Car-makers begin to re-open factories in China

It’s still early days, but car manufacturers are beginning to resume some semblance of normality in China, where some automotive factories are firing their plants back into production this week amid the continued global fallout of the COVID-19 Coronavirus.

PSA Group’s joint-venture production facility in Wuhan – the epicentre of the pandemic – restarted production of Asia-bound Peugeot and Citroen models this week, it has been confirmed.

Car-makers elsewhere around the globe have also updated their production schedules this week.

In Europe, Volkswagen has extended its German production freeze for another four days, until April 9, while most UK car-makers -- from Nissan to Rolls-Royce -- remain in lockdown.

In other regions such as Japan, India and South Africa, production is still being wound back by most major marques.

Meantime, some US car-makers will seek to resume vehicle production in the first half of April.

Eight days after shuttering their operations across North America, Ford and Fiat Chrysler have said separately they will resume some shifts at their US plants, introducing strict new safety measures for their workers. Other car-makers including Toyota have outlined plans to re-open later in April.

Ford’s Dearborn, Kentucky, Kansas City and Ohio plants are set to resume production or assembly from April 14, ramping up production of significant models like the storied F-Series pick-up. Ford’s Hermosillo facility in Mexico will re-open from April 6, Ford confirmed.

“Ford is aiming to restart production at select plants in North America as early as April 6, bringing key plants back online while the company introduces additional safety measures to protect returning workers,” Kumar Galhotra, Ford’s president for North America, said in a statement.

According to Automotive News, Ford has not offered resumption plans for its Chicago Assembly, Flat Rock Assembly, Michigan Assembly, Louisville Assembly, Cuautitlan Assembly in Mexico or Oakville Assembly in Canada.

Over at Fiat Chrysler, the car-maker’s Mopar Parts Distribution Centre remains open to supply essential parts for commercial vehicles used by emergency services and first responders. The rest of the car-maker’s facilities will remain closed until April 14 depending on quarantine and other potential restrictions.

The separate announcements illustrate the eagerness of car-makers to resume some semblance of normality amid the Coronavirus saga. But the news has drawn criticism from the United Auto Workers union.

"We are reviewing with great concern and caution today's announcement," the UAW said in a statement Thursday. "Our priority is the health and safety of our members, their families and the American public."

Meantime, Toyota has extended the shutdown of all passenger vehicle and component plants in North America, Canada and Mexico until April 20 – originally earmarked April 6 – due to a decline in vehicle demand.

Honda has extended its shutdown to April 7 (from March 23-30), Volkswagen’s US production hiatus has been extended to April 5, while General Motors hasn’t nominated a date for returning to production.

Most European car-makers have suspended production until further notice.

Any shortage in the supply of vehicles to Australia is likely to be negated by the slow-down in sales across the local industry, although many new-model launches are likely to be delayed due to COVID-19.