What does crisis management look like at the world’s largest automaker?

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) threatens to ground much of the automotive industry to a halt, with vehicle sales drying up and factories halting production. What started in China is spreading rapidly across Europe, where automakers are scrambling to position for an uncertain future. There could not be a worse time for an annual media conference, but that's how it played out this year at Volkswagen Group. Key members of the leadership team, each standing a couple of metres apart, convened in Wolfsburg for a digital version of the yearly event, where the subject of the pandemic coloured all aspects of the outlook.