German supplier Webasto reported a $44 million operating loss during the first quarter and declined to provide a full-year forecast.

Volvo’s optional Highway Pilot package of technology includes the so-called Z2 autonomous drive software from Zenuity, cameras, radars, backup systems and Luminar’s lidar system integrated into the roof.

The German roof system supplier, which was hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak, is ramping up production in Europe but its U.S. plants remain closed.

The Tianjin-based facility will be added to a campus where Vitesco has been making electric axle drive systems for PSA and Hyundai since last year.

Volvo has restarted production on a limited basis at a body components plant in Sweden, where it plans to resume vehicle and engine output again on Monday.

Volvo will set up a stand-alone company to take over Zenuity's development and commercialization of unsupervised autonomous drive software.

The automakers and their suppliers are seeing plants in China coming back online after closures related to the coronavirus pandemic.

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.

About 30 Americans have started their return from Germany, where they have been working on the EV maker's first factory in Europe.

Italian virologists say virus sequences in Italy match those from Webasto's January outbreak. The supplier questions the finding because of its containment efforts.

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.

Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson opposes the rising push to discourage air travel to combat climate change. "I think you're on a very dangerous path when you say, ‘No, you should not fly.’ " he said.

Young customers could rebel against high-riding SUVs in favor of sleek sedans to avoid being like their parents, automakers say.