Parts made in China are used in millions of vehicles assembled elsewhere, and China’s Hubei Province, epicenter of the outbreak, is a major hub for vehicle parts production and shipments. Chinese auto parts and assembly plants have extended previously planned New Year’s shutdowns through Monday next week, but some have pushed the shutdowns out further. Other global automakers have not disclosed details about potential disruptions outside China, but have said that they are monitoring the risks. Toyota operating officer Masayoshi Shirayanagi said that the automaker is “looking very closely at inventories of components” outside China. When a fire at a Michigan supplier plant threatened production of Ford Motor Co’s high-profit pickup trucks, Ford moved rapidly to relocate production tools to a plant in Ontario.

Source: Taipei Times February 07, 2020 15:56 UTC