For the past week or so, we’ve only seen the tip of the ice burg of the crippling effects the COVID-19 coronavirus will have on our economy and nation as a whole. As an automotive repair facility in a small community, we’ve begun to see and feel the ripple effect that has been made on the automotive industry itself. Here is a basic run-down of what we can expect.
The automotive industry in the United States relies on itself, Mexico, Canada, and China for the vast majority of replacement parts made for modern vehicles. China is now the lead manufacturer of most electronic parts and computers for modern cars. Many of the effects we will experience will not happen overnight, but the direction the virus has spread across the globe indicates it’s going to be a gradual effect that will take place for an extended period of time. Without a crystal ball, there is no way to know when or for how long we will experience deficits in the industry.
What we have seen is an increase in repairs for a couple reasons. Manufacturing, shipping and receiving processes of replacement parts has been tremendously disrupted due to the virus so some people are having maintenance and repairs done now before we experience a shortage of parts. Some people are taking advantage of their adjusted work-from-home schedules and having their cars scheduled in for outstanding repairs and maintenance.
The only thing we know for sure is that the world is going to be a much different place in the near future and we need to do the best we can now to take action and prepare any way we can. Preventing a scenario where you may not have reliable transportation may be a good start.
