The US diesel market is in freefall in 2016
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The US diesel market is in freefall in 2016
- The US market for diesel vehicles shrank by 6.3% in 2015 to 154 776 vehicles (compared to 165 236 in 2014), but it fell by 50% in the first trimester of 2016, to just 19 071 vehicles (compared to 38 694 in the first trimester of 2015).
- The reason for this dramatic fall was the Volkswagen group's suspension of its sales of diesel vehicles (Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche brands), a consequence of the tampering of diesel engines by the German manufacturer.
- In 2015, the Volkswagen group held 42% of the diesel market in the USA (even as much as 56% in 2014). This share fell to 0% for the start of 2016. BMW and Mercedes continue to sell diesel vehicles in the US market, albeit in smaller numbers.
- The best selling diesel models in the USA in the first quarter of 2016 were therefore made by manufacturers other than Volkswagen : Dodge Ram (11 999 vehicles), Chevrolet Colorado (1 089 vehicles), Range Rover Sport (988 vehicles), Jeep Grand Cherokee (941 vehicles), Range Rover (906 vehicles) and GMC Canyon (519 vehicles). These were mostly SUVs and pickup trucks.
- The increase in the share of diesel vehicles in the US market which had been observed over the last few years has been heavily compromised by the Volkswagen affair, which has damaged the diesel market as a whole. This share, which had surpassed the 1% barrier in 2014, fell to 0.89% in 2015, and then to 0.47% in the first quarter of 2016.
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Changan became the 15th biggest carmaker in the world in 2015
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Changan became the 15th biggest carmaker in the world in 2015
- Chinese manufacturer Changan became the 15the biggest carmaker in the world 2015, behind Mazda and Mitsubishi. This ranking does not include Changan's JVs with foreign manufacturers (such as Ford, Mazda or PSA) or its JVs with other Chinese manufacturers (such as SAIC, FAW, Dongfeng or BAIC), which have themselves signed partnerships with foreign manufacturers.
- Changan manufactured 1.11 million passenger cars under its own brand in 2015, plus 1.09 million passenger vehicles under the brands of Ford (0.66 million), Mazda (0.23 million), Suzuki (0.18 million) and DS (0.02 million) as part of JVs.
- Changan currently has 16 models of passenger vehicle under its own brand, including 5 sedans, 5 minivans (mini MPVs), 3 MPVs and 3 SUVs. Changan also manufactured 0.14 million utility vehicles in 2015.
- Most of its production takes place in China, it makes practically no exports to foreign countries, and its models cater well to Chinese demand, but not to demand in other markets. Its attempts to start production in Iran, Russia and Africa have not been successful. South East Asian countries (Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia) appear to be most within the grasp of this manufacturer seeking to establish plants abroad.
- Changan has 9 industrial centres in China, situated in Chongqing, Heilongjiang, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Hebei, Anhui, Shanxi, Guangdong and Shandong, with a total of 21 assembly plants, allowing for an annual production capacity of 2 200 000 vehicles (JV and non JV). Today the capacity utilisation rate of its factories is close to 100%.
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Global sales of electric and rechargeable hybrid vehicles in 2015
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Global sales of electric and rechargeable hybrid vehicles in 2015
- Chinese manufacturer BYD is progressively becoming the world's biggest seller of electric and rechargeable hybrid vehicles. In 2015, its sales exceeded 60 000 vehicles, a figure that no other brand has been able to match. Tesla sold 51 598 vehicles, Mitsubishi 48 203 vehicles, Volkswagen 46 845 vehicles, Nissan 43 114 vehicles, BMW 33 415 vehicles and Renault 31 620 vehicles.
- However, by group, Renault-Nissan was the leader in sales of electric and rechargeable hybrid vehicles (74 734 sales), ahead of BYD (61 726 sales), Volkswagen (58 807 sales), Tesla (51 598 sales), Mitsubishi (48 203 sales) and BMW (33 415 sale). Renault-Nissan benefits from offering electric vehicles under two different brands and from covering a larger geographic area, as it sells its vehicles in North America, Europe, China and Japan, while BYD sells its vehicles almost exclusively in China.
- By model, the Tesla Model S was the best-selling electric vehicle in 2015 (50 366 sales), ahead of the Nissan Leaf (43 870 sales), the Mitsubishi Outlander (43 259 sales), the BYD Qin (31 898 sales), the BMW i3 (24 083 sales), the Kandi K11 (20 390 sales), the Renault Zoe (18 846 sales), the BYD Tang (18 375 sales), the Chevrolet Volt (17 508 sales) and the VW Golf GTE (17 282 sales).
- In total, 548 210 electric and rechargeable hybrid vehicles were sold around the world in 2015, including 207 382 in China, 189 230 in Europe, 115 262 in the USA and 22 563 in Japan. 13 773 more were sold in other regions of the world.
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What will change under the new plan presented by PSA ?
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What will change under the new plan presented by PSA ?
- The PSA Peugeot-Citroën Group, which has officially become the PSA Group, has presented the outlines of its new strategic plan for the next five years The group has committed to launching 34 new models globally between now and 2021 (26 passenger vehicles and 8 utility vehicles), which could mean replacing its current models or adding to its existing range. We note that the current PSA range already includes 34 models (see table below).
- PSA has announced that of these 34 new launches, 4 are electric cars and 7 are rechargeable hybrid vehicles with petrol engines. The manufacturer will also add a medium-sized pickup truck to its range, as Renault did recently. PSA also seeks to reinforce its position in the SUV segment, which is growing rapidly around the world.
- Concerning markets, PSA has confirmed its industrial projects in Iran (Tehran) and Morocco (Kenitra) and is looking at building plants in Algeria and India. A study for setting up a plant in the USA has been postponed.
- Future PSA models will be based on two specific platforms: platform CMP1 for segment A-B models and platform EMP2 for segment C-D-E models. The agreement with Fiat over small utility vehicles (Bipper, Nemo) will end in 2016. PSA is counting on a 15% growth in its sales between now and 2021. In 2015, the manufacturer sold 2.97 million vehicles, which means it would have to sell 3.5 million in 2021.
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Ford plans to build a new assembly plant in Mexico
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Ford plans to build a new assembly plant in Mexico
- The Ford Group is currently the sixth biggest in the world, after Toyota, Volkswagen, General-Motors, Renault-Nissan and Hyundai-Kia. It produced 6.2 million vehicles in 2015 (compared to 6.0 million in 2014), representing an increase of 3.7% on the previous year.
- The Ford group has benefited mainly from the growth of the American market (an 8% increase of its production in the USA), the European market (a 9% increase of its production in Germany, a 13.5% increase of its production in Spain, a 22.5% increase of its production in Turkey) and in the Chinese market (an 8% increase of its production in China). Its production in India has also grown (+13.7%), thanks to the Ecosport.
- Mexico is the fourth biggest producer country for Ford, after the USA, China and Germany. The American manufacturer currently has two factories there: Cuantitlan, which produces the Fiesta (105 000 vehicles in 2015) and Hermosillo, which produces the Fusion (328 000 vehicles in 2015). Ford has decided to build a third factory there (in the San Luis Potosi region). This factory is due to become operational in 2018. Its capacity of 150 000 vehicles a year could eventually be doubled.
- The factory will produce compact models primarily for the North American market. According to Inovev, this could be the future generation of the Focus, the Escort model currently sold in China, or the future generation of the Ecosport.
- Last year Ford produced 814 000 Focuses (238 000 in the United States, 252 000 in China and 272 000 in Germany), 214 000 Escorts (exclusively in China) and 230 000 Ecosports (120 000 in India and 60 000 in China).
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