Hyundai Motor said it had suspended production at its vehicle assembly plant in Chennai, India, until at least the end of March as the COVID19 coronavirus continued to spread rapidly across the globe.

The Indian government had just ordered manufacturers to lock down their plants across most of the country in the regions where the virus had taken hold.

The automaker said its 650,000 unit/year plant had been shuttered in line with local government guidelines.

Kia Motors, too, was soon expected to announce the temporary closure of its 300,000 unit plant in Anandapur.

Automakers around the world have been hit by supply chain disruptions and falling demand while also having to lock down their operations due to the risk of the coronavirus spreading among their employees.

Last week Hyundai announced the closure of a number of vehicle assembly plants in North America and Europe for the same reason which followed earlier closures in China and South Korea.