VW halts production at three sites in China due to COVID lockdowns

German carmaker Volkswagen has temporarily halted production at three of its plants in China due to a coronavirus lockdown imposed in the north-eastern city of Changchun.

The factories, which are operated jointly with the Chinese partner FAW, are to remain closed at least through Wednesday on the orders of the authorities, a VW spokesperson in Beijing said.

One Volkswagen plant, one component parts plant and one Audi plant are affected.

The pause in operations does not automatically mean there will be a reduction in the number of vehicles manufactured, the company said.

The downtime could be made up for later, for example with extra shifts, if there is no long-term production stoppage.

The Changchun authorities had ordered a lockdown for the city of 9 million people on Friday after virus numbers rose significantly in the past few days. Mass tests were also ordered for the entire population.

Infections have spiked in China after only a few dozen a day were being reported just three weeks ago. China is pursuing a strict zero-Covid strategy, responding to local outbreaks with curfews, mass testing, transport restrictions and quarantine. The country has also largely sealed itself off.