Changan is going to implant itself in Iran and Russia

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Changan is going to implant itself in Iran and Russia

- The Chinese carmaker, Changan (which has gradually became the leading independent Chinese carmaker in front of Geely, Great Wall, BYD and Chery) plans to assemble vehicles in Iran and Russia, from small collections imported from China (CKD).


- 1/ Iran was chosen by Changan following the announcement of the Iranian authorities to accommodate new manufacturers on their territory. Changan plans to produce 50 000 vehicles per year in Iran. To achieve this goal, Changan has signed an agreement with the Iranian assembler SAIPA (SociétéAnonymeIranienne de Production Automobile, the second largest carmaker in Iran) on the vehicle assembly plant of the Iranian carmaker. SAIPA is the second Iranian manufacturer behind Iran Khodro. It has also worked for the Renault and Kia brands. The first models to be assembled by Changan CKD will be a segment C sedan, the Eado and a segment C SUV, the CS35.


- 2/ Russia was chosen because of the success of Chinese brands on this market (more than 100 000 sales in 2013), also, this market could become the first European market by 2017-2018. Changan plans to produce 100 000 vehicles per year in Russia. Changan has not yet chosen its site of implantation but this plant in Russia could emerge in two years.


- Several Chinese manufacturers are already operating in Russia, such as Lifan, Geely, Great Wall and Haima.


14-10-3  

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Ford will replace its E Series (LCV) by the Transit

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Ford will replace its E Series (LCV) by the Transit

- The Ford E-Series (Econoline) is a range of commercial vehicles of the American manufacturer marketed in North America since 1961 through four different generations and available in various wheelbases. This model is at least as famous in the United States as the Ford F-Series pickup, the most produced vehicle on the planet.

- In line with its new strategy of "global models", Ford will replace the E-Series utility family which has come to the end of its life cycle (like its rival the Chevrolet Express) by the Transit commercial range already sold in 120 foreign markets.

- The Transit ( high-volume) will replace the Ford E-Series model, while the Transit Connect (small volume) will replace the American Ford range of commercial vehicles, widening the range downwards. Both models will be marketed in the United States in the second half of 2014. The Transit Connect will be available with a 4-cylinder engine, while the Transit will be equipped with engines of 5 and 6 cylinders. These models will be produced in the U.S. plant of Lorain, the current production site of the E Series.

- Although the E-Series range has been one of the best selling ranges of Ford in the segment of light commercial vehicles, replacing it with the Transit is a calculated risk. Indeed, since its launch, the Transit has sold more than 7 million units worldwide. Regarding the E-Series range, it sold 125 000 units in North America in 2013. According to the manufacturer, the volume of Transit annual sales should settle in this region at 140 000 units per year.

14-10-4  

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Toyota unveils the Aygo its new city car

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Toyota unveils the Aygo its new city car

- Toyota has unveiled the second generation of its segment A city car, the Aygo, which will be produced as of the summer 2014 in the Toyota-PSA plant of Kolin in the Czech Republic, alongside the new Peugeot 108 and Citroën C1.


- Unlike the small Peugeot, Toyota will not change the name of its vehicle. The new Aygo replaces a model produced at more than 740 000 units between 2005 (launch date) and 2013, slightly less than the Peugeot 107 (790 000 units) and the Citroën C1 (760 000 units), over the same marketing period .


- Like the Peugeot 108 and Citroën C1, the Toyota Aygo will be produced in both a three-door and a five-door version, unlike its direct competitor the new Renault Twingo (only available in five-doors).


- The Aygo (unlike the 108 and C1) will only be available in a petrol version (3 cylinder 1.0 Genuine Toyota engine and 3-cylinder 1.2 Genuine PSA Peugeot-Citroën engine), following the general trend which aims to reduce the share of diesel engines in the segment of small cars (following the new European regulations on gas emissions).


- Inovev expects the production volume to reach nearly 100 000 units per year for the Toyota Aygo (three and five-door versions), a production volume similar to that of the 108 and C1. Let us recall that the Kolin plant has a current capacity of 340 000 vehicles per year.


14-10-1  

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Fiat-Chrysler unveils the Jeep Renegade (segment B)

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Fiat-Chrysler unveils the Jeep Renegade (segment B)

- The Fiat-Chrysler group (FCA) has unveiled a new small Jeep (segment B), whose name refers to an old model of the brand: The Renegade. This model wass the brands first car to be launched on the the world market. This was also the first Jeep to be produced in Europe, if we set aside the Jeep Willys manufactured under license in the 50s by the French company Hotchkiss and the Grand Cherokee made in the 90s by the Austrian Magna-Steyr.

- The new Renegade model is on the same segment as the Nissan Juke, Renault Captur, Peugeot 2008, Opel Mokka and Chevrolet Trax, i.e. the mini-SUV segment (segment B).

- Jeep has developed this model by tapping into Fiat’s  component bank, including the platform of the Fiat 500 which has already been used for the Fiat 500L and Fiat 500L Living. A "Fiat version" of the Renegade Jeep will also launched in a few months (Internally to the group it’s named the 500X).

- Both models (Jeep Renegade and Fiat 500X) will be manufactured in the common Fiat plant of Melfi, in southern Italy, where is currently manufactured the Fiat Punto, that seems to have an unsure future. The small Jeep expands the range of the manufacturer downwards while the Fiat 500X will replace the Sedici derived from the old Suzuki SX4. Fiat expects the production levels of the Renegade to reach 150 000 units per year (50 000 in Europe and 100 000 for the rest of the world), Inovev expects it will reach 120 000.

14-10-2  

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The Dacia Dokker offsets the low sales of the Renault Kangoo

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The Dacia Dokker offsets the low sales of the Renault Kangoo

- In Europe, between 2005 and 2013, registrations of light commercial vehicles (LCV) fell by nearly 35%. In this declining market, the small utility vehicle by Renault: the Kangoo, followed this trend with a decrease in registrations of nearly 34%. Launched in 2007, Kangoo sales started to rise again from 2010 (30%), but declined again as from 2012. This trend was the same for other LCV in the European market (VW Caddy, Peugeot Partner, Fiat Doblo ...).

- In 2012, another small utility vehicle has launched by the Renault-Nissan group, the Dacia Dokker. Following the positioning of the Romanian brand, the Dokker can be considered as the sole "Low price" vehicle of the LCV market in Europe.

- When one analyses the sale curves and production levels of the Dacia Dokker and Renault Kangoo, which are on the same segment (compact LCV) and on the same markets, we can see that the Dacia Dokker experienced strong growth, when at the same time sales of the Renault Kangoo declined. In 2013, for each Dokker sold 2 Kangoo vehicles were sold. It is undeniable that the price factor has been instrumental in the success of the Dokker against the Kangoo and against competitors models of other brands.

- However for the Renault-Nissan group, the arrival of the Dokker was profitable, since in 2013, the cumulative sales of the Dacia Dokker and the Renault Kangoo exceeded the sales volume of the Kangoo alone between 2009 and 2013. The Dokker provided additional customers for the Renault group, without denying that there may have been some product cannibalization between the Romanian model and the French model.

14-09-10  

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  1. Honda has stopped marketing its hybrid models in Europe
  2. The status of Chinese carmakers on the outskirts of Europe
  3. The Russian market could overtake the German market by 2017-2018
  4. Chery will start its production in its Brazilian plant in July 2014
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