Mercedes ends production of the Smart Fortwo
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Mercedes ends production of the Smart Fortwo
- Mercedes ended production of the battery electric Smart Fortwo on March 29, 2024, which remained the only model of the Smart brand still produced in Europe, after the end of the Smart Fortwo with a thermal engine and the Smart Forfour with a thermal engine and battery electric.
- The Smart Fortwo (A-segment sedan) which was produced in France (in Hambach) since 1998 was the shortest model in European automobile production (excluding L6/L7 segment cars), with a length of 2.70 m (2.50 m for the first models). Its weight did not exceed 850 kilos in the thermal version and 1,150 kilos in the electric version (750 kilos in the thermal version for the first models). In total, more than 2.2 million Smart Fortwos were produced and sold, but it appears that the model was never profitable for the carmaker due to sales below 100,000 units per year on average, while the targets were set at 150,000 units per year.
- The future of the brand now depends on the battery electric models #1 and #3 produced in China (in Xi'an, in Shaanxi province) by the Geely group in JV with Mercedes. But these models are part of a completely different universe: #1 measures 4.27 m long and weighs 1,800 kilos, while #3 measures 4.40 m long and weighs 1,900 kilos. In reality, #1 is positioned in the B-segment and #3 in the C-segment. There will probably be no more Smarts in the A-segment, for profitability reasons.
- It will be interesting to know whether customers of these models will continue to use this type of cars or towards which models they will move in the future, given that the A-segment has been shrinking for several years, following the withdrawal of most models.
Nissan wants to sell 4.5 million vehicles in 2026/2027 compared to 3.5 million in 2023/2024
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Nissan wants to sell 4.5 million vehicles in 2026/2027 compared to 3.5 million in 2023/2024
- Nissan, which is separated from Renault last year (after having been for around twenty years in the Renault-Nissan group), is modifying its strategy in place for several years, meaning reducing volumes and increase profits, a strategy which led the carmaker to reduce its production capacities by 20%, going from 7 million to 5.6 million per year.
- The problem is that Nissan only produced 4 million vehicles in 2021 and even fewer the following two years: 3.2 million vehicles in 2022 and 3.3 million in 2023. In the Japanese financial year 2023/2024 (from March to March), Nissan however announces a volume of 3.5 million vehicles produced.
- Today, the carmaker wants to put an end to the reduction of its volumes and is counting on a revival of its sales, announcing an objective of selling 4.5 million vehicles in the 2026/2027 financial year.
- With Nissan sales declining both in China and North America (its two major global markets), it will be very difficult to reverse the trend of the last three years, especially as the carmaker wants to both increase its volumes and its margins. In China, its factories are currently operating at only 50% of their capacity. With the end of its partnership with Renault, Nissan's objective will be all the more difficult to achieve. The only hope is that its new partnership with Honda in the battery electric vehicles market could have a positive impact on Nissan's sales, but this agreement will be successful if it benefits both to Nissan and Honda, which is not guaranteed in advance.
The Dodge Charger inaugurates the STLA-Large platform from Stellantis
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The Dodge Charger inaugurates the STLA-Large platform from Stellantis
- The Dodge Charger is the first model from the Stellantis group to be based on the new STLA-Large platform, that is to say the one intended for the group's large cars (sedans, SUVs, coupes of the E-segment).
- The first Dodge Charger was born in 1966 as a coupe with a combustion engine. This model from the Chrysler group entered into direct competition with the Ford Mustang (1964) from the Ford group and the Chevrolet Camaro (1966) from the GM group which were the first “Pony Cars”, compact sports coupes based on mass-produced platforms. Several generations of Charger have followed one another since 1966, in the form of coupes and sedans.
- The first battery electric Dodge Charger is presented in March 2024, with a two-door coupe and a four-door sedan. Two powers are offered: 496 hp (365 kW) and 670 hp (493 kW) in four-wheel drive version. The battery offers a capacity of 100 kWh allowing a range of approximately 500 km. The weight of the Charger EV reaches 2,650 kilos.
- Next year, two versions of the Dodge Charger with a combustion engine will be marketed. They will be equipped with a 3.0-liter six-cylinder twin-turbo gasoline engine developing a choice of 420 hp (310 kW) or 550 hp (405 kW). The four-door version will be launched in the first quarter of 2025. The two-door and four-door are 5.24 m long.
- All Dodge Chargers will be produced in the Canadian plant in Brampton (Ontario) at a rate of 100,000 units per year according to Inovev. Battery electric versions should represent 10% of the total in 2026, 15% in 2028 and 20% in 2030.
Ford postpones the launch of its new electric SUVs by two years
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Ford postpones the launch of its new electric SUVs by two years
- After having postponed for one year the launch in Europe of its battery electric SUV called Explorer, the American carmaker Ford announced that it was postponing for two years the launch in North America of its new battery electric SUVs of which we do not know not yet the name.
- These SUVs should take over the Volkswagen ID3/ID4 platform – as for the Explorer BEV – following an agreement between the two carmakers (in exchange, Ford provides the base of the Ranger pick-up to make the pick-up VW Amarok). These two new battery electric models were supposed to be launched on the North American market in 2025. They will finally be launched in 2027.
- We could deduce from this that Ford does not believe much in the development of electric vehicles in North America (the market share of BEVs should not exceed 8% of the US market in 2024) but the carmaker has indicated that it intends to take advantage of the latest technologies related to batteries and wait for further progress on these products to offer an optimal proposition to customers. Another explanation would be that Ford would not be entirely satisfied with the Volkswagen platform, because the American carmaker has indicated that a design team located in California was designing a completely new, smaller and lower cost electric platform, therefore more cost-effective and more flexible, capable of equipping multiple models with high volumes.
- As a result of the postponement of the launch in North America of the two battery electric SUVs, the Canadian plant in Oakville (Ontario), which was planning to produce them from 2025, will have to continue assembling the Ford Edge and Lincoln Nautilus SUVs (with a thermal engine) for another three years, although it was planned to stop them. The launch of these models dates back to 2015.
Chery announces it will produce cars in Spain
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Chery announces it will produce cars in Spain
- The Chinese carmaker Chery, which is one of the most dynamic Chinese carmakers outside China these two last years (see previous slide relating to the new brands created by Chery) after a slump of several years, could produce battery electric vehicles ( BEV) and plug-in hybrids (PHEV) in Europe before the end of this year.
- This carmaker already assemble CKD (Complete Knock Down) cars in Italy in plant belonging to DR and producing models under the same brand, but this will be the first time that it will produce vehicles in Europe under its own name.
- Chery is the third Chinese carmaker to announce its interest in setting up industrially in Europe, after BYD and SAIC (MG). BYD has decided to build a factory in Hungary (this carmaker already has an electric bus factory in this country). SAIC (MG) has not yet chosen the location of its factory. Chery (fourth Chinese carmaker by production volume, behind BYD, Geely and Changan) has decided to establish itself industrially in Spain.
- Chery plans to take over the Nissan Barcelona plant, closed in December 2021 and would thus avoid building a new factory, which could take one to two years. This site has several advantages: it is functional, is located on the edge of the Mediterranean and therefore can import and export automobiles in large numbers by sea. By producing in Europe, Chery would also avoid local measures encouraging the removal of ecological bonuses for cars produced in China.
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