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12 I Companies & Markets bne May 2020 safety of our employees. Both tyre plants remain closed, with the exception of certain critical activities,” Alina Marcu, PR manager Michelin Central and South Europe, stated.
A few days later, German group Continental, the largest manufacturer of car components in Romania, said it has resumed activity at its factories in Timisoara, where it produces tyres, transmission belts and air conditioning pipes made of aluminium.
The two Continental factories that resumed operations will adjust production to the subdued demand during the Easter period. Meanwhile, the hose-producing units in Nadab and Carei will remain closed until April 30.
Sharp falls in new car sales across EU
in March as pandemic engulfs region
bne IntelliNews
Slovenia saw the steepest fall in new vehicle registrations in March among Central and Southeast European EU members.
New passenger car registrations in Slovenia plunged by 62.4% year on year to 2,743 in March as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, data from the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) indicated.
Across the EU, car registrations dropped by 55.1% y/y in March to 567,308 units while in the first three months of the year new car registrations fell 25.6% to 2.48mn units.
“In March 2020, the EU passenger car market recorded a dramatic drop in registrations of new vehicles as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak,” sad ACEA in a statement.
“With containment/lockdown measures taking hold in most markets from around the middle of the month, the vast majority of European dealerships were closed during the second half of March. Consequently, demand across the region fell by more than half last month.”
This is the sixth biggest drop among EU countries in March after Italy (85.4%), France (72.2%), and Spain (69.3%). The three West European countries were the worst affected by the coronavirus on the continent, with the number of infections passing the 100,000 mark towards the end of the month.
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Elsewhere in the region, Slovenian carmaker Revoz, which like Dacia is part of the Renault group, is set to resume production on April 21. The company, which employs about 3,400 people, will start production gradually, initially in one shift.
According to the management, the restart of production depends "both on the situation in the country and on the decisions of the Renault parent group".
Another Slovenian company, caravan maker Adria Mobil already restarted production on April 6-7. In order to avoid crowding, the company introduced sliding working hours.
Data from the World Health Organisation puts the number of cases recorded on the morning of April 1 at 105,792 in Italy, 94,417 in Spain and 67,366 in France.
No EU country registered a growth in new car registrations in March, and other countries to see substantial dips in registrations during the month included Austria (66.7%) and Ireland (63.1%).
In the eastern part of the union, aside from Slovenia there were substantial contractions in Bulgaria (-50.7%), Croatia (-46.2%), Slovakia (-45.6%), Lithuania (-43.5%) and Poland (-40.8%).
The automotive and components industry was already forecast by IHS Markit to be the sector worst hit by the crisis, as people put off buying new vehicles and global supply chains are disrupted by the pandemic.
As early as mid-February, Italian automaker Fiat suspended work at the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles plant in Serbia as it was unable to secure the required inputs.
Later, automakers and components suppliers across Central Europe Europe took similar steps as they were unable to ensure the safety of their workers. However, manufacturers in the sector are gradually reopening after putting in place strict new hygiene and social distancing measures.