Welcome to The Grid, R&T’s quick roundup of the auto industry and motorsports news you should know this morning.
European Car Production Slowly Restarting
The coronavirus crisis has forced much of the world’s car manufacturing to stop, though some factories in Europe are set to reopen, albeit at reduced capacity. Bloomberg reports that Audi’s Györ, Hungary engine plant has resumed production on one of its lines, with a second line starting up by the end of the week, though at only one shift a day. Renault has reopened a plant in Portugal, and plans to restart some production in Romania next week, and a Hyundai plant in the Czech Republic is operating on two shifts a day. Additionally, Automotive News reports that Volvo has restarted production at some of its Swedish facilities, with an aim to begin full-car production soon.
But even as social distancing guidelines across the continent relax, full-volume production may not resume. The crisis has reduced new car demand significantly, so automakers may not want to operate at full capacity.
Dieselgate Still Isn’t Over for Volkswagen
Remember dieselgate? It feels like so long ago that Volkswagen emissions cheating was first reported to the public, but it’s still part of VW’s present reality. Wards Auto reports that a European Union judge has advised that customers in Austria should be allowed to sue VW over the use of emissions-cheating defeat devices. A final ruling is yet to be made, but Wards says it’s likely that the ruling won’t be in VW’s favor, which could open the doors to similar class-action suits from across the European Union.
GM Ventilators Begin Rolling Off Production Line
Earlier this month, General Motors was awarded a contract to build 30,000 ventilators for the federal government, as part of the Defense Production Act. The first ventilators will be rolling off the line at GM’s Kokomo, Indiana facility today, and the automaker expects to build 600 by the end of the month. That number will increase to 15,000 by June.
“Thousands of men and women at GM, Ventec, our suppliers and the Kokomo community have rallied to support their neighbors and the medical professionals on the front lines of this pandemic,” said GM CEO Mary Barra in a statement. “Everyone wants to help turn the tide and save lives. It is inspiring and humbling to see the passion and commitment people have put into this work.”
Meanwhile, Barra has joined President Trump’s task force for restarting the economy.
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