L’automotive industry does not stand by and watch. Car manufacturers have shosted deliveries to Russia or stopped production. A choice, the latter, which in some cases was obligatory given that some components are produced in Ukraine, where everything is blocked due to the senseless invasion ordered by President Putin.
The economic repercussions for the automotive big names could be quite painful. After all, we are talking about the eighth market in the world, a market where 1,666,780 cars were bought last year. More than in France, Canada and the United Kingdom.
But who are the companies that have decided to act or have been influenced by recent events?
General Motors
General Motors ha stopped exports of their cars, declaring: “Our thoughts at this moment go out to the people of Ukraine. The loss of life is a tragedy and our primary concern is the safety of the people in that region ”.
Hyundai
Hyundai ha stopped production at the St. Petersburg factory for 5 days. The reason? Apparently the lack of semiconductors. The Corenian company has in fact declared that the decision “has nothing to do with Russia and Ukraine.”
The Korean Herald also reports the interruption of deliveries to local dealers.
Jaguar Land Rover
Jaguar I-Pace
Exports discontinued for Jaguar Land Rover.
The priority, the automaker explained, is “The well-being of our workforce and their families, as well as those in our network.”
The group further added: “The current global situation presents a number of business challenges, so we have decided to stop deliveries of vehicles in the Russian market and continue to monitor the situation on behalf of our customers, spread across the country. Worldwide”.
Also consider that the sanctions imposed by Europe, the United States and the United Kingdom make the sale of vehicles even more difficult.
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz will donate € 1 million to support those affected by the conflict in Ukraine. This was announced by CEO Ola Kallenius.
Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi seems intent on suspend sales and production a cause of possible problems with the procurement of materials.
However, there does not seem to be a definitive position yet. Probably the Japanese company is evaluating the consequences of the decision considering that it has 141 dealers in the country.
Renault
Renault Captur
Shares of Renault fell 6.4% on Monday due to sanctions imposed by the West.
Confused? It’s normal. The company is French but owns Avtovaza Russian car manufacturing company that had to shut down the assembly line for an entire day due to a lack of components.
More Renault closed its Moscow factory, which deals with the assembly of Arkana and Captur, due to a lack of materials.
Torsus
Torsus, Czech company that deals with the production of trucks, has a whole team seconded in Kiev: “Our employees and their families are safe. We asked them to take all possible precautions, following the instructions of the Ukrainian government. Please do not leave the bomb shelters until it is safe to do so “
“Torsus takes sides with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in the struggle for their country and for peace throughout Europe,” he said. Yuliya Khomych, Director of Corporate Strategy.
Stellantis
“We follow the rules, laws and regulations in time of Fr.ace and we follow wartime sanctions “he has declared Carlos TavaresCEO of Stellantis.
Last week the company started the a task force entrusted with the task of monitoring its 71 Ukrainian employees. They have inoltrand gave birth to a team that deals with translating sanctions into operational decisions.
“It is important to focus on people – added Tavares – We represent 170 different citizenships. We are the most diverse car manufacturer in the world. “
Toyota
Toyota lost 13,000 cars in a cyberattack which affected its suppliers of plastics and electronic components. The company did not blame the Russians but the “incident” came shortly after Japan’s decision to join the West to impose sanctions on the Putin-led state, including exclusion from the Swift system.
Volkswagen
The Volkswagen Group will donate 1 million euros to the Unoflucht association which deals with refugees.
This was announced by a post on social media in which VW condemns the actions of Russia and hopes for an imminent “ceasefire”.
The German manufacturer also announced the suspension of deliveries to Russia and explained that production in Germany will be stopped due to the absence of parts being produced in Ukraine.
Skoda
Skoda has 600 employees in Ukraine, to which it has offered help for moving to Prague. There is therefore talk of bureaucratic support but also for accommodation, language courses, work and education.
In addition, the company will donate 400.000 € all’associazione People in Need.
Skoda also has reduced production due to the lack of components, which is a direct consequence of the invasion.
However, the company has not yet suspended production in the two factories it has in Russia.
Volvo
We conclude, at least temporarily, with Volvo which was the first car manufacturer to stop shipments to Russia following the invasion. A decision taken “because of the potential risks associated with the trade in materials with Russia and the sanctions imposed by Europe and the US.”