The World Health Organization (WHO) defined it as an epidemic, and the inaction of many governments also made the world lose a valuable window of opportunity, which hit the global automobile industry again.
What impact does the epidemic have on the automobile industry worldwide? How will auto companies respond to the COVID-19 epidemic? How will the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain tide over the difficulties? How will the global automobile industry struggle forward? The car headline APP searches for foreign media reports and launches a new column of "Car Enterprise Epidemic Map" to restore the latest developments of the global auto industry every day.
This issue was broadcast on March 24, the global car enterprise epidemic.
According to WHO's daily epidemic report, as of 23rd Central European Time 10 (23rd GMT 17), worldwide, the number of confirmed cases in COVID-19 increased by 40,788 compared with the previous day, reaching 332,930. The death toll increased by 1727, reaching 145 10. More than 250,000 cases have been confirmed in COVID-19 outside China.
In the past 24 hours, three countries have reported the first confirmed cases, namely Syria, Grenada and Mozambique.
"Cross-border" Production of Automobile Industry Chain
Under the epidemic situation, it is very common for car companies to use their own manufacturing advantages to jointly produce medical equipment and materials. According to incomplete statistics, at least 1 1 car companies have joined the ranks of ventilator production. Of course, the medical equipment or materials involved by automobile manufacturers are not just ventilators.
Recently, Fiat Chrysler Automobile Company (FCA) announced that one of its factories in Asia will be transformed into a factory for medical staff to produce masks, and it will reach the goal of 6,543,800 masks per month in the next few weeks.
In addition, FCA and Ferrari are still negotiating with Italy's largest ventilator manufacturer to help them double the output of life-saving machines urgently needed in the coronavirus crisis.
It is worth mentioning that the cooperative production of medical equipment or materials is not only done by automobile manufacturers. As a part of the automobile industry chain, suppliers also want to play their part in this epidemic.
According to foreign media reports, general parts suppliers are preparing to manufacture parts for at least 200,000 ventilators to help solve the shortage of ventilators.
Not long ago, GM has indicated that it is cooperating with a ventilator manufacturer in Seattle to increase the output of medical equipment and help the country tide over the difficulties.
It is reported that the supplier has cooperated with General Motors and Twin-City Die Casting Company (Twin? City) and Myotek built a bridge of cooperation. GM's North American sales director said that although these companies have competition, they can only unite in the face of the epidemic.
When Toyota was infected and the car company stopped production,
The tide of suspension of production and work under the epidemic will also continue.
On March 22nd, Toyota said in a statement that an infected person had been found on a production line of its assembly plant in Gorkon, Toyota City, Japan, and an employee of the factory had been previously detected to be infected with the virus.
Therefore, Toyota said it would close its production line from March 23rd to March 25th to disinfect its employees' workstations to prevent the virus from spreading further.
Prior to this, Toyota has closed factories in many places around the world. On March 16, Toyota's factory in Portugal announced that it would be closed for about two weeks; On March 17, Toyota's factory in the Philippines announced that it would stop working until mid-April. On March 8, 2008, Toyota suspended all three shifts of production in its French factory until March 3, 2008.
Since then, on March 19, Toyota Motor North America Branch also announced that all vehicle assembly plants and parts factories in North America will stop production from March 23, at least until April 5, and tentatively resume production on April 6.
Although President Akio Toyoda, president of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, said last week that despite the general closure of overseas factories, the country's automobile manufacturers will do their utmost to maintain prosperity in Japan.
However, with the spread of the epidemic, on March 23rd, Toyota announced that it would suspend the production of five factories in Japan from April 3rd.
Obviously, everything is not easy in the face of the epidemic. It is understood that as of 23rd 10: 30 (9: 30 Beijing time), the number of confirmed cases in COVID-19 has increased to 1 102, with 4/kloc-0 deaths.
In addition, Ford will suspend production in India, South Africa, Thailand and Vietnam from March 2 1 day, and other markets will follow closely, and the suspension time will last for several weeks.
Previously, Ford has also taken actions to enrich its cash reserves, withdrawing US$ 654.38+05.4 billion (about RMB 654.38+00.947 billion) from two credit lines respectively, and suspending dividends to resist the damage caused by the novel coronavirus epidemic to its business.
Daimler doesn't need state aid.
Not long ago, some media reported that France would take measures such as state aid and nationalization of enterprises to ensure the survival of large companies.
Recently, Chairman Renault said in an interview with the media that Renault may seek financial support from the French government, "but nationalization is not on the agenda." In response to the French government's previous statement or "nationalization" of Renault.
Perhaps seeing the French nationalization plan, Kang Song Lin, chairman of the board of directors of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG, told the media recently that although Daimler has stopped production in its main factories in Europe due to the influence of novel coronavirus, Daimler has enough funds at present and does not think it is necessary to apply for state aid.
In addition, when asked if he would help suppliers in trouble, Kang Song Lin said: "Discussions are under way with suppliers, and there is no liquidity problem in the market so far."
Although Daimler has stopped most of Mercedes-Benz's production in Europe and the United States due to insufficient supply chain, its factory in China has resumed production. "Most of our dealers have also reopened." Kang Song Lin said so, and expressed optimism about the development of China market and Daimler under the epidemic.
This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.