LONDON — Aston Martin is extending by a week production stoppages at its two UK factories as lockdown measures designed to stop the spread of coronavirus remain in place in Britain.
Production will be suspended until April 27 because of the current global and local position concerning suppliers and employees, Aston Martin said in a statement on Tuesday.
“The business will look to resume operations as soon as it is reasonable to do so,” the company said.
Aston Martin operates two plants in the UK. Its Gaydon plant in central England builds sports cars, while its new plant in St Athan, south Wales, produces the company’s new DBX SUV.
The manufacturing suspension was initially planned to last until Monday, April 20.
Aston Martin secured fresh investment earlier this year from a group led by Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll after struggling since a stock market flotation in late 2018 The company is banking on the DBX to drive sales in a new segment, appealing more to female buyers.
Britain’s biggest carmaker, Jaguar Land Rover, has not set a date for when it will reopen its facilities while Nissan said earlier this month that the production suspension at its Sunderland in northwest England site will “continue throughout April.”