The new coronavirus continues to spread around the world. As of 23:35 on March 20, Beijing time, the number of confirmed cases of new coronavirus pneumonia worldwide reached 250,856, exceeding 250,000. The total number of deaths is 10,389.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined it as a pandemic, and the inaction of many governments has also caused the world to lose a valuable window of opportunity, which has once again severely damaged the global automobile industry.
How much impact will the epidemic have on the automobile industry on a global scale? How will various car companies respond to the new crown epidemic? How will the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain overcome the difficulties? How will the global automobile industry move forward with difficulty? Auto Toutiao APP retrieves foreign media reports and launches a new column "Automobile Enterprise Epidemic Map" to restore the latest developments in the global automobile industry every day.
This issue is a global car company epidemic report on March 21
The WHO's daily epidemic report shows that as of 0:00 on the 19th Central European Time (7:00 on the 19th Beijing time) ), the number of confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia worldwide increased by 16,556 from the previous day, reaching 209,839; the number of deaths increased by 828 from the previous day, reaching 8,778. Currently, cases of COVID-19 have appeared in 168 countries and regions, and more than 120,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed outside China.
It is worth mentioning that the Chinese government has announced that it will provide assistance to 82 countries, the World Health Organization and the African Union, including testing reagents, masks, protective clothing, etc., and many batches of aid materials have been delivered to recipients. aid side.
Musk suggests using anti-malarial drugs to treat COVID-19
The latest data shows that as of 6 p.m. Eastern Time on March 19, the United States has reported 13,350 confirmed cases of COVID-19. There were 188 deaths and 106 recoveries. In less than 18 hours on the 19th, there were 3,899 new confirmed cases in the United States.
It is true that in the face of the raging new coronavirus epidemic, the top priority for all countries is to develop therapeutic drugs. It is worth mentioning that Musk seems to have his own ideas in this regard.
On March 17, Musk issued an article recommending the use of the anti-malarial drug chloroquine to treat COVID-19. He also said that he almost died of malaria in 2000, thanks to the use of chloroquine. He retweeted a link to an academic article that suggested chloroquine tablets could help coronavirus patients recover faster.
Leaving aside whether the "miracle drug" recommended by Musk can help treat the new coronavirus, in the face of the increasingly serious epidemic in North America, Musk, who has previously insisted on not suspending production, also announced the suspension of US Free shipping. Production work at the Monte factory.
Facing the increasingly serious epidemic in North America, Musk, who had previously insisted on not suspending production, also announced the suspension of production at the Fremont factory in the United States.
In a statement on the 19th local time, Tesla said that over the past few days, the company has been discussing with local, state and alliance officials and abiding by all laws related to factory operations. and safety provisions. While all possible health measures are in place, continued operations still present challenges for employees, their families and suppliers.
Therefore, Tesla has decided to temporarily suspend production at the Fremont factory in an orderly manner starting from March 24. Essential operations will continue to support vehicles, energy services as directed by local, state and federal authorities. It is understood that the Fremont plant has more than 10,000 employees and its annual production capacity as of the end of December 2019 was slightly more than 415,000 vehicles.
In addition to parts and supplies needed for services, infrastructure and critical supply chains, Tesla’s New York factory will also temporarily suspend production.
In addition, due to the epidemic, Volvo has also suspended production at its factories in the United States, Sweden and Belgium.
Volkswagen “3D prints” ventilators
Amid the epidemic, it is common for car companies to switch to producing medical supplies and equipment.
Previously, 10 car companies in the UK and Italy announced the production of ventilators to fight the epidemic. According to the latest news from Reuters, in the face of the increasingly serious epidemic in Germany, the German brand Volkswagen Group is also exploring together with other manufacturers around the world. Using 3D printing technology to build hospital ventilators to fight coronavirus.
VW said in a statement on Friday that it has formed a task force to study how 3D printing can be used to help manufacture hospital ventilators and other life-saving equipment. At the same time, Volkswagen has more than 125 industrial 3D printers.
The company said it is testing materials and examining the supply chain. ?"Medical equipment is a new area for us. But once we understand the needs and receive the blueprints, we can start."
It is worth mentioning that the Skoda brand, Volkswagen Group The Bentley ultra-luxury brand, Volkswagen's Porsche brand and BMW have expressed their efforts to help Volkswagen manufacture ventilators as much as possible.
It is reported that as of the 19th local time, Germany had a total of 12,327 confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia, 28 deaths, and 105 recoveries. Germany became the fifth country in the world with more than 10,000 confirmed cases.
The turnaround for European cars after the pandemic
To be sure, new car sales have slumped in Europe as the coronavirus wreaks havoc on demand, and governments may have to provide huge stimulus packages when normality returns stimulus to boost demand. The epidemic has also caused disruptions in the automotive supply chain, which may affect European automakers' plans to launch electric vehicles. It will be even more difficult for these vehicles to meet strict EU carbon dioxide emission reduction targets.
How to “save the European car market” at this moment? It has become a hotly discussed topic in the industry.
Michel Crischi, president of UNRAE, the Italian-run association of foreign carmakers, suggested moving the 2020 CO2 emissions target to 2021. "The EU should reassess this year's CO2 emissions targets, with a large share of components needed for electric vehicles coming from China. It's unclear how long it will take for supply chains to return to normal production processes. Carmakers have plans in place to comply with these new , tougher CO2 targets come into effect this year. But what if we miss out on key components needed to build electric cars in China?" he said.
In addition, Michelle Krischi suggested that the government will need to introduce incentives to rescue the market after the epidemic is over. "The current incentives apply to vehicles under 60g/km. I think anything below Europe's 95g/km threshold in 2020 should receive some form of help."
Source of this article The author of Autohome Chejiahao does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.