Second Wave Of Coronavirus, Hyundai Halts Factory Operations In India

Illustration of Hyundai. (Unsplash/Alphacolor)

JAKARTA - South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor has decided to temporarily halt production at their Indian factory.

In its announcement Tuesday, Hyundai said the decision was taken in line with the second wave of coronaviruses that have caused a spike in cases of infection and deaths from COVID-19 in India

"Hyundai Motor will stop the Indian plant in the southern state of Tamil Nadu for five days starting Tuesday", a company spokesman said by phone, according to the Korea Times on Tuesday, May 25.

The decision was taken after two workers were infected with COVID-19 and several workers took a sit-down at the factory last Monday, amid growing fears of a virus among workers.

Tamil Nadu is one of the most severely affected states of COVID-19 in India. The state has imposed a lockdown on factories, except for some factories, until the end of May.

"Hyundai's other overseas plants are still operating despite an ongoing global chip shortage", a company spokesman said.

On the domestic side, Hyundai has temporarily suspended some of its domestic factories in recent weeks due to a shortage of semiconductors.

Known, Hyundai has seven domestic factories, five in Ulsan, as well as one each in Ansan and Jeonju. While abroad, Hyundai has 10 factories, four in China, as well as one each in the United States, Czech Republic, Turkey, Russia, Brazil, and India.

Meanwhile, Hyundai's affiliate, Kia Corp., announced plans to suspend factories in Georgia on Thursday and Friday this week, due to a chip shortage, after last month also had a two-day suspension.

Kia itself has eight domestic factories in Korea and seven overseas factories - three in China and one each in the United States, Slovakia, Mexico, and India.

For the record, Hyundai and Kia together form the fifth largest car manufacturer in the world by sales.