Wheels: Workers Are Returning as Carmakers Restart Factories

After being idle for nearly two months, several companies are opening plants with masks and gloves.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story May 19, 2020 The Wheels newsletter is delivered monthly. The next one will appear on Tuesday, June 16. Bill Pugliano/Getty Images   Autoworkers Are Returning as Carmakers Gradually Crank Up Factories After being idle for nearly two months, G.M., Ford and Fiat Chrysler will restart assembly plants on Monday with masks, gloves and curtains. By Neal E. Boudette Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Hendrik Schmidt/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images   The Pandemic Will Permanently Change the Auto Industry Plunging sales could force factories to close and lead to takeovers and mergers, but also bolster sales of electric cars. By Jack Ewing Felix Schmitt for The New York Times   Wheels A License to Drive the Autobahn Will Have to Wait Germany’s famously tough driving schools are in lockdown, a microcosm of the toll that the pandemic is taking on small firms. By Jack Ewing AJ Mast for General Motors   Smarter Driving How to Also Keep Your Car Healthy Along with making medical equipment, the car industry is finding ways to keep their customers safer, like coming to you when your car needs service. By Norman Mayersohn NHRA/National Dragster   Wheels A (Barely) Controlled Explosion, and 330 M.P.H. Before You Can Blink An inside look at the engines that propel the funny cars of drag racing from zero to you-can’t-be-serious in four seconds. By Paul Stenquist Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Mike Blake/Reuters   Wheels New Breed of Pickups Mixes Horsepower and Battery Power Electric Hummers and Cybertrucks, as well as the next generation of S.U.V.s, will signal the arrival of the E.V. era in America if they start to sell in big numbers. By Lawrence Ulrich NEWS Tesla Tells Workers It Will Reopen California Factory Despite County Order The electric car company told employees to report to work Friday, but a county official said Tesla did not meet the requirements for resuming production. By Neal E. Boudette Elon Musk Says Tesla Share Price Is Too High The electric car company’s stock fell 10 percent after the chief executive took to Twitter to try to talk down its recent surge. By Niraj Chokshi Leaving Lockdown, Entering Recession: Strike in Spain Shows Workers’ Fears Two days after Nissan reopened its main car factory in Barcelona, a walkout at a smaller plant forced production to halt. It may be a hint of what’s to come. By Raphael Minder An Auto Plant Shutdown, With a Loophole for Corvette Workers Big U.S. automakers have kept the lights on at a few factories, including a General Motors plant in Indiana making the Corvette chassis. By Noam Scheiber After Closing for the Virus, Is Michelin Moving Too Quickly? The tire maker’s C.E.O. says the company must be ready for the end of quarantine, but French unions are wary. By Liz Alderman wheels Not Quite a Car, Not Quite a Motorcycle: A Vehicle Built for One From the front, the Solo looks like a car, with hood, grille and headlights. Take a peek from behind, however, and it tapers down to just one wheel. By Susan Carpenter Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Wheels from The New York Times. To stop receiving these emails, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences. Subscribe to The Times |Get The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your Email|Privacy Policy|Contact Us The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018