Auto Inc stays in low gear with drawn-out shutdowns at plants
On an average, shutdown days have been extended by one to three weeks.
Synopsis
After Maruti Suzuki and Hero MotoCorp decided to extend their lockdowns by over a week, Toyota Kirloskar plans to extend its factory shutdown by another 10 days. Ford India will be keeping its Sanand factory in Gujarat shut for all of May, while its Chennai factory will be closed for 10 days — partly due to a semiconductor shortage.
In a worrying trend with potentially grave consequences for the auto sector, factory shutdowns are being extended far beyond original plans drafted by leading automobile companies, as the second Covid-19 wave spreads deeper into the country.
After Maruti Suzuki and Hero MotoCorp decided to extend their lockdowns by over a week, Toyota Kirloskar plans to extend its factory shutdown by another 10 days. Ford India will be keeping its Sanand
