Cuba has liberated the automobile trade on its territory

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Cuba has liberated the automobile trade on its territory
 

- Cuba is an exception in the political and automobile world. Embargoed by the U.S. over the last fifty years, Cuba banned simultaneously the importation by individuals of foreign vehicles on its territory. Consequence: 120 000 to 150 000 cars (an estimated volume since there are no official figures ) are currently running in this country of 11 million inhabitants. Half of these cars are American cars of the 40s and 50s that were already present there before the 1959 Cuban revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power.


- Nevertheless there is also the presence of Russian cars (Lada) from the 70s and 80s , European cars (Skoda) from the 90s and 2000s, Chinese vehicles (Chery, Geely) from the 2000s imported by rental companies or administrations.


- Cuba does not yet have an automobile industry but this may change in coming years. A Chinese manufacturer (Geely) that is currently the sales leader in the country is planning to build a small factory there. Meanwhile, a decree was issued to formalize the liberalization of car trade in the country between individuals.


- A second hand Lada costs today about 10 000 dollars, despite an average salary of $20 per month , the importation of foreign vehicles however will only affect the wealthiest part of the population, but in the current economical climate the opening to international trade is already real step forwards. 


14-02-2  
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Geely could begin assembling SKD vehicles in Cuba

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Geely could begin assembling SKD vehicles in Cuba
 
- Geely is one of the Chinese manufacturers who successfully started to market cars in Cuba in the late 2000s, through leasing with companies and administrations. The manufacturer is now planning to build a SKD assembly plant (semi knock down) in Cuba. This structure is part of the expansion program of Geely in emerging countries, the latter plan to open 15 new assembly plants in the world in 2014-2015.

- Cuba is currently the largest market for Geely in the Caribbean and in Central America. The automaker has indeed sold 3 200 vehicles on the island in 2013, mostly CK models (small sedans). This model is since 2009 the best selling vehicle in Cuba.

- Today, the number of Geely brand cars present in Cuban rental companies is estimated at 80%, mainly CK sedan, and more rarely some EC7 and EC8.

- The Geely CK currently sold in Cuba does not come from China but from the Uruguayan plant opened by Geely in association with a local assembler in 2012. This plant is capable of assembling up to 20 000 cars per year. It provides the Uruguayan, but also Argentinian, Brazilian and Chilean markets. 40% of vehicle components produced locally are Uruguayan components and the goal is to gradually increase this proportion to 60% by 2015. 

14-02-3  
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The seven finalists of the Car of the Year 2014

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The seven finalists of the Car of the Year 2014
 
- In February 2014 will be held the fiftieth edition of the election of the Car of the Year, on the same basis as previous editions, namely a first selection made from all cars released during the previous twelve months, then the selection of seven to ten finalists vehicles through a first vote.

- Like each and every year the finalists for the Car of the Year competition were selected by all 58 EU members of the jury accredited for this award. The final election will be held in February 2014.

- In alphabetical order, the seven finalists cars acclaimed by the jury are:

- BMW i3, Citroën C4 Picasso II, Mazda 3, Mercedes S Class, Peugeot 308 II, Skoda Octavia III, Tesla Model S.

- By country, there are two French models, two German, one Japanese, one American and one Czech model.

- There are among the seven finalists two electric cars (BMW i3 segment B and Tesla Model S from segment F) and five combustion engine cars: three C segment hatchbacks (Mazda 3, Peugeot 308, Skoda Octavia) one minivan from segment C (Citroën C4 Picasso) and a limousine from segment F (Mercedes S Class). 

14-02-1  
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Renault hopes to quickly resume production in Iran

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Renault hopes to quickly resume production in Iran
 

- Renault hopes to resume quickly  its activities in Iran  after the effective lifting of sanctions against Tehran expected in January 2014.  The manufacturer states that it will anticipate the activity resumption in order to be operational as quickly as possible.


- Renault was an important player in the Iranian automotive market until it freeze its activities in July due to the tightening up of the embargo decided by the Americans. The French automaker sold 103,000 vehicles in Iran in 2012, most of these vehicles being produced in Iran (this volume represented 5% of the world production of Renault. The figures for 2013 are not yet known but they will likely be closer to 50,000 than 100,000.


- Vehicles manufactured in Iran until last summer were Tondars, cars derived from first generation of Dacia Logan which has been manufactured in Romania from 2004 to 2012.


- Even if Renault and PSA have stopped production in Iran, automobile demand in this country remains very important, since the fleet of 20 million cars is aging and composed mostly of old Paykan whose origins date back to the 60s, and the rate of motorization in Iran remains low ( 90 cars per 1 000 inhabitants , against more than 500 in Europe). This market has a potential of 1.5 to 2 million cars per year (equivalent to the Italian market). However it will not exceed 800,000 units in 2013
(against 1.6 million in 2011 and $ 1 million in 2012) due to the embargo.


13-50-10  
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Suzuki unveils its lightweight modular platform

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Suzuki unveils its lightweight modular platform
 
- Suzuki has developed a new lightweight modular platform for its compact cars, in the same way as Volkswagen, Renault -Nissan and PSA groups have made before.

- For several years, car manufacturers have attempted to reduce the weight of their models, in particular by downsizing the engines and developing lighter platforms that can be used on different segments ( A-B or C-D or D-E).

- For Suzuki, the problem was easier to solve since this manufacturer produces and sells almost exclusively small cars (segments A, B and Midget): more than two and a half million per year.

- The new platform for segments A and B will be unified and used on Suzuki models manufactured in the whole world. The concerned models are Alto , Splash, Swift, Wagon R and their Indian derivatives. Midget continue however to keep their specific platform since these models are smaller than other models of the brand.

- Given the failure of the C -segment model Suzuki Kizashi, the Japanese manufacturer will no longer produce this vehicle, based on a specific platform. Suzuki will therefore reduce the number of its global platforms from four to two, by using only one platform for A- and B-segment cars.

13-50-9  
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  2. The Ford plant in Valencia should double in volume in four years
  3. VW is considering producing future Crafter in Poland
  4. British car production is close behind the French production in 2013
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