MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s auto industry reopening picked up steam Tuesday, with Fiat Chrysler and BMW joining peers in gradually dusting off operations even as the wait for approvals slowed the return of Ford Motor Co. and other companies.
In mid-May, officials said the industry could exit a mandatory coronavirus lockdown before June 1 if safety measures were approved.
However, some Mexican governors have urged caution as new coronavirus infections and deaths ticked higher, in a sign of what is expected to be a bumpy return as complex North American supply chains are linked back together.
Fiat Chrysler on Tuesday began reopening two facilities in the central Mexican city of Toluca after a gradual restart of its operations in the northern city of Saltillo a day earlier, said a company spokesman.
“We are opening up with only 40 percent of personnel at each plant. It’s an orderly and secure reopening, following all the protocols the Health Secretary has given us,” he said.
The…
