European plants are the ones with the highest utilization rates
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European plants are the ones with the highest utilization rates
- Into all of the 100 European car plants, around 20 will have very high capacity utilization rates (standard definition of capacity enabling utilization rates to be higher than 100%) in 2016 (superior or equal to 100%). This is due to the fact that the European market has experienced strong growth since 2015, premium carmakers are experiencing even stronger growth, no carmaker has built new plants in this region in 2016, and even some carmakers (Opel, Ford) have closed plants in the last two years.
- Into the 21 European factories with a utilization rate equal to or greater than 100% of their capacity in 2016, 8 belong to premium carmakers. Mercedes, which became this year the first premium carmaker in terms of product volume, has 4 saturated plants, plus Valmet in Finland which manufactures its models. The transfer of part of the C-Class to the USA was not sufficient., The carmaker will increase its capacity at Kecskemét and release capacity in Düsseldorf (departure of Crafter to a VW plant located in Poland). Land Rover has a saturated plant in Solihull. It will release capacity by transferring production of the Jaguar XE from Solihull to Castle Bromwich and complete the construction of its plant in Slovakia.
- General carmakers Renault and Volkswagen also have saturated plants (5 plants for the first and 3 for the second), as their European production increased significantly in 2016. If the European market is still progressing in 2017, these two carmakers will need to increase their capacity.
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Production achievements: China 10 months 2016 and forecast 2017
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Production achievements: China 10 months 2016 and forecast 2017
- Chinese automotive production (PC + UV) continues to be the locomotive of the global automotive industry, and even strengthens its position, with an increase of 14.9% over the first 10 months of 2016 compared to the first 10 months of 2015 (+ 13.9% over 10 months). This strong growth is in particular a consequence of local measures concerning small and compact cars (tax reduction on these vehicles) which boosted the domestic market (+ 13.9% over 10 months). China thus accounts for 28% of world production in 2016, compared with only 27% in 2015.
- When analyzing the growth in vehicle sales in China, the market began to grow strongly from March 2016 (after a chaotic period between February 2015 and February 2016). The increase continued until September 2016 (+ 26.6%) and is now tending to return to lower growth (+ 19.3% in October 2016).
- The tax reduction measures for small and compact cars will be partially renewed in 2017. Consequently Inovev expects in 2017 a production increasing by 5% to 27,8 million vehicles.
- By carmaker, the VW group positioned itself again ahead of the GM group in 2016 (3.7 million units against 3.5 million), Hyundai-Kia (1.6 million), Changan (1.2 million), Renault-Nissan (1.1 million), Honda (1.1 million), Toyota (1 million), Ford (0.85 million), Great Wall (0.85 million) and Geely (0.7 million).
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Porsche wants to sell 20,000 electric cars every year from 2020
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Porsche wants to sell 20,000 electric cars every year from 2020
- German sports carmaker Porsche, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen group, has announced its plan to sell 20,000 electric cars each year from 2020, i.e. nearly 10% of its total sales. The first model of this type will be marketed in 2019. It will be sourced from the concept Mission E (E as Electrical) unveiled in 2016.
- The Mission E presents itself as a 4-door sedan inspired by the style of the Porsche Panamera limousine. It is built on Volkswagen Group's new electric car platform (MEB).
- Mission E will thus be the seventh model of the brand in the catalog in 2020, since the firm announced not wanting to launch any SUV smaller than the current Macan, nor sedan more compact than Mission E, nor coupé or convertible smaller than the current Boxster and Cayman.
- The Porsche catalog of 2020 will consist of 911 (coupés and convertibles), Boxster, Cayman, SUV Macan and Cayenne, the Panamera limousine and Mission E. Like the 911, Mission E will be manufactured on the Porsche site in Stuttgart . Macan, Cayenne and Panamera are manufactured on the Porsche site in Leipzig, and the Boxster and Cayman on the Osnabruck site (ex-Karmann factory).
- In 2016, Porsche will sell 225,000 cars worldwide, a volume equivalent to that of 2015. The new Panamera is expected to boost the brand's sales in 2017.
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Inovev expects a volume of 150,000 units per year for the Suzuki Ignis
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Inovev expects a volume of 150,000 units per year for the Suzuki Ignis
- Japanese carmaker Suzuki, the tenth largest carmaker in the world, behind PSA but ahead of BMW and Daimler, is marketing the new generation of the Ignis, which is positioned into its range between the Celerio and the Baleno. The first models of Ignis were sold last November in Europe.
- Like the two previously mentioned models, the Ignis is manufactured in India at Maruti-Suzuki. Inovev expects 150,000 Ignis produced each year into a total of nearly 1.6 million vehicles that the carmaker should produce in India in 2016. Suzuki currently manufactures about 15 different models in India on two large production sites (Manesar and Gurgaon). The model most produced in 2015 was Alto (Maruti 800), the brand's least expensive model (332,000 units of which 272,000 sold in India), followed by Dzire (243,000 units, of which 236,000 sold in India) , Swift (223,000 units, of which 207,000 were sold in India) and Wagon R (171,000 units, including 170,000 sold in India).
- Conversely to what was originally announced, the Ignis is available either with a petrol engine 1.2l or with a hybrid engine (mild hybrid) based on the 1.2l petrol engine. These engines are actually the same engines as the ones used on Suzuki Baleno from which it borrows the platform. The Ignis is nevertheless shorter by about 30 centimeters, or 3.70m, which makes it integrate the A-segment and not the B-segment.
- Its direct competitor is the Fiat Panda 4x4.
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Inovev expects a volume of 100,000 units per year for the Opel Insignia
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Inovev expects a volume of 100,000 units per year for the Opel Insignia
- Opel unveiled the second generation of its D-segment sedan, the Insignia.
The first generation of the Insignia replaced the Vectra in 2008. After an eight-year career, it is now disappearing at the benefit of a model that goes upper in the range in order to better fight the recent D-segment sedan vehicles of European generalists: VW Passat (launched in 2014), Ford Mondeo (launched in 2014) and Renault Talisman (launched in 2015). Older, the Peugeot 508 (launched in 2010) and Citroën C5 (launched in 2008) will be replaced in 2018. Fiat for its part has abandoned this segment of the market for a decade.
The first generation of the Insignia replaced the Vectra in 2008. After an eight-year career, it is now disappearing at the benefit of a model that goes upper in the range in order to better fight the recent D-segment sedan vehicles of European generalists: VW Passat (launched in 2014), Ford Mondeo (launched in 2014) and Renault Talisman (launched in 2015). Older, the Peugeot 508 (launched in 2010) and Citroën C5 (launched in 2008) will be replaced in 2018. Fiat for its part has abandoned this segment of the market for a decade.
- The new Opel Insignia is longer than before (+ 5cm), at 489cm, and lower (-3cm), at 147cm. Its width does not change (186cm). This new generation will only be available in 5-door and station wagon version, the 4-door version being eliminated. It is announced as lighter by 175kg (including 60kg on the body in white) than the former generation. It should receive two petrol engines (1.5l and 2.0l developing from 140hp to 250hp) and two diesel engines (1.6l and 2.0l developing from 110hp to 170hp).
- General-purpose D-segment sedans have lost a lot of influence over the past decade, as sales of Premium D-segment sedans and SUVs of all brands have grown.
- Inovev therefore does not foresee a strong relaunch of sales of the Insignia, and expects a little more than 100,000 sales per year in total.
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