Major automakers are continuing with plans to restart U.S. vehicle production next month despite President Donald Trump on Sunday extending national social-distancing guidelines through April.

Ford Motor, Fiat Chrysler, Toyota Motor and Honda Motor are continuing with such plans as executives "monitor" or "assess" the situation, spokespeople for the companies told CNBC on Monday.

The automakers would be allowed to reopen plants despite Trump's extension because it is a guideline, not an order. The federal government has been relying on states to enact their own orders to limit or ban automotive operations and determine if they are an "essential" businesses during the COVID-19 outbreak. The regulations vary state by state.

As of Monday, 35 states had enacted "stay at home" or "essential business" mandates that affect 231 million people, or 70% of the U.S. population, according to J.D. Power. Those include major auto production hubs across the Midwest, including Michigan, Ohio and Indiana.

The impact of the state orders on automotive manufacturing, aside from extensions, is not expected to have any further effect on the industry, according to Tyson Jominy, vice president of data and analytics at J.D. Power.



"We do not expect any material impact on automotive manufacturing and assembly from additional states ordering stay-at-home of residents," he said in an email. "We are not aware of any automotive plants still operating despite many assembly plants that are located in states without mandatory stay-at-home orders such as Texas, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and South Carolina."