Hyundai Motor suspended production of its Palisade flagship SUV and Genesis GV80 luxury SUV on Monday (15 June) due to parts supply shortages.
That followed the temporary suspension of two assembly lines at Hyundai's Ulsan 2 plants and one line at Ulsan 4 in the south of the country last Friday after a worker at a parts suppliers died the previous day – understood to be due the COVID-19 disease.
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Hyundai Motor Group affiliate Kia Motors had also halted two domestic plants on 11 June after two workers at the plants near Seoul were confirmed to have contracted the coronavirus.
Hyundai, the leading South Korean auto brand also announced earlier this month it had to suspend deliveries of diesel versions of the Genesis GV80 due to excessive engine vibrations.
The automaker has also recently suspended production of Sonata sedan and Santa Fe SUV models, also produced in Ulsan, to control inventory due to plunging global demand.
In March and April, most group domestic and overseas plants were shut down in stages due to the global pandemic.
Hyundai global sales were down by 26% at 1,288,629 units in the first five months of 2020 from 1,748,911 units in the same period of last year.
