The trend is broadly similar in Europe, where major manufacturers such as PSA Group, Renault and Daimler are slowly bringing plants back online. Among those that have already reopened is the world’s largest car factory, Volkswagen’s huge facility in its home town of Wolfsburg.

Part of the problem is that although car companies can decide when to reopen their plants, and to what extent they can resume production, there are other factors that they cannot control. Notably, they don’t know when showrooms will be allowed to reopen, and when customers will actually want to buy new cars.

The earliest that showrooms could potentially unlock their doors again in England is 1 June, as that is the date that Prime Minister Boris Johnson has set for when “non-essential” retailers will hopefully be allowed to reopen. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have not put down target dates.

Vauxhall’s managing director Stephen Norman has told BBC Newsnight that he wants UK showrooms to open as soon as possible.

In the meantime, car buyers in England will now be able to order a vehicle online, and then go and pick it up from outside a dealership, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) trade body said on Wednesday. But under this “click and collect” scheme, the showrooms will remain closed.

The future, for an industry that it is claimed supports more than 800,000 jobs in the UK, remains deeply uncertain.