How The Coronavirus Is Affecting The Motor Industry

The Coronavirus pandemic is changing how we live and how we work. The motor industry is not immune to the local, national and global effects of the worldwide COVID-19 public health crisis. We’ve put together this article to show you the many facets of the motor industry that have been affected in Ireland and Europe. This is a story of disruption to car production and new car launches, but also innovation and cooperation, as the industry responds to one of the biggest challenges its ever faced.

1. Car Manufacturers

Both car production and sales of new cars have come to a halt in most of Europe and other regions. Global car production has been severely impacted with factory shutdowns. According to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), the average shutdown duration is 16 working days at the moment with the jobs of at least 1,110,107 Europeans working in automobile manufacturing affected. EU-wide production losses due to factory shutdowns amount to at least 1,231,038 motor vehicles so far. However, it is heartening to note that in Wuhan, China, once the epicentre of the Coronavirus outbreak, production is now resuming. Ferrari is planning to resume production at its Maranello plant in Italy on 14th April.

In a twist, some of the car manufacturers are switching their efforts to produce more ventilators, key equipment in the fight to save more lives from the COVID-19 pandemic. Ford, PSA Groupe, SEAT and Lamborghini are all switching some available resources to the development and production of this vital healthcare equipment. SEAT has transformed the Leon production line at the Martorell plant in Barcelona to make automated ventilators with adapted windscreen wiper motors for the Spanish healthcare system.

2. Dealers

From midnight on Friday 27th March, the Government has asked all non-essential businesses to close. Across Ireland, showrooms are closed though many Irish dealerships are still available to answer sales enquiries by email or by phone. Businesses involved in the service and repair of vehicles can still operate, but only for emergencies.

3. Motor Shows

The Geneva Motor Show, which takes place in March every year, was cancelled at the beginning of the month. Many of the new car reveals that are a feature of the annual show took place online instead. The organisers of the biennial Paris Motor Show have just announced that it won’t go ahead ‘in its current format’ in October. The Detroit Motor Show was scheduled to take place in June and has now been cancelled. The site is being converted into a temporary field hospital to help deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

4. Media

All local and European press drive events have been cancelled or postponed for the forseeable future. In Ireland, press car rotations have now been suspended. While the supply of motoring news and new car content has dwindled, at Changing Lanes we are determined to keep this show on the road! We will use our creativity and ingenuity to keep you informed and entertained as best we can over the coming weeks and months.

Caroline Kidd