Coronavirus outbreak: Carmakers, suppliers brace for stormy days

Expect overall sales to fall by 25-30% year-on-year, warns Rajan Wadhera, president of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers

After battling a prolonged slowdown and disruption caused by new emission standards over the past 18 months, the automobile industry is now bracing itself for a ‘wash out’ in March owing to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Expect overall sales to fall by 25-30 per cent year-on-year, warns Rajan Wadhera, president of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers.

The industry had already been expecting March to be a volatile month because the new BS-VI emission norms kick in on April 1. But adding to the doldrums is that Covid-19 has affected the supplies of critical auto parts from China,