Jaguar Land Rover has launched a last minute rush to bring its materials to the UK from China over fears it could have to close several UK plants due to coronavirus delays.
The carmaker is reportedly flying components in suitcases, stating it only has enough resources to keep its factories running for another fortnight.
Sir Ralf Speth, chief executive of the UK’s biggest carmaker, said the company’s British plants are "safe for this week" and the week after, but face difficulties sourcing parts from China in the weeks after, which represent "a risk for overall production," according to the Financial Times.
"We have flown parts in suitcases from China to the UK just to make sure that we have got the right parts," he said, adding that last week the company was missing 38 key components.
JLR has three factories in the UK and is the latest business to warn of the impact of the deadly coronavirus, which has killed nearly 1,900 people.
In early February, Fiat Chrysler warned that one of its European plants would be forced to halt production in a matter of weeks as it struggles to source key parts from Chinese suppliers.
"If we miss a critical part then there might be a risk for overall production," Sir Ralf told journalists at an event unveiling the company’s autonomous electric car, Project Vector.
He said that the "very first critical part" facing a shortage was the key fob.
"We have to take all the key systems apart and every car only gets, at the moment, one key fob just to make sure we can produce."
Toyota, Hyundai, Volvo and Peugeot, are among the carmakers to have disclosed concerns around how the coronavirus will impact production lines.
