2023 Munich Motor Show - SAIC wants to build an MG plant in Europe
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2023 Munich Motor Show - SAIC wants to build an MG plant in Europe
- The Chinese group SAIC, which is the largest automobile producer in China (nearly 5 million vehicles produced in 2022), assembles under license Volkswagens and cars from the GM group (Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac) and also produces the MG, Roewe and Maxus brands. As a reminder, these three brands are the last vestiges of the former British group MG-Rover and the light utility vehicle brand LDV which disappeared in 2005 and 2009 respectively.
- MG, a former British brand, has gradually become the best-selling Chinese brand in Europe. In 2022, 114,000 MG were sold in Europe compared to 53,000 in 2021 and 26,000 in 2020. The brand doubles its sales every year on this continent! In the first 6 months of 2023, MG sold 103,000 cars in Europe (including 40,000 in Great Britain), which suggests that the brand will easily exceed 200,000 sales over the whole year.
- It is in this context that SAIC decided to build an MG assembly plant in Europe, either in Great Britain (its historic country and the one that buys the most MGs in Europe) or in continental Europe.
- For SAIC, this decision makes it possible to support the growing commercial success of MG in Europe but also, in the event that the chosen site is located in the European Union, to by-pass potential barriers to the entry for battery electric vehicles (BEV) produced outside the European Union. SAIC's announcement is not an isolated case as BYD has indicated that it also wants to produce electric cars in Europe. Tesla also plans to build a second assembly plant in Europe, after the one in Berlin (Germany).
2023 Munich Motor Show - Inovev forecasts 75,000 units per year of the new Smart #3
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2023 Munich Motor Show - Inovev forecasts 75,000 units per year of the new Smart #3
- Smart (formerly subsidiary of Mercedes and now of the Mercedes-Geely 50-50 joint venture) has started producing in China (Ningbo) at Geely the new Smart #1 which is a battery electric four-door B-segment sedan of 4.27 m long, very different therefore from the battery electric Smart Fortwo two-door A-segment of 2.70 m long which nevertheless continues to be produced in France (Hambach) until April 2024. As for the battery electric Smart Forfour four 3.50m long A-segment doors, it ceased production in 2022, the Smart #1 can be considered as its replacement.
- At the 2023 Munich Motor Show, Smart will be present and will unveil its new #3, 4.44 m long, which places it in the C-segment. This model produced in China will undoubtedly be more suitable for the Chinese market, which prefers C and B-segment cars. On the other hand, in Europe, the B-segment is still very much in demand and competition is fierce in the C-segment, especially since the price of the Smart #3 should be quite high as the #1 fluctuates between 40,000 and 45,000 euros depending on the version. It will be necessary to count on prices between 45,000 and 50,000 euros in the best case. However, a Volkswagen ID4 is worth between 45,000 and 50,000 euros, and a Tesla Model 3 of the upper segment (D-segment) is worth between 42,000 and 50,000 euros. A Renault Megane E-Tech is priced at 38,000 euros in its basic version. As for Chinese carmakers, an MG 4 is worth 30,000 euros in its basic version.
- The mission of the Smart #3 will be to relaunch the brand's production, which fell to 43,000 units in 2022, compared to 145,000 in 2016 and 123,000 in 2019. Inovev forecasts 75,000 units per year of the new Smart #3 produced in China.
2023 Munich Motor Show - Inovev forecasts 15,000 units per year of the new Renault Rafale
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2023 Munich Motor Show - Inovev forecasts 15,000 units per year of the new Renault Rafale
- Renault is presenting its new D-segment Rafale coupé SUV at the 2023 Munich Motor Show. This model, inspired by the C-segment Renault Arkana, the success of which is undeniable (76,000 units sold in Europe in 2022 against 18,000 Kadjar), will attempt to repeat Arkana's commercial success at the top echelon.
- For this, the carmaker started from the base of the Renault Espace SUV, itself derived from the Austral SUV, to create a silhouette close to the Arkana and which is in line with the movement of the Mercedes GLC coupé, BMW X4 or Audi Q3 Sportback. It is true that coupé SUVs were initiated by Premium carmakers and these still represent the vast majority of coupé SUV sales today.
