AutoQ is our weekly round-up of stories from the automotive industry.
1. COVID-19: Mahindra Gets Ventilator Prototype Ready in 48 Hours
In the time of the global coronavirus pandemic, car companies are being summoned upon to help manufacture ventilators to meet the needs of healthcare professionals globally. With COVID-19 affecting the respiratory system of patients mainly, ventilators are a critical component of patient care.
A ventilator is a machine that mimics the functioning of the lungs, forcing air in and out of a patient when the patient is unable to breathe on his/her own.
Faced with a potential crisis in India from the COVID-19 pandemic, Indian SUV maker Mahindra has put together a team to come up with ventilators that can be supplied to hospitals.
Mahindra chairman Anand Mahindra tweeted a video of his team in the company's Kandivali and Igatpuri factories coming up with ventilator designs that can be put into production immediately.
Read the full story here.
2. Car Companies Halt Production, Limit Service Ops During Lockdown
All the major automakers in India have either halted production or have reduced it to the bare minimum until 31 March or until further notice as the country looks at a complete lockdown of several districts to stem the spread of COVID-19.
The companies have said that while production comes to a complete halt in most of the plants, they will still provide emergency service support to customers as needed. Most of the service centres won't be functioning at full capacity but will have a small team to deal with emergency repairs.
Read the story here to look at what the major carmakers are doing.
3. Supreme Court Extends Deadline to Sell Unsold BS-IV Vehicles
The Supreme Court on Friday, 27 March, allowed the sale of BS-IV compliant vehicles for 10 days, barring in Delhi-NCR, after the ongoing countrywide lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic is lifted.
Theoretically, this would mean the extension is till 24 April.
The apex court, which had earlier fixed the deadline of 31 March 2020 for sale of BS-IV compliant vehicles across the country, passed the order on a plea by Federation of Automobile Dealers' Association (FADA), which had sought extension of time for the sale of their unsold inventory amid coronavirus scare and economic slowdown.
Read the story here.
4. Not Using Your Car or Bike For Long? Here’s What Could Go Wrong
With a lockdown in most parts of India, not many are stepping out of their houses or using their cars and bikes. While that's a good thing to control the spread of a pandemic, if this lockdown continues for more than a few weeks, cars and bikes are going to need attention as well.
Most new cars and bikes won't really have any problems if not used for up to a month. However, older ones will likely face some maintenance issues. It's not just with the batteries, but also with rust and fungus issues if one lives in a high-humidity or coastal region or places with a lot of rainfall.
Read the story here to know some of the common issues and how to deal with them.
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