General Motors has received government permission to restart plants in Mexico and will begin immediately with motor and transmission production lines in Silao, Guanajuato, and Ramos Arizpe, Coahuila.
Vehicle assembly at Silao, which makes the Chevrolet Silverado pickup, and Ramos Arizpe, which produces crossovers, is tentatively scheduled for Friday, GM de México said Thursday. The company said the restart of vehicle assembly lines will depend on the status of parts suppliers.
“After nearly two months of suspension of activities, we are reopening our manufacturing complexes while implementing the most strict protocols of health and security,” Francisco Garza, CEO of GM México, said in a statement.
The Mexican government gave the green light for the restart of automotive manufacturing on Monday. But health authorities required companies to submit safety plans, while promising to approve or deny them within 72 hours of submission. GM said its plans were approved Thursday.
“We are still determining the date for reinitiating operations for GM manufacturing complexes in Toluca, State of Mexico, and San Luis Potosi,” GM said.
Toluca is an engine plant and San Luis Potosi, the capital of the state with the same name, makes the Chevrolet Equinox, Trax and the Onix sedan. Ramos Arizpe assembles the Equinox, Chevrolet Blazer and GM Terrain. With the exception of the Onix, all of those vehicles are exported to the U.S.
Several other automakers, such as Ford, are waiting for approval from the Mexican government to restart operations along with hundreds of parts suppliers.