- Renault is very reckless to venture into this category because the chances of success of the Rafale remain very slim. Indeed, between a Premium brand coupe SUV and a Renault mainstream brand coupe SUV, the customer will almost always prefer the Premium brand. Renault is of course building on the success of the lower-segment Arkana, but can that success really be repeated on a higher-segment model? Nothing is less sure. Especially since the Safrane, Renault has never stood out in the top of the range.
- Inovev is counting on a sales volume of 15,000 copies per year of the Renault Rafale. It is produced at the Palencia site in Spain, alongside the Renault Austral (115,000 units per year) and Espace (25,000 units per year). The Rafale will be available in gasoline hybrid (200 hp) or plug-in gasoline hybrid (300 hp) but not in a battery electric version. We are talking about prices between 45,000 and 65,000 euros depending on the version and the engines.
2023 Munich Motor Show - Restyled Renault Clio
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2023 Munich Motor Show - Restyled Renault Clio
- Unlike the French brands of the Stellantis group (Peugeot, Citroën, DS), Renault will be present at the Munich 2023 motor show, which will be an opportunity for it to present several new products, such as the Espace, the Rafale, the Scenic-Tech , the facelifted Arkana and Clio.
- Will it be a profitable operation for Renault, which only sold 30,000 passenger cars in Germany in the first half of 2023, compared to 60,000 Fords, 67,000 Opels and 260,000. It is true that Renault sells more than Peugeot (23,000 units) or Citroën (20,000 units), but less than Hyundai (50,000 units) or Kia (35,000 units) or even Dacia (35,000 units).
- The Renault Clio receives a mid-life facelift in 2023 (it was launched in 2019) before being replaced in 2026. A new model with a combustion engine (like the current version) will indeed be launched in 2026 for customers who have remained loyal to combustion engines, in particular those residing in Turkey, Spain, Italy, Greece and in the countries of Eastern Europe, not very fond of electric cars.
- The facelifted Renault Clio of 2023 will already have a lot to do with competition from the Peugeot 208, the Citroën C3 and the Dacia Sandero which stole the show in Europe (114,000 sales in the first half of 2023 against 94,000 Clio). This competition has severely reduced the influence of the Clio, with its production volume in Europe falling from 600,000 units in 2006 to 200,000 in 2022.
2023 Munich Motor Show - Inovev forecasts 50,000 units in 2027 and 70,000 in 2030 of the new Renault Scénic E-Tech
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2023 Munich Motor Show - Inovev forecasts 50,000 units in 2027 and 70,000 in 2030 of the new Renault Scénic E-Tech
- Renault is gradually completing its battery electric range called E-Tech. After the Mégane E-Tech launched last year and the R5 E-Tech to be launched next year, here is the Scénic E-Tech presented at the 2023 Munich Motor Show which will be marketed in 2024.
- It is a C-segment SUV derived from the Mégane E-Tech (it is therefore no longer a minivan like the Scénics marketed from 1996 to 2023). It will therefore take over the CMF-EV platform dedicated to the Renault group's battery electric compact cars, as well as the electric motor and battery (with higher capacities version) of the Mégane E-Tech. The Mégane E-Tech Electric engine is available in two power ratings: 96 kW (130 hp) and 160 kW (218 hp). The battery has a capacity of 40 kWh (300 km range) or 60 kWh (450 km range). It may also have a bigger battery capacity (more than 85 kWh) in a top range version. The dimensions of the model are not yet known, but we can recall here the technical characteristics of the Mégane E-Tech that will be found on the Scénic E-Tech.
- Like the Megane E-Tech, the Scénic E-Tech will be produced on the French site of Douai (Hauts de France). Compared to the Mégane E-Tech, it will be a bit like the ID4 is to the ID3 at Volkswagen.
- This battery electric Renault Scénic will have to try to boost sales of a model which has seen its influence decline at high speed over the past twenty years, going from 350,000 units in 2005 to 150,000 in 2008, 100,000 in 2015 and 6,000 in 2022. Inovev expects production to be 50,000 units in 2027 and 70,000 in 2030. In 2022, Renault produced 46,722 units of its Mégane E-Tech in Douai, which roughly corresponds to the carmaker's objectives.
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