German carmaker Volkswagen has become the first European car manufacturer to announce the restart of operations in the region following several weeks of suspended activity under lockdown measures brought in to help stem the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
VW announced on March 15 that it would
suspend output at its production site in Bratislava, Slovakia, on March 23 but did not give a scheduled restart date at that time. Other VW Group brands subsequently announced similar closures.
Other automotive manufacturers that proposed restart dates have been forced to revise these, following the extensions of the lockdown measures in various European countries.
The restarts at Volkswagen Passenger Car operations will be staggered, with production to be resumed at the plants in Zwickau, Germany, and Bratislava, Slovakia, from April 20. The remaining plants in Germany, alongside those in Portugal, Spain and Russia, will restart production in the week commencing April 27.
Short-time working will continue at Volkswagen plants in Germany, the company said, but the number of employees affected by this will be reduced in line with the resumption of production.
VW added that production will be resumed in line...