The global challenge posed by the spread of the coronavirus has been swift and already significant. The automotive industry is incredibly international in scope, and thus is exposed to the widespread disruption that Covid-19 is causing.
Keeping track of measures being taken to reduce the impact of the virus on the car industry is tricky, given the rapidly evolving nature of the situation, but here we’ve rounded up some of the significant industry disruption so far:
Factory closures and other carmaker measures against coronavirus
- Automobili Lamborghini has closed its factory in Sant’Agata Bolognese until 25 March 2020. Its R&D and carbon fiber production plants are currently making face masks at the rate of 1,000 per day
- Bentley has announced that its factory in Crewe will close on March 20 for four weeks
- BMW will close its plants in Europe, and its factory in Rosslyn, South Africa, until April 19. Rolls-Royce will also close its plant in Goodwood, UK, from March 23 for two weeks, followed by an already-planned two-week Easter maintenance shutdown. Mini will close its three UK facilities in Oxford, Hams Hall and Swindon, from March 23 until April 17. In Germany, BMW Welt, the BMW Museum and BMW Group Classic will be closed to the public from 17 March until further notice. Around 80 percent of BMW retail outlets are closed in Europe; 70 percent in the US, leading to a 20.6 percent drop in sales for Q1
- Brembo has announced that its Italian plants in Stezzano, Curno, Mapello and Sellero will be closed from March 16 to 22
- Daimler AG has decided not to hold the company’s Annual Shareholders’ Meeting as scheduled on April 1, 2020, but to postpone it to a later date in 2020. The firm has boosted its finances by securing a 12€bn loan agreement with four banks
- Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has implemented ‘Smart Working’ (working from home) to more and more office-based employees in Italy, in addition to spacing measures and controlling employee numbers at company cafeterias
- Fiat Chrysler Automobiles also announced on March 16 that its subsidiaries FCA Italy and Maserati will temporarily suspend production until March 27, 2020. In Italy, that means its Melfi, G. Vico (Pomigliano), Cassino, Mirafiori Carrozzerie, Grugliasco, and Modena plants are shut. In Serbia, the Kragujevac factory is closed, as is the Tychy plaint in Poland
- Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has closed its plants in the US from now until at least the end of the March. FCA has signed a 3.5€bn loan agreement with two banks
- Ferrari has decided to suspend production in Maranello and Modena with immediate effect. It has since confirmed that it plans to reopen its factory on April 14
- Ford suspended vehicle and engine production suspended at its main manufacturing sites in continental Europe from March 19. It has since extended this suspension until at least May 4
- Ford has also announced that all global workers who can work from home now must do so from March 16 until further notice. Some managers will be in offices, but only for essential reasons
- GM has announced that all global workers who can work from home must now do so from March 16, including contractors. Despite being announced just over a week ago, Cadillac has already postponed the debut of its new Lyriq SUV EV
- GM has since confirmed that all of its plants in North America are to shut down until at least March 30. This will be revised on a week by week basis from then on. Its factory in Kokomo, Indiana, is being used to build ventilators, with its 1,000 staff currently undergoing training
- The United Auto Workers (UAW), General Motors, Ford Motor Company and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) announced on March 15 that they are forming a COVID-19/Coronavirus Task Force to implement enhanced protections for manufacturing and warehouse employees at all three companies
- Groupe PSA announced on March 16 that it will close all of its vehicle production sites in Europe until March 27. From March 16, Mulhouse (France) and Madrid (Spain) are closed; from March 17, Poissy, Rennes, and Sochaux (France); Zaragoza (Spain); Eisenach and Rüsselsheim (Germany), Ellesmere Port (United Kingdom), and Gliwice (Poland) follow suit. Then on March 18, Hordain (France), Vigo (Spain), and Mangualde (Portugal) close. Finally, on March 19, Luton (United Kingdom), and Trnava (Slovakia) will close. It has signed two 3€bn loan agreements to ensure liquidity during the crisis
