Renault says China, South Korea plants restarting after virus shutdown

French automaker Renault said Monday it was resuming production at two factories in China and South Korea after they were shut down as authorities tried to limit the coronavirus outbreak.

"All of the group's factories are currently shut down, except for the factories in China and South Korea, which have resumed operations or are in the process of doing so," the company said in a statement.

Renault's site in Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, was taken offline in late January. It has an annual production capacity of 150,000 vehicles.

The Busan factory in South Korea, which turns out 216,000 cars a year, was stopped on February 7.

Renault has already warned of possible factory closures as it races to cut costs amid the coronavirus crisis, after posting a net loss of 141 million euros ($156 million) for 2019 -- its first year in the red in a decade.

Unit sales fell 3.4 percent last year to 3.75 million vehicles.

The French government, which owns a 15 percent stake in Renault, has said it will be "vigilant" over plant closures or job cuts.

dga/js/mlr/bmm

Renault

Related Links
Car Technology at SpaceMart.com

Tweet

Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly

paypal only

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal

Volvo Cars halts Europe, US production
Stockholm (AFP) March 20, 2020
Chinese-owned Swedish auto maker Volvo Cars said Friday it would temporarily halt production at its European and US plants in order to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. "Our primary concerns are the health of our employees and the future of our business," CEO Hakan Samuelsson said in a statement. The company said there was now a need for "social distancing" in order to reduce the spread of the virus. Production at the carmaker's Belgian plant in Ghent was stopped on Tuesday, ... read more