A report by market analyst Roskill states that the slowdown in the Chinese EV market during H2-20‌19 and the covid-19 pandemic have had a significant impact on demand projections for Li-ion batteries.  According to Roskill, previous analyses show that, across the world, sales of plug-in EVs have fallen 30% year-on-year in Q1 20‌20, equivalent to roughly 5.5GWh of battery capacity.  To make matters worse, continued disruption in 20‌20 is expected, with monthly plug-in EV sales in key markets forecast to be reduced by 70% or 80% while lockdown conditions ensue.  “These disruptions come at a key stage for many automotive...

Many auto/component makers closed With manufacturing plants temporarily shut to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the automobile sector has estimated a loss of over ₹2,500 crore per day. “As per quick estimates by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), it is expected that plant closures of auto OEMs and components makers will lead to loss of more than ₹2,500 crore in turnover for each day of closure,” Rajan Wadhera, president of the industry body said on Tuesday. With almost all districts in the country under a lockdown as part of efforts to combat COVID-19, automobile and auto component makers...

Ford, General Motors, and Tesla Motors have teamed with medical and personal protective equipment manufacturers to ramp up production and supply of critically needed items related to the coronavirus pandemic. Ford and General Motors have initiated cooperative ventures with a number of medical device makers to produce ventilators, respirators, and face shields. Ventilators are used to combat the effects of respiratory failure with potentially life-saving therapy to increase oxygen flow in patients suffering from COVID-19. Respirators and face shields are used to protect healthcare workers and others from the airborne transmission of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. All three products are in...

The 21-day lockdown in the wake of coronavirus outbreak from Wednesday is likely to result in a production loss of around Rs 50,000 crore to the $120 billion domestic automobile industry. While a few companies like Mercedes Benz and Ford India acted proactively and closed their factories last week, most of the industry shut on Monday. They initially planned to suspend operations till March 31. But the announcement of the national lockdown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday night, will mean the factories shall remain shut till at least April 14. Industry body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM)...

he government had set a deadline of March 31 for all automakers to switch from BS4 to BS6 emission norms. The notification had prescribed that sale and registration of BS4 vehicles will not be allowed beyond the March 31 deadline. Only vehicles, which will have their chassis and engine number details on the affidavit FADA sent to the court, will be allowed to be registered. However, the order hasn’t stated how to determine which of these 72,000 vehicles, in which region could be sold and which dealership will get the right to sell how many. It is unclear what will...

With the number of people infected by Novel Coronavirus outbreak in India crossing 100 and a number of states going into a partial lockdown, sale of automobiles in the country has plummet by as much as 70 percent in the last four days. This has prompted the Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (FADA) to knock on the doors of Supreme Court for an extension of the deadline for BS-IV vehicle registration beyond March 31. “In the past week there has been drastic drop in sales and customer walk-ins have reduced to a trickle as caution sets in due to fear...

TURIN – The Italian automotive industry is bracing for potential fallout from a nationwide lockdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus that has killed nearly 500 people in the country. Italy’s prime minister has called the outbreak the country’s “darkest hour,” inviting comparisons to the U.K. during World War II. The effects, both psychological and economic, could be devastating as the government struggles to contain the damage. “We need to change our habits right now,” Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said at an unscheduled news conference Monday evening. He ordered the of nation of more than 60 million people to...

As the coronavirus spreads across the globe, shuttered auto plants in Europe, North America and Latin America could reduce global production this year by more than 1.4 million vehicles, according to new research from IHS Markit .  Auto plants across the globe have announced plans to temporarily suspend production in order to sanitize facilities and prevent the spread of COVID-19. The hiatus, which could last for nearly three weeks in some cases, would create an immediate cash crunch to automakers through lost vehicle production.  In Europe, where assembly operations have shut down for an average of 13 working days, the...