Coronavirus: Jaguar Land Rover to suspend production

Jaguar Land Rover said its plant in China reopened in the week beginning 24 February

Jaguar Land Rover is to suspend all production at its plants across the UK, in response to the spread of coronavirus.

The firm said manufacturing would stop next week. It plans to resume on 20 April, but said this could change.

Its decision is part of the company's plan to "safeguard its business continuity".

The Coventry-based car-maker has plants across the UK, including Castle Bromwich, Solihull, and Halewood.

Operations are still continuing overseas.

Its factory in China reopened at the end of February, it said, as "life begins to get back to normal in the country", while sites in Brazil and India are still in operation.

In a statement, the company said its decision to restart UK production on 20 April was "subject to review of rapidly-changing circumstances".

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It comes as BMW, Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Vauxhall have already closed their plants in the UK.

Bentley has also suspended production at its plant in Crewe for four weeks, due to the "accelerated rate of infection" and the "interruptions in the supply chain", as well as an expected "decline in demand".

Core business functions will continue, however, with meetings to take place via video calls.

Adrian Hallmark, chairman and CEO of Bentley Motors, said it was a "difficult decision to take" but that these were "unprecedented times".