(Yicai Global) Feb. 17 -- Several multinational carmakers in China, which had to close their factories due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, are resuming production today.

Toyota's plants in Changchun, Jilin province, and Guangzhou, Guangdong, will re-open today, while its Tianjin facility will resume production tomorrow, it said on Feb. 15, adding that it has not determined when its factory in Chengdu will open its doors. Workers at Nissan's plant in Guanghe, Sichuan, will also get back to work today, as will staff at BMW's China manufacturing bases.

Many auto firms in China had to shutter their factories for an extended period after the Chinese New Year holiday in order to help prevent the spread of a novel coronavirus that originated in Wuhan. 59 of 183 factories monitored by the China Automobile Industry Association had returned to work as of Feb. 12, according to the industry body, while several are turning their hands to making masks to help tackle the epidemic.

Volkswagen's eight remaining factories will also re-open today after the German auto titan got six of its plants back to work last week. VW could be the vehicle maker most affected by the virus, as about 40 percent of its sales come from China, according to international ratings agency Standard & Poor's.

Ford opened its Chongqing and Hangzhou factories on Feb. 10, and the firm is asking non-production employees to work from home until at least Feb. 24. None of Ford's business outside China has been affected and the supply chain has remained uninterrupted, a spokesman said on Feb. 14.

Editor: James Boynton