Beijing (AFP)

Following the Japanese Toyota, the German automobile giant Volkswagen announced Thursday that it prolonged the suspension of the production of its assembly factories in China by at least one week because of the epidemic of viral pneumonia in the country.

The factories of its joint venture with Chinese automaker FAW "will not resume production until February 9," the German group said in a statement.

As for the sites of the joint venture between Volkswagen and the state group SAIC in the Shanghai region, their activity should not restart until February 10, he added.

These different factories had already been closed for about a week on the occasion of the traditional Lunar New Year holidays, but their start-up was postponed to "adapt the production calendar" to the extension of the Chinese holidays, the group said.

The New Year's vacation, which was to end on January 30, was indeed extended until February 2 by the government, anxious to stem the spread of the coronavirus across the country.

But many inter-provincial trains will remain suspended after this date, and in many areas local authorities have ordered businesses and factories to remain closed until February 9.

"The company will continue to assess the situation to adapt if necessary," said Volkswagen, whose delivery schedule remains "unchanged" for the time being.

China is a crucial market for the automotive giant, which sold 4.23 million vehicles in 2019 (including Hong Kong), or almost 40% of its global sales. It is with the American General Motors one of the two main foreign automobile manufacturers in China.

Japanese automaker Toyota also announced on Wednesday that it was extending the suspension of production at its assembly plants in China by one week until February 9, inclusive.

In addition, with the confinement of the city of Wuhan, epicenter of the epidemic and cut off from the world for a week, it is an important automobile center which is paralyzed: the second Chinese manufacturer, Dongfeng, is established there, just like multiple subcontractors, as well as the French Renault and PSA.

In the electronics sector, the American giant Apple also recognized on Wednesday uncertainties concerning the production of its subcontractors in China, the reopening of their factories having also been postponed to February 10.

© 2020 AFP