each plant will receive specific instructions. GM added this suspension will run through March 30, but production restart will be evaluated on a week-by-week basis.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
FCA joined Ford and GM on March 18 to announce it will suspend all North American operations to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Each automaker plans to reevaluate the situation at the end of the month. FCA previously announced a one-week suspension for production at its European plants.
Mazda
The Japanese automaker said on March 24 it will halt production at its Japanese plants for 13 days. When they come back online, the company said it will only run daytime shifts through April 30. Mazda’s sole plant in Mexico will shut down for 10 days starting on March 25, and its plant in Thailand will suspend operations for an identical time period beginning March 30.
Aston Martin
The British luxury carmaker said on March 24 it will suspend all production starting the same day. The company plans to reopen its plants across the UK on April 20.
Volvo
The Swedish luxury carmaker made its production suspension official on March 20 and said its European plant will close until April 5. In the US, its plant will go idle starting March 26 with plans to restart operations on April 14. Volvo also reported a bit of hope from China, though. All four of its Chinese plants are up and running again and Volvo noted showroom traffic has returned to normal.
Rivian
The startup electric carmaker said on March 20 it will suspend all operations at Rivian facilities. The automaker had not started production of its first vehicle, the R1T electric pickup, but preproduction was underway. All workers will receive their full pay, but the company did not say when it expects to come back online.
Tesla
After a lot of back and worth, Tesla said on March 20 it will close its signature plant in Fremont, California, starting March 23. The news followed confusion as the automaker appeared to ignore a shelter-in-place order for the county, but then cited unclear guidance from the government. CEO Elon Musk has mentioned ventilator production could start in the weeks to come.
Bugatti
France’s supercar marker Bugatti said on March 20 it has closed its production plant in Molsheim to help stop the spread of COVID-19. The firm threw its full support behind French regulations and said keeping its workers healthy is a top priority.
Bentley
The British luxury brand said on March 20 it will suspend production starting the same day in the UK. The factory shutdown will last four weeks, according to the company. Like so many other automakers, the company said it wants to protect its workers, but also acknowledged a slowdown in demand in markets around the world and supply chain interruptions.
Jaguar-Land Rover
On March 20, Jaguar-Land Rover confirmed it will temporarily shut down production at its UK facilities. Plants in Brazil and India will continue humming along for now, and the automaker said it hopes to restart production in the UK on April 20.
Volkswagen
Starting March 21, Volkswagen will temporarily suspend production at its Chattanooga, Tennessee, manufacturing plant. The automaker made the announcement on March 19 and said all workers will receive their full pay during this time. Like numerous other facilities, VW said it will use the week to conduct a deep clean of the facility and sanitize the entire factory.
On March 17, Volkswagen Group announced it will suspend production at numerous production sites across Europe, including Slovakia, Portugal and Spain. Right now, the automaker said it expects the suspensions will last two weeks. The shutdowns also affect VW Group components plants.
Toyota
On March 19, Toyota joined a growing list of automakers to suspend all North American production operations. Every plant in the US, Canada and Mexico will shut down starting March 23. However, Toyota workers will be back far more quickly than others. The automaker said production will resume on March 25.
Over the two-day long shutdown, Toyota said every facility will undergo a thorough cleaning process and teams will sanitize the entire facility. Toyota asked workers to take the time to also help adjust to life at home as more regions close schools, leaving children at home.
Subaru
The Japanese automaker’s sole US production plant will suspend production temporarily starting March 23, it announced on March 19. The company plans to restart operations on March 29. The move will help Subaru adjust to market demand and protect the health of workers at the plant. Workers will receive their full wages during the shutdown.
Honda
The Japanese automaker became the first company operating in the US to announce a major production stoppage. Starting March 18, all North American facilities, including US plants, will cease operations for six days. Honda said it expects this will reduce production capacity by 40,000 vehicles. The production suspension also applies to transmission and engine plants.
During the six-day period, Honda plans to perform a deep cleaning procedure at every location and announced plans to pay workers their full wages.
Hyundai
The South Korean automaker said on March 18 that it temporarily shut down its plant in Alabama after a worker tested positive for COVID-19. The company said the worker had not been on the job recently and all team members were made aware of the situation. The plant will undergo additional sanitation measures, but Hyundai didn’t say when the plant will return to normal operations.
Nissan
The Japanese automaker announced on March 18 it will suspend all production in the US starting March 20. Operations in Mexico and Canada are not affected at this time. The plant shutdowns will run through April 6, according to the company, and it underscored it received no reports of COVID-19 cases at its facilities.
Porsche
The automaker said on March 18 it will stop production at its German plants to keep its workforce safe and healthy. The work stoppage will last at least two weeks, and like Daimler, Porsche said the global supply chain makes it impossible to continue output as normal. The company is also prepared for a decline in demand and will work to secure its finances.
Rolls-Royce
The British luxury marque said on March 18 it would suspend production at its UK facility for two weeks starting March 23. The shutdown will extend into a pre-planned two-week shutdown for the Easter holiday as an effort to keep workers healthy and follow new guidelines put in place by the federal government.
Daimler
The German automaker that oversees the Mercedes-Benz brand said on March 17 it will stop all production in Europe for at least two weeks. The automaker cited global supply chains that cannot operate at their full capacity and said the precaution is also meant to protect its workforce from the virus’ spread.
PSA Group
The automaker that oversees the Peugeot, Citroen, DS, Opel and Vauxhall brands announced on March 16 all of its plants across Europe will shut down on a tiered schedule. As of today, two plants will shut down, one in France and one in Spain. On March 17, eight additional plants will go offline; three other plants will halt production on March 18 and two more on March 19. The plants are spread across France, Spain, the UK, Poland, Germany and other locations. The plants, as of now, should all reopen on March 27.
Renault
France’s Renault said it will suspend production until further notice at 12 of its sites across the country on March 16. It’s one of the most aggressive actions we’ve seen an automaker take in Europe so far.
Ferrari
The Italian supercar maker announced on March 16 that both of its plants in Maranello and Modena, Italy, will shut down until March 27.
Lamborghini
The automaker said on March 13 it will halt operations at its plant in Sant’Agata Bolognese. For now, the automaker plans to restart production on March 25.
Ducati
The motorcycle maker first announced it would stop production at its plant in Italy on March 13, but on Monday, it said it will extend the production stoppage through March 25.
Article courtesy of: Road Show https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/
