Bentley Motors to lay off 1,000 employees in UK amid COVID-19 crisis

British luxury car manufacturer Bentley on June 5 announced that it will axe 1,000 jobs in the United Kingdom amid the coronavirus pandemic. According to reports, the car brand employs over 4,200 people in Britain. This comes after American carmaker Ford announced 7,000 job cuts last month. 

According to reports, the COVID-19 had “hastened” the company's move to cut almost one-quarter of its workforce in the UK. Speaking to international media reporters, Adrian Hallmark, the company’s CEO said that losing colleagues wasn’t something the company was taking lightly. Calling it a “necessary step,” Hallmark then said that they have taken the step to safeguard the jobs of the vast majority who will remain and deliver a sustainable business model for the future. Commenting on the pandemic, he said that COVID-19 has not been the cause of this measure but a hastener. 

Read: Survey: Businesses Cut 2.76 Million Jobs In May

Read: Instagram Video Of Woman Doing Split On Two Cars Leaves Netizens Amused

Meanwhile, British carmaker, Aston Martin has cut 500 jobs in response to tumbling demand and ballooning losses at the luxury group that began long before the virus appeared. Another carmaker, Nissan Motor recently announced its decision to shut its plant in Barcelona putting 3,000 direct jobs under risk of being slashed. After reports of the decision emerged, Spain's Industry Minister in a statement said that Nissan's decision to close its car manufacturing plant in Barcelona and two other factories in nearby towns have put more than 20,000 jobs at risk further adding that it will cost more to Nissan in closing down its operations than investing in it. 

Car industry in China recovering

On the other hand, the automobile industry in China was recovering. Marvell Technologies CEO Matt Murphy recently expressed optimism over the automotive market stating that there has been an improvement in the sector which was otherwise gloomy industry due to Coronavirus pandemic. While speaking with international media, he said that there are positive signs of production resuming with a strong indicator in China's automotive market recovering.

Read: Marvell Tech CEO Cites Chinese Auto Market Gain Hinting Recovery In Automotive Industry

Read: Nissan To Shut Its Barcelona Plant, Automaker Logs $6.2 Billion Annual Net Loss