Volkswagen is the most impacted by the decreasing BEV market in Europe
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Volkswagen is the most impacted by the decreasing BEV market in Europe
- In a European BEV market falling by 11% in March 2024 compared to March 2023 (-3% for the overall market including all engine types) and increased by only 3.5% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the first quarter of 2023 (+5 % for the overall market ), which brands have been most impacted by the BEV slowdown at the start of the year?
- In the first quarter of 2024, we observe that 18 brands are facing sales decline in Europe (30 countries = EU + UK + Switzerland + Norway). The most impacted brand is Mini (-71%), due to the transition between the old Mini and the new Mini, but other brands such as Porsche, DS or Dacia, saw their sales drop by more than 45%. For Dacia, the transition between the old Spring and the new Spring seems problematic. For its part, VW lost its place as the second largest BEV carmaker in Europe due to a 36% drop in sales in the first quarter. Tesla retains its place as the leading BEV carmaker in Europe but loses 10% of its sales in the first quarter of 2024. Audi, Renault, Opel, Fiat have seen also their BEV sales decline.
- Which carmakers managed to increase their BEV sales in Europe in the first quarter of 2024? Jeep and Honda are among them but with very small quantities, also several Chinese carmakers like BYD, Xpeng, Leapmotor, DR (Chery), Ora (Great Wall), DFSK (Seres), JAC, but with very small quantities. The proof is that these carmakers together sell only half of what MG sells... The progress of Lucid, Lexus, Subaru and Toyota should also be put into perspective given the very low sales. On the other hand, BMW and Volvo are progressing and displaying relatively large quantities: these two brands take 2nd and 3rd place in the BEV sales ranking, behind Tesla and ahead of Volkswagen.
Inovev forecasts 40,000 units per year of the new Alfa-Romeo Junior
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Inovev forecasts 40,000 units per year of the new Alfa-Romeo Junior
- To complete its range in the lower segements, the Italian brand Alfa-Romeo (one of the 14 brands of the Stellantis group) presented the Junior (name of a former model of the brand), a B-segment SUV which in some way succeeds the Mito, the brand's only B-segment sedan, produced between 2008 and 2018 at 300,000 units.
- The Junior shares its STLA-Small platform (ex-CMP) with the B-segment models of the Stellantis group, such as the Peugeot 208, Peugeot 2008, Opel Corsa, Opel Mokka, DS 3, Fiat 600, Lancia Ypsilon or Jeep Avenger.
- The Alfa-Romeo Junior, which measures 4.17 m long, 1.78 m wide and 1.54 m high, competes with B-segment SUVs such as the Renault Captur, Nissan Juke, Ford Puma, Volkswagen Taigo, Volkswagen T-Cross, Skoda Kamiq and Toyota Yaris Cross, as well as B-segment SUVs from the Stellantis group (Peugeot 2008, Opel Mokka, DS 3, Fiat 600, Jeep Avenger).
- The Italian new model is equipped with two types of engines: a 1.2 MHEV petrol engine delivering 136 hp (100 kW) and a electric engine of 156 hp (115 kW) or 240 hp (177 kW) coupled with a battery delivering 54 kWh, for a range of 400 km. The choice between gasoline engine and electric motor will optimize the sales volumes of the Junior.
- This model will be assembled in Poland, in Tichy, alongside the Fiat 500, Fiat 600 and Jeep Avenger, at a rate of 40,000 units per year according to Inovev, including 75% in the gasoline version and 25% in the electric version. Its announced price is 31,500 euros in the gasoline version and 40,500 euros in the electric version. Alfa-Romeo has indicated that it will launch a new Stelvio SUV in 2025 and a new Giulia sedan in 2026.
Paris Motorshow 2022: NamX and Hopium
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Paris Motorshow 2022: NamX and Hopium
- Two young French companies, NamX and Hopium, will also be present at the Paris Motor Show to present their ideas on hydrogen vehicles.
