Mexico taking first steps to restart auto industry

Mexico, which has faced quarantine restrictions since 30 March, is now taking its first steps to gradually restart its automobile industry.

While automobile and truck manufacturing companies have been given the green light by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to restart operations on Monday (1 June) under specific health protocols, some OEMs have partially opened-up facilities to get a head start on the game.

Among them are General Motors, restarting activities at its assembly plants in the cities of Ramos Arizpe and Silao, as well as FCA which has restarted operations at its Saltillo facility and ramping up activities at two plants in the city of Toluca.

In June, other GM establishments are seen opening-up in addition to those from other automakers. Among those foreseen are those from Ford and Volkswagen, the latter readying the opening of its assembly plant in the city of Puebla and its engine factory in Guanajuato, according to local media.

Automobile supply lines in Mexico - Latin America's second largest automobile producer - are highly interconnected with the United States, an even bigger player working toward its own return in wake of the current crisis.