The new coronavirus is still spreading around the world, and as of 23:35 GMT on March 20, there were 250,856 confirmed cases of new coronavirus pneumonia worldwide, more than 250,000 cases. Deaths have totaled 10,389.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined it as a pandemic, and the inaction of multiple governments has caused the world to lose 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 21
The daily epidemic report of WHO shows that as of 0:00 pm CET on March 19 (7:00 pm Beijing time on March 19), the number of confirmed cases of new cases of Crown pneumonia in the world has increased by 16,556 compared with that of the previous day to reach 209,839 cases, and the number of deaths has increased by 828 compared with that of the previous day to reach 8,778 cases. There are now 168 countries and regions with new cases of Crown pneumonia, and more than 120,000 new cases of Crown pneumonia have been diagnosed outside of China.
It is worth mentioning that the Chinese government has announced to 82 countries and the World Health Organization and the African Union to provide assistance, including testing reagents, masks, protective clothing, etc., of which a number of batches of aid have already been delivered to the recipients.
Musk suggests anti-malarial drugs to cure new coronary pneumonia
The latest data show that as of 6 p.m. EST on March 19, 13,350 confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia were reported nationwide***, with 188 deaths and 106 cured. In less than 18 hours on the 19th, there were 3,899 new confirmed cases across the United States.
Sincerely, in the face of the current raging epidemic of new coronary pneumonia, the countries of the urgent task is to develop drugs that can cure. It's worth noting that Musk seems to have his own ideas in this regard.
On March 17, Musk posted an article suggesting that the anti-malarial drug Chloroquine be used to treat New Crown Pneumonia, and he also said that he almost died of malaria in 2000 thanks to the use of Chloroquine. He retweeted a link to an academic article that suggested chloroquine tablets could help neocoronavirus patients recover more quickly.
Leaving aside the question of whether the "miracle drug" recommended by Musk will help treat the new coronavirus, Musk, who has previously insisted on not stopping production in the face of a growing epidemic in North America, also announced that he was suspending production at his Fremont plant in the United States.
In the face of a growing epidemic in North America, Musk, who has previously insisted on not stopping production, also announced the suspension of production work at the Fremont plant in the United States.
Local time 19, in a statement, Tesla said that over the past few days, the company has been in discussion with local, state and Union officials, and to comply with all legal and safety provisions related to the operation of the plant. Despite all the health measures that can be taken, ongoing operations continue to present challenges for employees, their families and suppliers.
As a result, Tesla has decided that beginning March 24, the Fremont plant will undergo an orderly and brief shutdown. Essential operations will continue to support vehicles, energy services as directed by local, state and federal authorities. The Fremont plant is known to have more than 10,000 employees and an annualized capacity of just over 415,000 vehicles as of the end of December 2019.
Tesla's factory in New York will also be shut down briefly, in addition to parts and supplies needed for services, infrastructure and critical supply chain.
Also, Volvo is suspending production in the U.S. as well as its factories in Sweden and Belgium due to the outbreak.
Volkswagen's "3D printed" respirator
It has become common for car companies to switch to the production of medical supplies and equipment in the wake of the epidemic. Previously, 10 car companies based in Britain and Italy*** announced they were building respirators to fight the epidemic, and according to Reuters, German brand Volkswagen Group is exploring the use of 3D printing technology with other manufacturers around the world to make hospital respirators to fight the coronavirus in the face of a growing epidemic in Germany.
Volkswagen said in a statement on Friday that it has formed a task force to look at how 3D printing could be used to help make hospital ventilators and other life-saving equipment. Meanwhile? VW has more than 125 industrial 3D printers.
The company said it is testing materials and checking its supply chain.? "Medical devices are a new area for us. But once we understand the requirements and receive the blueprints, we can start."
Notably, the Skoda brand, the Volkswagen Group's Bentley ultra-luxury brand, the Volkswagen Porsche brand, and BMW have offered to help out as much as possible with the VW-built ventilator.
It is reported that, as of local time 19, Germany cumulative diagnosis of new crown pneumonia cases 12,327 cases, 28 deaths, cured 105 cases. Germany has become the fifth country in the world with over 10,000 confirmed cases.
Turnaround for European Cars After Epidemic
Admittedly, new-car sales have plummeted in Europe as the coronavirus wreaks havoc on demand, and governments may have to provide a huge stimulus to boost demand when normalcy returns. And the outbreak has also led to disruptions in the automotive supply chain, which could affect European automakers' plans to roll out electric cars, which will need to meet stringent EU carbon dioxide reduction targets even harder.
At this moment, how to "save the European car market"? The industry has become a hot topic of discussion.
Michel Crisch, president of UNRAE, an Italian-run association of foreign automakers, suggested moving the 2020 CO2 emissions target to 2021. "The EU should reassess this year's CO2 emissions target, with a large part of the components needed for electric cars coming from China. It is unclear how long it will take for the supply chain to return to normal production processes. Automakers have made plans to comply with these new, stricter CO2 targets that come into effect this year. But what if we miss out on China making key components needed for electric cars?" He said.
In addition, Michelle Krisch suggested that the end of the epidemic will require the government to introduce incentives to bail out the market. "The current incentives apply to vehicles under 60g/km. I think anything below the 2020 European threshold of 95g/km should get some form of help."
This article was sourced from the authors of Motorhome Cars and does not represent the views of Motorhome Cars.