General Motors on Monday said it saw no reason to reduce auto production in Brazil due to the coronavirus pandemic, striking a different tone to two other automakers who have curbed production, due to the spread of the virus.
On Friday, Volkswagen said it would shut down its plants in Brazil for 12 days over the spread of the virus. On Monday, Volvo followed suit and said it was significantly scaling back truck production in Brazil not only because of coronavirus but also parts shortages.
Automakers are dealing with a general shortage of semiconductors globally, which has led to production difficulties. In Brazil, they are also dealing with a deepening coronavirus pandemic, with daily death tolls that are currently the highest in the world.
“Our protocols have been shown to be efficient at preventing infection and internal surveys show that our workers feel safer in factories than they do in their own houses and communities,” GM’s Brazilian subsidiary said in a statement.
“As a result, we do not see any reason that would lead us to alter our production schedule at this moment.”
Edson Rosso, a union representative at GM’s plant in Gravataí, said the workers had no complaints about how the automaker had handled health protocols for its workers.
But he noted that GM had suspended production in Gravataí because of the lack of semiconductors. Production continues at GM’s two other plants in Brazil.
About 12,051,619 people in Brazil have been confirmed as being infected with the coronavirus. The virus has killed 295,685 people in the country.
