It is an indisputable fact that the new coronavirus has broken out globally, with 294,110 cases of new coronavirus pneumonia and 12,944 deaths confirmed globally as of 17:59 CET on March 22 (0:59 GMT on March 23), and cases of new coronavirus pneumonia in 186 countries and regions worldwide, with more than 210,000 cases of new coronavirus pneumonia diagnosed outside China.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined it as a pandemic, and the inaction of multiple governments has cost the world a valuable window of opportunity, which has once again hit the global auto industry hard.
What is the global impact of the pandemic on the auto industry? How will the automobile companies cope with the new crown epidemic? How will the upstream and downstream of the industry chain overcome the difficulties? How will the global automotive industry move forward? Auto Headline APP retrieves foreign media reports and launches a new column "Auto Enterprise Epidemic Map" to restore the latest news of the global auto industry every day.
This issue is the global automotive epidemic broadcast on March 23
The daily epidemic report of WHO shows that as of 23:59 CET on March 20 (6:59 GMT on March 21), the number of confirmed cases of new cases of Crown Pneumonia outside of China increased by 31,884 cases compared with that of the previous day to reach 184,657 cases, and the number of deaths outside of China increased by 1,336 cases compared with that of the previous day to reach 7,923 cases. to 7,923 cases.
Shutdowns at more than 100 factories by 14 automakers
The shutdowns that were necessary to prevent and control the outbreak are also still going on today. Under the impact of the epidemic, major foreign car companies have announced the closure of local factories, incomplete statistics, as of March 20, Volkswagen, BMW, Toyota, Ford, Tesla and other 14 overseas car companies have been shut down, plans to shut down the factory will be more than 100, the number of the future still continues to grow in.
According to foreign media reports, Mercedes-Benz will also stop production at its two U.S. plants to curb the spread of the coronavirus, influenced by the continuing festering outbreak of new coronavirus in the U.S.? The German automaker was one of the last of the boycotters to announce a production halt after the epidemic broke out.
BMW also said it would halt production from April 3 to 19 at its crossover plant in Spartanburg, S.C., which is BMW's largest production facility in the world, employing 11,000 people with an annual production capacity of 450,000 vehicles. Notably, the plant is the last U.S. automotive plant still in operation.
Volkswagen also announced the temporary closure of its plants in the Mexican states of Puebla and Guanajuato to protect public health. Volkswagen Group Chief Executive Herbert Diess warned that the coronavirus crisis could force the company to close plants longer than initially planned. "Most of our plants will be closed for two weeks and some areas for three weeks. These measures are likely to continue,"
In addition, Hyundai said it would extend the closure of its Alabama assembly plant in anticipation of declining consumer demand for Sonata and Elantra sedans and Santa Fe crossovers made at the Montgomery plant.
Eleven car companies rush to work on respirators
Under the epidemic, although car companies have no choice but to shut down and stop production, there are many car companies that have switched to the production of medical supplies and equipment to contribute to the fight against the epidemic. According to incomplete statistics, now at least 11 car companies have joined the ranks of the production of respirators.
In Britain, an engineering consortium that includes McLaren and Nissan has developed a prototype emergency ventilator that could be approved for use in hospitals by the end of next week.
This comes on the heels of a March 17 announcement by three U.K.-based automakers - Vauxhall, Honda and Toyota - to open production of the ventilator, and the U.K. becoming the first country in Europe to call on domestic automakers to switch to medical device production. Meanwhile, Jaguar Land Rover and Ford have also said they are seeking help on ventilator production.
In Italy, Ferrari and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles have each entered into talks with Siare?Engineering, Italy's largest manufacturer of ventilators, to help boost production of the devices.
In the U.S., GM is working with Ventec?Life?Systems to enable the medical-device maker to use the U.S. automaker's logistics and expertise to build more ventilators. GM has said it may use some of its excess factory space to build hospital ventilators
Tesla Chief Executive Elon?Musk, who initially downplayed the risk posed by the virus, tweeted on Saturday that he had already discussed building ventilators with Medtronic.
In Germany, VW Group said it is also exploring with other manufacturers around the world the use of 3D printing technology to make hospital ventilators to fight the coronavirus. VW has more than 125 industrial 3D printers.
European dealers: Increased support
The cumulative total of confirmed diagnoses in Europe has now reached more than 150,000 people, accounting for half of the world's total number of confirmed diagnoses, making it even more difficult for the European automotive industry, which is already struggling with weak global market demand and the impending introduction of new stringent pollution laws, to make things worse for European automotive dealers.
With car companies shutting down production and showrooms closing across Europe due to coronavirus restrictions, automakers are, of course, trying to support independent and manufacturer-owned dealers, but some dealers are concerned that these measures may not be enough.
Government decrees restricting personal actions and business activities deemed unimportant mean dealers are prohibited from sales activities, but they are allowed limited after-sales service.? But the main issue facing dealers is how to deal with lost revenue. Online sales may be an option, but any orders will likely have to be delayed until the coronavirus restrictions are lifted.
It is worth noting that the Volkswagen Group's dealer organization has given Europe's largest automaker an action plan to protect the business of dealers and service partners.? The plan, drafted by the European Dealer Council (EDC), calls for VW Group to extend payment terms for new cars, used cars and parts; suspend all standards and audits; and revise annual targets and bonus agreements.
Confirmed two infections, Russian factories continue production
According to the Russian Task Force for the Prevention and Transmission of Novel Coronaviruses, in Russia this year as of the 21st, there were 53 new confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, with the cumulative number of confirmed cases rising to 306, four new cases discharged from hospitals, a cumulative total of 16 cured discharged cases, and one cumulative fatal case.
Compared to the rapid growth of the epidemic in Europe, the epidemic in Russia is not out of control for the time being, perhaps because of this, despite the first two cases of coronavirus among its workers, Renault holds a 68% controlling stake in Russia's largest automaker, Avtovaz, plans to continue to produce cars, and did not have to shut down the performance of the work.
"The situation is under control. Everything is functioning, it's all going according to plan," a company spokesman said on Saturday. Avtovaz's plant employs about 35,000 workers in the Russian Volga city of Tolyatti.This article comes from the authors of the Automobile House car family, and does not represent the views of the Automobile House position.