After heavy downpour derailed the lives of Chennai residents, they are slowly returning to normalcy. However, the automobile industry is still struggling to restart operations. Many automobile companies in the region have resumed its operations partially, while production in full swing will take longer.
Two of the most affected automobile manufacturers in this region are American carmaker Ford and German luxury carmaker BMW. Both the companies have not rolled out a single vehicle this month, reports ET Auto. The report further says the unforeseen halt in production will increase the waiting period for the Ford EcoSport SUV, while the 2016 Ford Endeavour launch slated in January 2016 will also be postponed.
Ford's Chennai plant currently resumed the operations in engine plant, while vehicle assembly has not yet resumed. In addition to this, the company had advanced its maintenance shutdown scheduled in the second half of December, which will also shrink the production volume in December.
The BMW, on the other hand, opened its plant on 7 September for repair and maintenance resulting in no production. The loss of production is expected to make things tougher for the company in annual sales against the two rival German companies -- Mercedes-Benz and Audi. BMW India is also planning a maintenance shutdown in second half of this month.
According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufactures (SIAM), about 10-15% of the country's production was affected in November due to the rains.
