With the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic causing widespread disruption, industry watchers are working to determine the effect on automotive markets. They might do worse than look to China: four months on from the first reported cases, officials from the country’s national health commission reported that between 18 and 19 March, there were no new domestic cases of infection. Contrast this with February, which on some days saw the number of cases rise by thousands, and it would appear that measures employed by the government and companies have successfully gained a grip on the situation.
As coronavirus puts markets on lockdown, China enters the final phases of the COVID-19 outbreak. Is its trajectory a sign of things to come? By Xavier Boucherat and Megan Lampinen
