Russian Heatwave Melts GAZ Production

The unprecedented heatwave which has crippled Russia over the past few weeks has caused Russian carmaker GAZ to halt production at its main facilities. According to just-auto.com, the measure has been apparently imposed by Russian officials, while GAZ announced it is giving its workers a two week corporate holiday, with work expected to resume on August 8.

Russia has been hit for the past month with temperatures as high as 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit), the highest levels since temperature recordings began 130 years ago. The extreme heat has already crippled the country and killed thousands.

Currently, peat fires outside Moscow have shrouded the city in a thick blanket of smoke, adding to the thermal discomfort. According to scientists cited by Sky News, the levels of toxic particles in the air have reached eight to ten times normal levels, making authorities urge people to stay indoors with the windows closed.

"The concentration of carbon monoxide and suspended particles in Moscow surged up to 10 times above the limit last night," Alexei Popikov, chief specialist at Mosekomonitoring told Reuters.

Before dropping to more tolerable levels this weekend, the temperature is expected to peak towards the end of the week at 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

Separately, GAZ is rumored to have resumed negotiations with American manufacturer GM to create a partnership which would allow GM to build cars in Russia. The talks between the two sides, which began two years ago, were sidetracked by the economic crisis which hit the automotive industry at about the same time and ravaged the Russian industry.