Ford's China joint venture with Changan plans to resume production on 10 February at its Chongqing plant. The Chinese Lunar New Year holiday ends this weekend and the company was previously preparing to resume operations on 3 February.
However, many companies in China are now reviewing their operational plans as the coronavirus health crisis continues to deepen. Renault has also said that it will resume production at its Wuhan plant (a JV with Dongfeng) on 10 February. It should become clearer next week how many businesses are being impacted by the health crisis, especially in Hubei province, which is at the centre of the outbreak.
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Even before the latest crisis – which is hitting the whole sector in a vehicle market that is turning down – Ford was struggling in the Chinese market. Ford brand sales in China decreased by 34.4% last year to 328,315 units (that in a market that was down 8.2%). Its Changan JV plants are said to be operating at less than 20% capacity, with inventory levels high.
