F Ford Motor Company

   By Ben Foldy 
 

Ford Motor Co. is extending temporary shutdowns of its European factories to at least May 4 as the new coronavirus continues to delay the restart of vehicle production.

The company said Friday its plans for resuming factory work will depend on national restrictions on business and constraints on its suppliers and dealer network.

The new guidance for Europe comes after the company said Tuesday that it would also delay the restart of its North American production operations, which had been planned for the first half of April. The company has not publicly set a new target date.

"My gut tells me we're into May now, but we're not projecting a date until [President Trump] actually comes through with 'I want to turn the economy on by x date,'" said chief executive Jim Hackett in a Tuesday interview with a Detroit radio station.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 03, 2020 12:12 ET (16:12 GMT)

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