Steel Markets
April 24, 2020
Automotive Assemblies Take a Nosedive in March
Written by Tim Triplett
Automotive assemblies in North America nosedived in March as vehicle manufacturers shut down their plants to protect their employees from the spread of the coronavirus. Most plants ceased operations in mid-March, so the data does not reflect a full month of shutdowns, thus the effect may be even more pronounced in April.
Data from LMC Automotive for automotive assemblies in the U.S., Canada and Mexico shows that sales were down by 58.3 percent in March compared with the prior month. Autos were down by 60.7 percent and light trucks (pickups, SUVs and crossovers) were down by 57.5 percent month over month (Figure 1).
