The Chinese Aiways and Weltmeister may stop their activity
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The Chinese Aiways and Weltmeister may stop their activity
- There is a lot of discussion about the creation of new Chinese brands and the decline in the market share of foreign carmakers in China, but little is said about the disappearance or bankruptcy of Chinese brands. The brands Zhidou, Dorcen, Lifan, Zotye, Borgward have, however, effectively disappeared in recent years and today we learn that Weltmeister and Aiways may disappear in their turn over the coming weeks or even months, due to sales volumes too weak. Most of the Weltmeister models have already disappeared. In recent months, sales have fallen to zero.
- So, not all Chinese carmakers are as competitive as you might think. Some find it difficult to sell their cars in the Chinese market. Exporting is even more difficult. The most fragile are those who are not backed by large, powerful groups. The multiplication of the number of brands within the different Chinese groups has indeed made it difficult for certain independent brands to survive. Some took advantage of subsidies granted by the Chinese government to create a range of battery electric vehicles, but not all of them are strong enough to last over time. Even today, some recent brands have less than a year old of existence and there is no guarantee that they will still be alive in four or five years.
- Nothing is set in the Chinese automobile industry. Strong carmakers will remain, such as BYD, Changan, Geely, Chery, Great Wall, SAIC, FAW, GAC and Dongfeng. But nothing is certain for brands like Jiangling, Leapmotor, Li Auto, Seres, Shineray, X-Peng and even NIO despite the very ambitious speeches of its leaders.
Inovev forecasts 75,000 units per year of the new BMW X2 SUV
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Inovev forecasts 75,000 units per year of the new BMW X2 SUV
-A year after the launch of the third generation of its C-segment SUV, the X1, BMW has unveiled the new generation of its C-segment coupe SUV, the X2 (code U10). In BMW's coupe SUV range, the X2 sits below the X4 (D-segment coupe SUV) and X6 (E-segment coupe SUV), the even numbers corresponding to the Bavarian carmaker's coupe SUVs. Odd numbers correspond to standard SUVs, such as the X1, X3, X5 and X7.
-The new X2 will try to boost the sales of a model which has never been really successful since its first debut in 2017. Sales volumes has never exceeded 82 000 units (in 2019) when the X1 has often come close to 190,000 units annually. In 2023, the X2 drops to 32,000 units while the X1 will be close to 150,000 units (Inovev 12-months estimates).
-Based on the UKL platform, the new X2 will be equipped with gasoline engines (2.0 liters of 170 hp) and diesel (2.0 liters of 150 or 190 hp), alongside a BEV version (230 kW-313 hp), named iX2, with a weight closed to 2 tones. BMW has given up on offering a plug-in hybrid version on this model, unlike the previous generation of the X2. Compared to the old X2, the new one is 20 centimeters longer (4.55 m) and is 5 centimeters taller (1.58 m).
-The BMW X2 competes with the Audi Q3 Sportback (for the X2), Audi Q4 E-Tron Sportback (for the iX2), Mercedes GLA (for the Burst (for the X2), the Mercedes EQA (for the iX2), and even the Renault Rafale (for the X2).
-The BMW X2 will be produced at the Regensburg site (Germany) at a rate of 75,000 units per year according to Inovev.
Tesla leader of the French BEV market ahead of Peugeot and Renault
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Tesla leader of the French BEV market ahead of Peugeot and Renault
-France bought 223,031 battery electric vehicles (BEV) over the first 9 months of 2023, compared to 149,397 units over the first 9 months of 2022, which represents an increase of 49% over the period, but remains at a relatively low level of market share (BEV = 17% of the French market over the first 9 months of 2023).
-The best-selling model in this category is the Tesla Model Y. This model was sold at 27,458 units over the first 9 months of 2023, ahead of the Dacia Spring (21,217 units), Peugeot e-208 (21,062 units), Fiat 500e (17,785 units) and Renault Megane (12,818 units). These five models alone represent 45% of all BEV sales in France over the first 9 months of 2023. The French BEV market is more concentrated than in Germany and we note that small models are the well represented (apart from the Tesla Model Y) which differentiates this market from the German market.
-We notice that the Fiat 500e is in the middle of the five best BEV sales as in Germany. The new Citroën C3, priced close to that of the Dacia Spring, will try to be among the five best BEVs in France in 2024 or 2025. We also note the absence in the top 20 BEVs of models from German Premium brands (Audi , BMW, Mercedes) and only one Volkswagen (the ID3), undoubtedly due to excessively high prices.
-By brand, the French BEV market is dominated by Tesla (18% of the BEV market). Behind are the French brands Peugeot, Renault, Dacia. Citroën is eighth. The Chinese MG already occupies 8% of the French BEV market.
Tesla will double its production capacity in Grünheide (Germany)
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Tesla will double its production capacity in Grünheide (Germany)
-Tesla wants to double the capacity of its production plant near Berlin from 500,000 to one million electric vehicles a year, which would make it the Europe largest car plant at a time when German carmakers are struggling to keep pace with the transition to battery electric vehicles.
-The Californian carmaker said it wanted to add capacity to build other models in the plant but did not specify which ones (probably the Model 3 and the future Model 2?). Tesla is also looking to double its battery cell production capacity, to 100 GWh per year, according to internal documents.
-These capacity increases by Tesla will be achieved through the expansion of its Grünheide factory in Germany. As revealed in a statement from the Brandenburg Ministry of the Environment, public participation in the approval process for the expansion will begin on July 19, 2023.
-In March 2023, Tesla submitted the first application for the expansion. We already knew that Tesla wanted to increase its production capacity at this factory from 500,000 units currently to one million electric cars per year in the future. This time, the announcement is official. As the German ministry announced, the expansion will also be accompanied by “an increase in battery production capacity from 50 GWh currently to 100 GWh per year in the medium term”.
The Tesla Model Y leads the German BEV market over 9 months 2023
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The Tesla Model Y leads the German BEV market over 9 months 2023
-Germany bought 383,988 battery electric vehicles (BEV) over the first 9 months of 2023, compared to 270,130 units over the first 9 months of 2022, which represents an increase of 42% over the period, but remains at a relatively low market share (BEV = 18% of the German market over the first 9 months of 2023).
-The best-selling model in this category is the Tesla Model Y which almost doubles its sales year on year, helped by its local production near Berlin. This model sold at 38,608 units over the first 9 months of 2023, is well ahead of the VW ID3 (17,995 units), Fiat 500e (16,117 units), VW ID4 (14,677 units) and VW ID5 (14 676 units). However, these five models only represent 27% of all BEV sales in Germany over the first 9 months of 2023, which means that this market is extremely fragmented.
-We note that the Fiat 500e is included in the middle of the best sold models on German territory, which means that Volkswagen is currently missing a small electric model under the ID3 and ID4, this one being planned for 2025. This will be the ID2. We also note the absence in the top 20 BEVs of models from the French brands Renault, Peugeot and Citroën. Only the Dacia Spring represents the French automobile industry thanks to its low price which attracts a small segment of German customers.
-By brand, the German BEV market is dominated by Volkswagen (14% of the BEV market) and Tesla (13% of the BEV market) which are well ahead of Premium carmakers as Mercedes, BMW and Audi (between 6% and 7% each). The Chinese MG is making a spectacular entry in 2023, already occupying 3% of the German BEV market.
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