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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Honda Motor Co (T:7267) said on Thursday it will extend a shutdown of its North American auto plants through May 8, while also extending unpaid leave for many salaried workers amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Honda, which began its North American production shutdown on March 23, is extending its production halt by another week. The Japanese automaker also said it is extending a two-week furlough for the majority of salaried and support associates at Honda operations by another week.
Separately, General Motors Co (N:GM) said Thursday it was considering calling back some workers next week to prepare for the restart of production in North America that could begin as early as May 4, but said no final decisions have been made.
The United Auto Workers union has been in talks with Detroit’s Big Three automakers about when and how to resume production.
Nearly all automakers have now halted North American production for a month, with some planning to restart as early as next week. Auto sales have fallen sharply with most Americans under stay-at-home restrictions.
On Wednesday, Volkswagen AG (DE:VOWG_p) said it plans to restart its Tennessee plant on May 3, while Daimler AG (DE:DAIGn) plans to restart sport utility vehicle production at its Tuscaloosa, Alabama, plant on April 27.
Last week, Nissan Motor Co (T:7201) said it will extend a shutdown of U.S. manufacturing plants until mid-May, while Subaru Corp (T:7270) plans to restart production at its Indiana assembly plant on May 11.
Automakers are ramping up cleaning, staggering start times, instituting temperature checks, giving employees new protective equipment and taking steps to separate workers and limit contact.
