Coronavirus outbreak: Manufacturing operations suspended at Kia’s Anantapur plant

Kia Motors India has suspended all the operations at its manufacturing facility in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh with immediate effect in order to check the spread of Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.The operations at the Anantapur manufacturing facility of Kia Motors India will remain suspended till further notice.The automobile manufacturer is ensuring that deliveries of Kia Seltos and Kia Carnival are not delayed.

Construction of BMW’s Debrecen plant to continue

BMW has announced that the construction of its EUR 1 billion factory in Debrecen (225 km east of Budapest) will not stop and recruitment will continue, writes Népszava.It is noteworthy that in recent days Hungarian car manufacturers have announced factory shutdowns, including Audi in Győr (120 km west of Budapest), Suzuki in Esztergom (50 km northwest) and Mercedes at Kecskemét (90 km southeast).At the same time, it is worth recalling that it was during the 2008-2009 global economic crisis that Mercedes’ investment in Kecskemét was announced, and questions were still raised as to whether the new plant would be built.

Tesla shuts down California and New York factories, keeps Nevada open during coronavirus crisis

Tesla will suspend most operations at its Fremont, Calif., and Buffalo, N.Y, factories at the end of the workday on Monday to bring itself in line with local measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the company has confirmed in a press release.The automaker will continue vehicle deliveries and service as possible, and both its charging network and battery factory in Sparks, Nev., will remain open, as the local sheriff has deemed the facility an “essential” business.Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, Honda and Nissan have temporarily suspended operations at all of their U.S. factories.

Ford is re-running its financial crisis playbook as it borrows $15.4 billion to avert the coronavirus crisis

On Thursday, Ford announced that it would tap $US15.4 billion in credit lines.The level of borrowing is reminiscent of the carmaker’s actions prior to the financial crisis, when it effectively mortgaged all its assets to borrow $US24 billion, averting the bankruptcies that General Motors an Chrysler endured.The program expands on measures previously announced by Ford Credit.

Leaked Tesla email contradicts layoff reports, says ‘essential’ employees should go to work at the factory, which is in a shelter-in-place zone, amid coronavirus outbreak

Late Wednesday night, Valerie Workman, an attorney at Tesla, sent out an email reiterating guidelines for working at the company’s Fremont, California factory.Workman reiterated that “essential” employees who can’t work from home should continue to report to work at the factory.Many factory workers are hourly and cannot work from home, and Tesla’s definition of “essential” could include a lot of Fremont’s 10,000 staff.