Now that almost all car production lines have come to a standstill, several manufacturers are looking at new possibilities. At least two brands are looking at the production of medical equipment in North America. Elon Musk will also be heard.
According to Reuters and Automotive News, General Motors and Ford Motor Co. to the opportunity to help the medical world. The pandemic threatens to cause major shortages, especially for respiratory equipment. GM’s CEO Mary Barra is said to have looked into options with Trump’s officers as the factories are shut down until at least March 30. “GM is working on possible solutions for the country at this difficult time and has offered to help. We are already investigating how we might support the production of medical equipment such as respirators,” said a spokesman. Ford also confirms initial talks with the government to the same issue.
Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk is busy on Twitter. He tweeted, “In case of a shortage, we will build respirators.” The tweet was liked and retweeted thousands of times within four hours. Hundreds of followers emphasize that there is already a shortage and wonder why Musk has not already started producing medical equipment. However, the CEO does not yet have a clear answer.
The British government previously made a similar appeal to local automakers.