- NamX, whose name stands for "New Automotive and Mobility Exploration", is a Franco-Moroccan company which, in collaboration with the Italian coachbuilder and designer Pininfarina, based near Turin, is developing an hydrogen SUV, named HUV. Its specificity is in its six modular and therefore interchangeable hydrogen tanks, which should allow it to travel up to 800 kilometres.
- The fuel cell must be able to power a 220 kW (300 hp) electric motor in the rear-wheel-drive version and two electric motors with a total output of 404 kW (550 hp) in the all-wheel-drive version. According to NamX, the HUV should be ready for commercialization in 2025, but it is not yet known whether mass production is planned and, if so, where it will be located.
- Hopium, founded by French racing driver Olivier Lombard, is headquartered in Paris and testing center in Linas, France. An engineering studio is located in Munich (Germany) and the software is developed in Los Angeles (USA). This young company has developed a very sporty sedan, the Machina, which will run on hydrogen. The fuel cell powers a 368 kW (500 hp) motor and should enable a range of 1,000 km and a top speed of 230 km/h. Also, refueling time should be only three minutes. We can expect the Machina to go on sale soon, as a price of €120,000 has already been communicated and the first 1,000 units have already been reserved.
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Jeep extend the thermal engine on its Avenger throughout Europe
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Jeep extend the thermal engine on its Avenger throughout Europe
- Stellantis had initially planned to market the Jeep Avenger only in a battery electric version except in Italy and Spain, two large European markets still reluctant to electric motorization. However, due to excessive low sales, the carmaker was forced to reconsidered his decision and has been marketing thermal versions of the Avenger with a gasoline engine since fall 2023 in all European countries.
- Since this period, sales of Jeep Avenger Europe (data on 30 countries: EU + United Kingdom + Norway + Switzerland) have increased from 3,500/4,500 units per month to 5,000/6,000 units per month and even 7 000 units in January 2024. Sales of the battery electric version remained stable at 1,000 units per month throughout 2023 except in December where the model recorded 2,000 sales, the month of December being a good sales month for BEV. In 2024, sales have fallen to 1,400 units per month on average in January-February-March.
- It is therefore on the side of the thermal versions that we can observe the sales growth. From 2,500 units per month in June-July-August 2023, sales increased to 4,000 in September (first month of the extension of thermal versions throughout Europe), 5,000 in October, 4,500 in November before falling back to 2,500 in December. The year 2024 started off auspiciously with 5,700 sales in January, 4,200 in February and 5,100 in March, or 5,000 per month on average.
- From March 2023 to March 2024, the thermal versions collected nearly 44,000 sales in Europe (75% of Avenger sales) and the battery electric versions 15,000 sales (25% of Avenger sales), or nearly 59,000 sales in total. The thermal versions have thus made it possible to really develop sales of the Avenger, more than if the carmaker had only marketed the electric versions.
Germany has lost its position as Europe's leading BEV market
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Germany has lost its position as Europe's leading BEV market
- As a result of the end of subsidies in Germany for the purchase of BEVs at the end of last year, this country has fallen behind the United Kingdom on the BEV market over the cumulative 3 months of 2024.
- The United Kingdom registered 84,314 BEVs over this period while Germany registered 81,337, just a little more than France (79,823 units). PHEV sales do not offset the losses on BEV sales as the United Kingdom registered 42,559 PHEVs during the first quarter of 2024 while Germany registered 44,985, which implies that the United Kingdom registered 126,873 plug-in vehicles (BEV+PHEV) while Germany registered 126,322.
- Certainly, the gap between the two countries is quite small – especially since the month of March is traditionally a important month in the United Kingdom in terms of registrations – but it is the first time since 2020 that Germany is no longer the European leader in sales of BEVs and plug-in vehicles (BEV+PHEV). However, we should wait for the results of the first 6 months of 2024 to see if this situation continues or if the first quarter of 2024 was just temporary.
- If we look at the overall market (all motorisation included), Germany and the United Kingdom were growing in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the first quarter of 2023, as the German market is growing by 4.2% over the period and the United Kingdom by 10.4%. The entire European market (31 countries) increased by 4.9% (France +5.7%, Italy +5.7%, Spain +3.1%, Poland +12.7%).
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