London/Berlin (CNN Business) The carmakers at the heart of Germany's huge manufacturing industry are facing a new threat: border checks that could delay crucial parts deliveries and force their factories to close. The border checks were imposed following the outbreak of coronavirus variants in the Czech Republic and Austria's Tyrol region that spread more quickly than other strains. Traffic jams developed quickly, with lines of waiting vehicles stretching up to 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) in one area south of Dresden on Monday. Volkswagen, VLKAF Europe's biggest carmakerwhich owns the Audi, Skoda and Seat brands, said on Tuesday that there have been "no serious bottlenecks" at its factories due to trucks being stuck at the border. But it said that provisions designed to compensate for shortages would only be effective for "a certain period of time."

Source: CNN February 16, 2021 12:09 UTC