Staggered opening of businesses is what most governments are opting for and some global carmakers are planning to resume operations by as early as mid-May. Jaguar Land Rover, the wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Motors, has announced plans to resume production May 18 onwards.
Jaguar Land Rover will start by resuming operations at their manufacturing plants in Solihull in the UK as well as in Slovakia and Austria. China, the first country to partially resume economic activities, is witnessing recovery in vehicle sales with customers returning to showrooms. Jaguar Land Rover and Chinese carmaker Cherry Automobile hold a 50:50 joint venture in China where they share a manufacturing facility in Changshu. Operations here resumed as early as mid-February.
However, experts are deeming reopening of economies at this point as too early. To address the possibility of a second wave of coronavirus, JLR has developed robust safety protocols and guidelines for their employees. In February, Tata Motors reported an 85 per cent slump in JLR sales due to the strict lockdown measures enforced worldwide. The luxury carmaker’s manufacturing facility in Pune, adjoining Tata Motors’ PVBU (Passenger Vehicles Business Unit), remains shut.
In March, JLR issued 57 vehicles to the British Red Cross, including 27 brand new Land Rover Defenders to deliver critical medical and food supplies within the island while the Tata Group has pledged Rs 1500 crore to help India battle the spread of COVID-19.