Cadillac, a final attempt to revive the American Premium

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Cadillac, a final attempt to revive the American Premium

- Within the GM group, Cadillac is the premium brand. Like Buick, it is very far from having regained its former prestige, but its establishment and development in China has paid off, since the brand has almost doubled its worldwide sales between 2005 and 2022, going from 239,000 to 426,000 vehicles last year.

- Today, 50% of the cars produced by Cadillac are made in China and 50% in North America, whereas in 2005 all of its production was carried out in North America.

- It is interesting to note that during the period of development of its production in China, the production of Cadillac in North America remained stable, around 200,000 units per year. In fact, the contribution of Chinese production (for local sales) has enabled the Cadillac brand to double its global distribution. It's a good performance, but the Buick brand had done even better by multiplying its sales by 5.5 thanks to its production in China.

- However, unlike Buick, Cadillac's production volume has not collapsed since 2016, but has remained stable. The gap between Buick and Cadillac has therefore narrowed significantly between 2016 and 2022, going from 4.3 to 1 in 2016 to 1.7 to 1 in 2022.

- As with Chevrolet and Buick, the Cadillac brand is gradually leaving the sedan market to focus on SUVs. Regarding the electric motorization, Cadillac seems better placed according to its premium positioning. However, its already marketed battery electric model, the Lyriq, does not meet a great success, whether in China or in the United States.

Auto production in Iran increasingly dependent on China

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Auto production in Iran increasingly dependent on China
- Automotive production in Iran is evolving like a roller coaster. It is directly impacted by Western economic sanctions which are softened and hardened regularly, without much logic for the uninitiated. But Iran finds the solution by sourcing from China, either to assemble Peugeot vehicles (not recognized by the parent company) which represent a large part of the Iranian car fleet, or to assemble Chinese vehicles of different brands. Chinese brands accounted for 11% of Iranian automotive production in 2022, constantly increasing, and this share is expected to increase further in the coming years, as in Europe and Russia for example.
 
- Over the past 20 years, Iranian automobile production reached a volume of 1.6 million vehicles in 2010 and 2011 before collapsing in 2012 and 2013 (650,000 vehicles). Iranian production then gradually increased to 1.5 million units in 2017, before falling again to 800,000 units in 2019 and 725,000 in 2020.

 

- In 2021, Iranian automobile production resumed its growth to reach 1.2 million units in 2022 and according to the figures recorded in the first quarter of 2023, Iranian automobile production should fall to 1 million units over the entire 2023 year, of which 51% assembled by the Iran Khodro company (including 36% of Peugeot vehicles not accounted by the Stellantis group) against 46% in 2022 and 31% assembled by the SAIPA company against 43% in 2022. Chinese carmakers, in strong growth, should represent 18% of Iranian automobile production in 2023, against 11% in 2022.
 

Inovev forecasts 100,000 units per year of the new Volvo EX30

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Inovev forecasts 100,000 units per year of the new Volvo EX30
- The Volvo carmaker (subsidiary of the Chinese group Geely) has just presented its new B-segment battery electric SUV, the EX30, which shares its platform with the Smart 01. This model expands downwards Volvo's products range. It is in a way the successor of the B segment Volvo C30 (2006-2013). This extension of the range comes at the right time as the carmaker suffered a 13% drop in sales in 2022, falling from 652,000 units in 2021 to 569,000 units last year, a volume which is very far from the objectives of the carmaker set at 1 million sales in 2030.
 
- The new EX30 SUV competes with battery electric versions of B-segment SUVs like the Peugeot 2008, Opel Mokka, Hyundai Kona, Kia Soul and of course Smart 01 on which the Volvo EX30 is based. This category should be enriched with new models in 2023-2024, such as the future battery electric Mini Countryman and Aceman, as well as the future battery electric Skoda small SUV. The future battery electric Renault 4 could also be a competitor of the Volvo EX30.
 
