Between national dealership Lookers and luxury carmaker Aston Martin, 2,000 automotive sector jobs are set to be cut in the coming weeks.
Lookers will be axing 1,500 jobs and closing 12 dealerships, while Aston Martin will be making 500 members of staff redundant.
The automotive industry has had a rough couple of years - after Brexit uncertainty led to large manufacturing closures being announced by carmakers Nissan and Honda, it has further struggled throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
These figures are the latest in a long run of announcements that firms will be downsizing and cutting staff across the UK.
Trade body SMMT announced that monthly performance in May was down 89 per cent year-on-year - the worst performance for that month since 1952. Only 20,000 new vehicles were registered.
This 89 per cent drop, however, did follow a record 97 per cent decline in April, so it does seem that industry is on the rise following the government's announcements that lockdown would be eased.
There continue to be concerns over the long-term future of the industry, too, as regards Brexit; a spokesperson from Nissan told the BBC that the Sunderland plant - which employs some 7,000 people - would be "unsustainable" if a trade deal was not confirmed with the EU.
No doubt there will be more news about the automotive industry and Covid-19 in the weeks to come.
