Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) on Monday stated it would be extending its temporary pause in production lines in the UK for few more weeks as the coronavirus crisis continue to hit.
The UK’s largest automaker said it prepares an “orderly return” for its plants situated at Castle Bromwich, Solihull, and Halewood in the West Midlands and northern areas of England.
“Our manufacturing sites are on a controlled stop and continue to adhere to government advice,” said Jaguar Land Rover in a statement.
“Against the backdrop of rapidly changing circumstances, we have decided to extend this for a few more weeks. We are working on an orderly return to production as soon as conditions permit,” the statement read.
The automaker said it is “rigorously” following the guidance of all the relevant officials in the countries in which it runs and will work towards a “phased” return to production once the conditions allow, including implementing robust screening protocols to ideal practice standards.
JLR has reported a 42 percent decline in sales of Jaguar models between January and March, while sales of Range Rovers and Land Rovers dropped 25 percent.
The company’s total 2019-20 sales dropped 12 percent at 5,08,659 automobiles, primarily as a result of the coronavirus pandemic mainly impacting sales in the fourth quarter of the financial year.
“(The fiscal) 2019-20 has been a year of unprecedented disruption for the automotive sector. Regardless of the impact of regulatory change, shifting consumer tastes, Brexit and ongoing trade tensions, sales for Jaguar and Land Rover were indicating improvement until the coronavirus pandemic hit in the fourth quarter,” said JLR chief commercial officer Felix Brautigam.
About 124,743 people in the UK have been confirmed as being infected with the coronavirus. The virus has killed 16,509 people in the country.