- The new Volvo SUV is 4.23m long, 1.84m wide and 1.55m high. Its weight reaches 1,830 kilos for the two-wheel-drive version (weight of the C30: 1,350 kilos) and 1,965 kilos for the four-wheel-drive version. The battery has a capacity of 51 kWh or 69 kWh, with the higher capacity being standard on the four-wheel-drive version. The price should be between 37,500 and 50,000 euros depending on the version. Note that this model will be produced in China (alongside the Smart 01), in the Geely factory in Ningbo (south of Shanghai). Inovev forecasts 100,000 sales per year of this new small Volvo SUV.

The thermal Peugeot 208 will be produced in Morocco and the electric e-208 in Spain

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The thermal Peugeot 208 will be produced in Morocco and the electric e-208 in Spain
- The thermal Peugeot 208s were produced until now in Slovakia (Trnava) and Morocco (Kenitra), the 100% electric Peugeot e-208s only in Slovakia (Trnava). From September 2023, the thermal Peugeot 208s will all be produced in Morocco (Kenitra) and the Peugeot e-208s will all be produced in Spain (Zaragoza). Production at the Trnava plant (Slovakia) will therefore be transferred to Kenitra (Morocco) for the thermal Peugeot 208s and transferred to Zaragoza (Spain) for the electric e-208s.
 
- Stellantis decided to produce the Peugeot e-208 in Zaragoza, because this plant already produces the battery electric Opel Corsa which is the twin sister of the Peugeot e-208. This transfer will be offset by the transfer of the Citroën C3 Aircross and Opel Crossland from Zaragoza to Trnava, a plant which will nevertheless continue to produce the Citroën C3 which was initially produced in Aulnay-sous-Bois, in France.
 
- Inovev has calculated what could represent in 2023 and 2024, the production of the Peugeot 208 and e-208 in Slovakia, Spain and Morocco:
 
- In 2023, 237,000 Peugeot 208s should still be produced in Europe and Morocco (compared to 241,000 in 2022) including 117,000 in Trnava (compared to 241,000 in 2022), 100,000 in Kenitra (compared to 69,000 in 2022) and 20,000 in Zaragoza (compared to 0 in 2022).
 
- In 2024, 225,000 Peugeot 208s should be produced in Europe and Morocco, including 160,000 in Kenitra and 65,000 in Zaragoza.
 
- The new generation of Peugeot 208 and e-208 should be launched in 2026 and produced in Zaragoza and Kenitra.

Inovev forecasts 50,000 units per year of the new Lexus LBX

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Inovev forecasts 50,000 units per year of the new Lexus LBX
- While most car carmakers prefer to embark on the manufacture of increasingly larger and more expensive models, with a view to higher profits, Lexus is exploring the B-segment SUV market with the launch of a new model, the LBX, placed in the carmaker's range under the UX (C-segment), NX (D-segment) and RX (E-segment) SUVs. The LBX model is launched in a context of a difficult previous year (-18% global sales in 2022).
 
- The LBX platform is shared with the Toyota Yaris Cross but modified, according to the carmaker, to bring more comfort, a specificity of the Lexus brand (Premium brand of the Toyota group). The model targets Premium B-segment SUVs, such as the DS3 Crossback, Audi Q2 or Mini Countryman.
 
- The LBX is equipped with a hybrid internal combustion engine (three-cylinder 1.5-litre petrol engine) producing 134 hp, 18 hp more than the Yaris Cross. It therefore does not compete directly the new Smart 01 (or Volvo EX30), a battery electric SUV. The front-wheel-drive version will be completed next year by a four-wheel-drive version.
 
- This is the first time that a Japanese Premium brand enters the SUV B-segment market, as in Europe for instance this market is quite limited. This strategy remains risky, especially if we take into account the fact that the LBX is not offered in a battery electric version, like the new Smart 01 or Volvo EX30. Inovev forecasts 50,000 units per year of this new Lexus model produced exclusively in Japan and which will be priced among the highest B-segment SUVs on the market.
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