Ventec’s VOCSN multi-function ventilators, which integrate five separate medical devices. / Reuters

Who could have imagined that the coronavirus pandemic would be, in part, an automotive story? More than that: Automakers, in particular GM and Ford but also plenty of others, may wind up being some of the story’s heroes. 

The New York Times had a glimpse inside the GM effort the other day, and now The Seattle Times’ Geoff Baker provides a better sense of the timeline by which General Motors and Ventec Life Systems, of Bothell, Washington, went from perfect strangers to partners in mass-producing Ventec’s innovative multifunction ventilators — devices that might ultimately save the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans. This is all happening astonishingly fast.

Two weeks ago, the project seemed dead before it had even begun, Baker reports. The Ventec machine has 700 components. But one of them was made in India, in a factory that was in coronavirus lockdown. Without that part, the machine might as well be a doorstop. 

“GM literally sent people there that night to India to get boots on the ground to help us get that factory opened,” Ventec CEO Chris Kiple told The Times. “It

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ top executives and salaried workers around the globe will take pay cuts in an act of “shared sacrifice” brought on by the coronavirus pandemic that has shuttered the automaker’s plants in Europe and North America, according to a company memo seen by Reuters.

Chief Executive Officer Mike Manley said in the memo he will take a 50 percent pay cut for three months starting April 1, while Chairman John Elkann and FCA’s board of directors will forego the remainder of their 2020 compensation. FCA said most global salaried employees will be asked to take a temporary 20 percent pay cut.

“Protecting the financial health of the company is everyone’s responsibility and naturally starts with myself and the leadership of FCA,” Manley wrote.

Members of the automaker’s group executive council will also take a 30 percent pay cut, according to the memo.

Last week, No. 1 U.S. automaker General Motors said it planned to keep its plants closed indefinitely and was reducing the pay of salaried employees and executives and suspending some future product programs to conserve cash.

GM’s chief executive and chief financial officer issued a stark warning to company employees in an internal video, saying that

While we already got a look at the 2021 Genesis G80’s styling earlier this month, only now has the company revealed details on the car’s powertrains and technology. It picks up most of its parts from the also recently revealed Genesis GV80 crossover, but that’s not a bad thing.

Under the hood will be one of three different engines, only two of which will probably appear in America. The first of those is a new turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder making 300 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque, which is slightly less power and slightly more torque than the current naturally aspirated 3.8-liter V6 offered in America’s base G80. The second is a turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 making 375 horsepower and 391 pound-feet of torque, making it more powerful and torqueier than the current turbo 3.3-liter V6. Both of these are shoe-ins for the U.S., and they’re also shared with the GV80. The third engine option is a turbocharged 2.2-liter diesel four-cylinder that is likely only for overseas markets. It makes 210 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque. The current G80’s optional 5.0-liter V8 will go away with this generation. Each powertrain will be available with rear-wheel drive