Britain’s three sportscar manufacturers, Aston Martin, McLaren and Morgan, have all confirmed they will stop manufacturing cars in the UK amid the Coronavirus pandemic.

Aston Martin confirmed the temporary suspension of all manufacturing operations at its UK plants, in line with the latest UK Government instructions on the fight against COVID-19. The suspension will come into force at all sites simultaneously tonight (March 25).

Dr Andy Palmer, Aston Martin Lagonda President and Group CEO, said: “It is our responsibility to ensure we do all we can to support the Government’s efforts in slowing the spread of COVID-19 over the coming weeks and, with the health of our amazing workforce front and centre of our minds, we have taken the tough decision to temporarily suspend operations at our sites around the UK.

“I hope and believe that our national fight against this dreadful virus will be successful and as soon as we have the ability we will, of course, return to normal operations. In the meantime, I would like to wish everyone associated with this great company good luck, and good health.” 

The period of manufacturing suspension is initially planned to Monday 20 April 2020, however, the business said it will continue to review the situation and will look to resume operations as soon as it is reasonable to do so.

McLaren Automotive has suspended production at its UK manufacturing facilities with immediate effect until the end of April.

In a statement, the company said: “We are taking this action to ensure the safety of our workforce in light of the latest Government advice and so that the company is well placed to resume operations as smoothly as possible in the future.”

Morgan has also confirmed its Malvern factory will be closed for the next four weeks.

Jaguar Land Rover and Bentley confirmed their plants will be closed until April 20, last week.

Other manufacturers to close their UK plants include Honda, Rolls Royce and Toyota.