Vladimir Putin held a videoconference meeting on automobile industry development on Friday, presidential web page reports.
“The coronavirus epidemic has broken the rhythm of the economic and business life in Russia and other countries. Many companies have suddenly had to face major challenges. The demand is plummeting, including demand for complex, high-tech products. Cooperation ties and chains have been disrupted,” he said. “The epidemic has also had an impact on the Russian automobile industry, and its indicators largely reflect the current state of the consumer market and the entire economy. Some producers’ sales almost stopped during the first weeks of April.”
So “it is essential to ensure the stable operation of the automobile industry in strict compliance with all the sanitary and preventive measures; to help producers and, above all, to support demand in order to preserve jobs and incomes as well as to retain qualified specialists, engineers and workers,” he stressed.