Corona crisis: almost 1.5 million vehicles in production losses for European auto makers

Brussels, 9 April 2020 – Factory shutdowns as a result of the COVID-19 crisis have resulted in lost production amounting to 1,465,415 motor vehicles to date, according to new figures published by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).

This figure – covering passenger cars, trucks, vans, buses and coaches – is up from 1.2 million units compared to one week ago. The number could climb further if shutdowns are prolonged or more plants are closed, ACEA cautions. The average shutdown duration EU-wide currently stands at 18 working days.

In terms of employment, the jobs of at least 1,138,536 people working in EU auto manufacturing have been affected by these shutdowns so far (up from 1,110,107 last week). This figure only refers to people directly employed by vehicle manufacturers; the impact right across the automotive supply chain is clearly much more far-reaching.

ACEA is highlighting the impact of COVID-19 on the EU auto industry – in terms of the number of employees affected as well as lost production in units – in weekly-updated interactive maps covering the 27 EU member states and the United Kingdom.

In terms of employment, the jobs of at least 1,138,536 people working in EU auto manufacturing have been affected by these shutdowns so far.

Notes for editors

  • Interactive map: Employment impact of COVID-19 on the European auto industry
  • Interactive map: Production impact of COVID-19 on the European auto industry
  • The exact definition of ‘affected jobs’ varies from country to country and from manufacturer to manufacturer. In all cases it concerns temporary unemployment measures. In most cases it is full (temporary) unemployment, in some cases it may be partial (temporary) unemployment.
  • For most of the countries the data refers to production employees only; for Germany the data refers to production, administrative and development employees (source: VDA). This explains the proportionally higher total for Germany.
  • This is by far the most comprehensive EU-wide overview currently available, combining all known information and available sources.
  • The data is aggregated by ACEA and updated on a weekly basis using multiple sources, including IHS Markit, MarkLines, national automobile manufacturers’ associations and public announcements by manufacturers.
  • ACEA fully acknowledges that this overview is non-exhaustive, it merely serves as a tool to show the EU-wide impact of the crisis.

About ACEA

  • The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) represents the 14 major Europe-based car, van, truck and bus makers: BMW Group, DAF Trucks, Daimler Truck, Ferrari, Ford of Europe, Honda Motor Europe, Hyundai Motor Europe, Iveco Group, JLR, Mercedes-Benz, Renault Group, Toyota Motor Europe, Volkswagen Group, and Volvo Group.
  • Visit www.acea.auto for more information about ACEA, and follow us on www.twitter.com/ACEA_auto or www.linkedin.com/company/ACEA/.

Contact:

  • Cara McLaughlin, Communications Director, cm@acea.auto, +32 485 88 66 47.
  • Ben Kennard, Content Editor and Press Manager, bk@acea.auto, +32 487 39 21 82

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About the EU automobile industry

  • 13.0 million Europeans work in the automotive sector
  • 11.5% of all manufacturing jobs in the EU
  • €374.6 billion in tax revenue for European governments
  • €101.9 billion trade surplus for the European Union
  • Over 7% of EU GDP generated by the auto industry
  • €59.1 billion in R&D spending annually, 31% of EU total
Content type Press release
Vehicle types All vehicles
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