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Published: 23 March 2022

• Production
• Russia
• Stellantis

Stellantis suspends activities at its Russian plant in Kaluga

- After trying to make the most of its Russian site in Kaluga for a dozen years, in which the production volume has always remained extremely low compared to forecasts and compared to the installed production capacity (125,000 vehicles per year including 62,500 for Stellantis and 62,500 for Mitsubishi), the Stellantis group decided to stop manufacturing vehicles in this plant. The production volume of the Kaluga plant had never reached 40,000 units on behalf of Stellantis and instead settled around 5,000 units per year on average, the best years having been the first years of activity (2011, 2012). The reason for the modest production was the low sales of Citroën and Peugeot models in the Russian market (all Kaluga production was intended for the Russian market). The addition of Opel models after the takeover of this brand by PSA brought almost nothing to the whole. The Kaluga plant therefore seemed doomed for several years, especially since Mitsubishi (a partner on this site) could withdraw at any time, due to its membership of the Renault-Nissan group, which already has vast production capacities in Russia. The project to manufacture new utilities on the Kalouga site has become null and void. These vehicles will ultimately be manufactured in Western Europe (Valenciennes, Vigo, Ellesmere Port).

- The Russian invasion in Ukraine is undoubtedly a good pretext for Stellantis to stop its (modest) activities on the Russian site of Kaluga. This decision is in line with the economic sanctions decreed by the European Union and the United States.

- In addition to stopping production in Kaluga, the Stellantis group has announced that it is suspending its import-export activity with Russia, which means that Stellantis is leaving the Russian market, as GM and Ford did several years ago.

    

 

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Published: 23 March 2022

• Production
• Volkswagen
• Germany

Inovev plans 50,000 then 100,000 units per year of the new Volkswagen ID Buzz

- Volkswagen continues to build its range of 100% electric vehicles on the MEB platform. Today, it is the model that will gradually replace the Kombi (VP) and Transporter (VUL) which are produced at the Hanover site and were the heirs of the first Volkswagen vans that appeared in the early 1950s on the basis of the ladybug.

- The new models available in VP (ID Buzz) and LCV (ID Buzz Cargo) versions will also be manufactured at the Hanover site, even though they share the platform with the ID3 and ID4 manufactured at the Zwickau site. As with all electric vehicles, production will increase gradually, with Inovev expecting 50,000 units per year from 2023 to 2026, then 100,000 units per year from 2026 to 2029, and finally 150,000 units per year from 2030. The Volkswagen ID Buzz comes in the form of a minivan with a plunging front, 4.72 m long and 1.99 m wide, i.e. dimensions comparable to those of the current Kombi certainly a little longer and a little narrower.

- The electric motor is located on the rear axle, like in the good old days of the first Kombi of the 1950s… The battery offers a capacity of 77 kWh which allows the model to travel 420 km without recharging according to the WLTP cycle.

- Next year, a long-wheelbase LCV version will have a more powerful 90 kWh to 95 kWh battery to carry more cargo. The different versions of the ID Buzz will gradually take over from thermal engine models (Kombi and Transporter) which have been losing ground since 2018.

    

 

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Read more... Inovev plans 50,000 then 100,000 units per year of the new Volkswagen ID Buzz

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Published: 23 March 2022

• Production
• Renault-Nissan-Avtovaz
• Spain

Inovev plans 115,000 units per year of the new Renault Austral

- The Renault Kadjar (C-segment SUV based on the Nissan Qashqai platform) was launched in 2015 to enter a rapidly growing market, that of C-segment SUVs. At the time, Peugeot offered a 3008 (2009-2016 ) at the end of his career and still inspired by the minivan concept (plunging front, hatchback silhouette) and Citroën had not yet put its C5 Aircross on the market. 2016 was the best year for the Kadjar, with 150,000 sales compared to 80,000 for the old Peugeot 3008.

- But the arrival of the new generation of the Peugeot 3008 in 2016 put a brake on the career of the Kadjar, which has continued to decline since. Its sales fell to 75,000 units in 2020 and then 40,000 in 2021.

- Renault has therefore decided to replace it in 2022 with an SUV that looks quite similar to the Peugeot 3008, which will be replaced in 2023 after reaching a production peak of 250,000 units in 2018 and 2019.

- The new Renault SUV renamed Austral comes in a classic line of 4.51 m long (+6 cm compared to the Kadjar) based on the CMF-CD platform and not on the CMF-EV dedicated to electric vehicles. This means that the new model keeps the 1.2-litre 3-cylinder petrol engines (but not diesel) in HEV-Mild and HEV-Full versions developing 130 hp, 140 hp, 160 hp or 200 hp depending on the version. No 100% electric version for the Austral, which should end its career in 2029.

- The Renault Austral will be manufactured on the Spanish site of Palencia where the Mégane and the Kadjar are manufactured. Inovev expects 115,000 units per year in Spain from 2023.

    

 

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Published: 23 March 2022

• Production
• Ford
• Germany
• Turkey
• Romania

Ford Europe 2022-2024 Product Plan

The American manufacturer Ford has unveiled its 2022-2024 product plan for Europe. Seven new 100% electric vehicles will be launched on this continent during this short period, Ford announcing that its European range will be 100% electric in 2030 in Europe. By this date, the manufacturer will offer an electric or plug-in hybrid variant of each of its models between 2025 and 2030. For models launched between 2022 and 2024, here is the schedule announced by the manufacturer:

- In 2023, Ford will launch its first electric vehicle on the Volkswagen group's MEB platform (following agreements between the two manufacturers). This vehicle will be a C-segment SUV manufactured at the Cologne site dedicated today to the production of the Ford Fiesta which is doomed to disappear. In 2024, the coupe version of this SUV will appear, still produced in Cologne.

- In 2024, the 100% electric version of the Puma (B-segment SUV) will also appear, which will be redesigned at the same time. This model will continue to be manufactured at the Craiova site in Romania. These three 100% electric SUVs will be accompanied in 2023 by two other 100% electric utility models derived from the Transit Custom and Transit Courier. These models will be supplemented by the VP (Tourneo) versions and will be produced at the Kocaeli site in Turkey. The Transit Connect will continue its career as a clone of the VW Caddy. No announcement has been made by Ford regarding the future of the Focus which may therefore not be replaced. On the other hand, the stop of Mondeo and Galaxy / S-Max is well confirmed. As for the Kuga, it is directly threatened by the arrival of C-segment SUVs scheduled for 2023 and 2024. Overall, Ford's European range will be reduced substantially. However, Ford expects 600,000 sales of its own electric vehicles in Europe from 2026.

    

 

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