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According to Khabar Khodro, Rolls-Royce has reopened its factory this week, with low-volume production recommencing at Goodwood.
The company has confirmed it has fitted out the boutique West Sussex plant with social distancing measures and upgraded sanitisation facilities so it could start a full shift on 4 May. Around 1000 staff are involved, in the best indication yet that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Rolls plans to add the second shift in the coming weeks. Chief executive Torsten Müller-Ötvös said: 'We’ve taken this decision because we are receiving orders from our customers and we are heeding the British government’s call to resume production and support the British economy.'
Bouncing back: what each car manufacturer is doing about Covid-19
Aston Martin
Gaydon hasn’t revealed when its factory will reopen, but it is extending warranties in the meantime and manufacturing PPE for the NHS. All new-vehicle warranties that were due to expire or have expired since 14 March are now extended to 30 June – hopefully when the pandemic has eased.
Audi
Audi has pledged to start building cars again from the end of the month. The brand is introducing new plastic barriers to separate workers on the line and measures to keep factory staff more than 1.5 metres apart wherever possible. Whole shift patterns are being reworked to help reduce contact, Ingolstadt said.
Ducati
The Italian motorcycle company resumed production at its Borgo Panigale factory in Italy on 27 April.
Ferrari
Ferrari last week confirmed its Maranello HQ (below) will remain shuttered until at least 3 May and the supercar manufacturer is rolling out a programme called ‘Back On Track’ to ensure improved anti-viral health measures are in place for when staff return. The Italian company is also making masks, complete with a Prancing Horse.
Hyundai
Hyundai has just reopened its Czech factory.
Jaguar Land Rover
JLR is ramping up production of protective face visors to supply health workers in the NHS. It's working with WHS Plastics to make 14,000 visors a week at its Advanced Product Creation Centre in Gaydon - that's one every 30 seconds.
Nissan
Sunderland is set to reopen, but only with a pilot scheme that will see around 50 workers returning to the factory. There are currently no plans to restart production in the UK either, though cars should begin to roll off the factory floor of Nissan's Barcelona plant from 4 May.
PSA
Peugeot Citroen hasn’t revealed when its factories will be back online, but has instead donated 700,000 masks to hospitals, emergency services and prefectures across Europe. It’s also involved in producing respirators.
Rolls-Royce
The Goodwood factory is reopening on Monday 4 May, with a single shift.
Tesla
According to Bloomberg, Tesla intends to restart production in North America in the first week of May. On 29 April it announced a third consecutive quarterly profit, as revenues jumped in Q1 by 30% to $5.9 billion, making a modest $16m profit. Boss Elon Musk spoke vocally agains the US lockdown, saying: 'Frankly I would call it forcibly imprisoning people in their homes against all their constitutional rights... It will cause great harm, not just to Tesla but to many firms. While Tesla will weather the storm, there are many small companies that will not.'
Vauxhall
Vauxhall has come up with a series of measures to prepare its Ellesmere Port factory to reopen, including keeping all doors open to minimise contact with door handles and new markings in break-out areas, to make sure workers can still apply social distancing in the workplace.
UK roads deserted in lockdown, as traffic drops to 1955 levels
UK road traffic has plunged to levels not seen since 1955, official figures show. The UK lockdown to halt the spread of coronavirus has restricted the public to only essential travel, leaving many roads deserted.
Government figures show road travel has reduced by up to 73%, with journeys by private car falling the most. Lorry trips have decreased by a more modest 40%, as essential supplies continue to move around the country.
The Guardian newspaper scrutinised Cabinet Office transport data and found the number of road miles travelled has not been as low since 1955 - an era when Winston Churchill was prime minister and there were no motorways criss-crossing the United Kingdom. Just five million cars and vans were registered in 1955, compared with 36m today.
The public's use of public transport has fallen even more dramatically: rail travel is down 90%, while Londoners are taking 94% fewer Tube trips.
Noise and air pollution have nosedived, but it's too early for conclusive proof according to data scientists. Campaigners are worried that traffic will bounce back after the Covid-19 pandemic is brought under control, but others suggest that the radical shift to home-working may continue, disrupting regular commuting patterns.