- Groupe Renault has announced the cessation of production activities at its industrial sites in France and Spain from March 16 until further notice. Its REVOZ plan in Novo mesto, Slovenia, closed on March 17, as did its plant in Cacia, Portugal. Its two plants in Morocco, in Tangier and Casablanca, close on March 19. All of its Latin American operations are also now closed. The Dacia plants in Romania will also close from March 19 until April 5
- Honda has closed its UK plant until at least April 6. This factory is also earmarked for complete closure in 2021
- Honda will suspend North American production for six days beginning March 23, with current plans to return to production on March 31. Honda transmission and engine plants in North America that serve Honda auto plants also will suspend production for the same time period, taking the total to 13 factories that are affected in Canada, the US and Mexico
- Hyundai has closed its plant in Alabama after a member of its workforce there tested positive for COVID-19. All office workers have been sent home, and the debut of the new Elantra has been postponed
- Jaguar Land Rover has confirmed that it will temporarily suspend production at its UK manufacturing facilities, with a view to reopening on April 20. Jaguar Land Rover’s manufacturing plants in Brazil and India continue operating. The company’s joint venture plant in China reopened on February 24
- Nissan stopped production at its Sunderland, UK, plant, on March 17 until the end of the week, and is monitoring the situation with regards to when it will reopen
- Toyota Motor Manufacturing France (TMMF) in Onnaing has already suspended production, as has Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK (TMUK) in Burnaston and Deeside, and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Poland (TMMP) in Walbrzych and Jelcz-Laskowice. From March 19, Toyota Peugeot Citroen Automobiles (TPCA) in Kolin, Czech Republic, will close, followed by Toyota Motor Manufacturing Turkey (TMMT) in Sakarya on March 21
- Volvo Cars has announced that its Belgium plant will remain closed until April 5. Its Swedish and US plants will be closed between March 26 and April 14
- VW Group announced on March 17 that it is gradually closing its European factories, including those for components, for a minimum of two weeks. The plants affected are Wolfsburg, Emden, Dresden, Osnabrück, and Zwickau (Germany); Bratislava (Slovakia), Pamplona (Spain) and Palmela (Portugal). Components plants at Brunswick, Chemnitz, Hanover, Kassel, Salzgitter and SITECH are also to close
Motor Shows
- Geneva Motor Show was the first major automotive event to be cancelled because of coronavirus. Here's our roundup of the plug-in concept and production cars that were unveiled online instead
- New York International Auto Show has been rescheduled and will now take place from August 28 to September 6, 2020
- Beijing Motor Show – Auto China 2020 was due to be held from April 21 to April 30, 2020, but has now been postponed
- Detroit Auto Show 2020 was due to be held on a new date June, replacing the traditional January date for the NAIAS. However, the TCF Center, where the event was due to be held, is being used as a field hospital for Covid-19 cases. The 2021 show will run from June 11-26
- Paris Motor Show was due to be held in October. However this has been cancelled, but the event will still run in part using an online format
Motorsport
- The FIA and the organizers of Formula 1 issued a joint statement confirming that the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, due to take place this weekend, has been cancelled
- The FIA has announced that the Bahrain, Vietnam, and China Grand Prix have all been postponed. These events were due to take place on March 22, April, and April 19 respectively
- WRC Rally Mexico took place, but finished one day early. The next round, in Argentina, has been postponed
- Formula E and the FIA have announced that the 2019/20 season will be temporarily suspended for a two-month period
- The organizers of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the ACO, have postponed the race until September 19-20
- The ADAC TOTAL Nürburgring 24h Race is postponed to September 24-27, 2020
- IMSA and Sebring International Raceway announced that the Twelve Hours of Sebring has been rescheduled to November 11-14, 2020
- Eurosport Events, promoter of the WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup has cancelled the WTCR Race of Hungary, originally scheduled for 24-26 April 2020