Volvo's Polestar subsidiary started China production of its first volume model while Wuhan, a major auto production hub where the coronavirus first emerged, is nearing the end of its lockdown.

Schaeffler, Marelli, Veoneer and ZF joined Bosch and Continental in stopping or slowing production in Europe to cope with falling demand from automakers due to the coronavirus.

The halt, which affects four plants, runs from March 26 until April 14 as Volvo joins other automakers in stopping production to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Volvo provided no timetable for when the factory, which builds the XC40 compact SUV and V60 midsize wagon, might reopen.

About 30 Americans had been working on the EV company's first factory in Europe.

Volvo decided to build its first full-electric car in Ghent, Belgium, for a good reason: It is the most flexible factory in the automaker's global network.

Italian virologists say the sequences of the virus in Italy closely match those from Webasto's January outbreak. The supplier questions the finding because of conflicting views by medical professionals on the original source of the virus in Italy.

Volvo plans to start making its first full-electric car, the XC40 Recharge, in Belgium starting in late September, using cells from LG Chem, which has had trouble meeting demand from other automakers in Europe.

The industry's move toward full-electric and fully autonomous vehicles is causing automakers to re-think their future models. As a result, Volvo design chief Robin Page told Automotive News Europe he is looking "beyond the normal automotive world" when he needs to fill a vacancy.

Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath believes more needs to be done to help accelerate the shift to emissions-free driving. He explained why in an interview with Automotive News Europe.

The full-electric grand tourer concept is a "response to the clear challenges our society and industry face," Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath said.

Denso executive Ulrich Schwarz expects the supplier to win business for its electrification technology from European automakers, not just with Toyota, its major shareholder.

Polestar and Google aim to offer a vehicle environment that automatically adjusts to the user’s personal preferences and last-used applications.

Volvo estimates its subscription program accounted for more than 5 percent of the automaker’s registrations in Germany last year. Volvo wants that number to rise to between 10 percent and 15 percent this year.

Volvo's Lex Kerssemakers is getting a crash course in the new world of car ownership, namely the move to subscriptions from leasing.