New Honda Accord aims to take over sedan customers of Ford and Chevrolet in the U.S market
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New Honda Accord aims to take over sedan customers of Ford and Chevrolet in the U.S market
- The Chevrolet Malibu and Ford Fusion midsize sedans have traditionally been among the top 10 in the U.S. Their design has always been consensus-driven to appeal the mass market, unlike other American car brands whose designs have been more sophisticated or even aggressive. But the Chevrolet and Ford sedans eventually disappeared before the Chevrolet Malibu went back into production in November 2021.
- Their Japanese counterparts, the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, benefited only slightly from the decline of the Chevrolet and Ford sedans. The new Honda Accord, unveiled this month, has a sleek, consensual design that could have come from Chevrolet or Ford. The previous Honda Accord was far less consensus-oriented.
- So we might think that Honda wants to take back Chevrolet and Ford customers, but that goal will be hard to achieve as the share of sedans in the U.S. market continues to decline and SUVs continue to grow. By 2022, SUVs will account for 55% of the U.S. market, while sedans will account for only 20%. And these sedans will mainly come from Japan, Korea and Germany.
- In 2022, the two best-selling sedans in the U.S. market are the Toyota Camry (300,000 sales) and the Honda Accord (200,000 sales). The latter is counting on its new generation to come closer to the Camry. Inovev forecasts 250,000 sales of the new Accord.
Euro 7 standard: What the European Commission proposes and consequences
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Euro 7 standard: What the European Commission proposes and consequences
- While Euro standards regulating pollutant emissions from vehicles have typically been updated every 4 to 5 years, the current regulation, Euro 6, is almost 9 years old. According to the European Commission, the Euro 7 standard will now regulate pollutant emission limits for all types of vehicles, regardless of the type of drive (gasoline, diesel, hybrid, all-electric, etc.). So far, these are only proposals from the European Commission, which are currently being negotiated and are scheduled to come be applied on July 1, 2025. With these proposals, the European Commission aims to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 35%, brake particles by 27% and exhaust particles by 13% compared to the Euro 6 standard, while the cost increase for the consumer should only be between €90 and €150, according to the European Commission.
- What are the main evolutions of Euro 7 for passenger cars: For vehicles with internal combustion engines, the changes occur more in the measurement conditions than in the pollutant values. The emission values must remain the same after 10 years and 200,000 kilometers of use. Brake and tire emission standards have been introduced for all vehicle types (internal combustion and electric): Particulates from brakes and microplastics from tires. For BEVs, specific battery capacity durability standards were also introduced: 80% of original capacity after 5 years (or 100,000 km) and 70% of original capacity after 8 years (or 160,000 km).
- What do the Euro 7 standards mean for carmakers? The question for them is what objective new standards will serve, given their commitment to launch only electric vehicles in Europe from 2030 (for most of them) and the fact that the CO2 regulation for 2035 will confirm the end of internal combustion vehicles in Europe anyway. However, some brands will continue to produce internal combustion engines on a large scale for countries that have not legislated strict laws to switch to electric vehicles. From the European Commission's perspective, however, there is a long period between now and 2035 during which the automotive industry will need to improve emissions reductions from its vehicles, including BEVs. It is also not certain whether carmakers will be able to achieve their goal of selling only BEVs after 2030, or whether the European Commission will actually be able to really apply the CO2 regulation from 2035.
- What consequences for the European market in terms of motorization? The Euro 7 standards themselves are not dramatically more restrictive compared to Euro 6, but the test conditions are. So the question is, will today's mass-produced, purely combustion-powered vehicles be able to meet these future standards, or will only electrified powertrains be able to do so? Will it be necessary to equip all internal combustion engine vehicles with 48V mild hybrid technology? Will this standard favor PHEVs and HEVs more, even temporarily before the introduction of the CO2 regulation in 2035?
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Production in Asia rises sharply in 9 months 2022
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Production in Asia rises sharply in 9 months 2022
- While production in Europe declined by 6% from January to September, global production continued to rise. In addition to the NAFTA region (USA, Mexico, Canada), whose production increased by 12% year-on-year, it is several Asian countries that are pulling up global production in 2022.
- China, despite its strict Covid 19 policy and related economic problems, produced over 1.3 million more vehicles in the first three quarters of 2022 than in 2021, an increase of 7.6%. Other Asian countries such as Malaysia (+67%), Iran (+62%), Uzbekistan (+41%), Indonesia (+33%), and Kazakhstan (+30%) show even more impressive production figures. It should be mentioned that production in some Asian countries is still at a low level and that these countries usually produce only for their respective regional markets, which, however, have enormous potential with a low level of motorization and a growing economic output.
- India is now the fourth largest country in terms of automotive production, with 4.5 million vehicles in nine months, an increase of 26%. With the new manufacturer VinFast in Vietnam, another Asian country could become an important production location.
The only Asian country whose production volume declined in the nine months to 2022 was Japan, down 3.3%. However, it remains the most important Asian production location after China. South Korea recorded a moderate increase of +4.5%.
The only Asian country whose production volume declined in the nine months to 2022 was Japan, down 3.3%. However, it remains the most important Asian production location after China. South Korea recorded a moderate increase of +4.5%.
- The Asian countries continue to benefit from strong consumer demand, appear to be less affected by logistical problems (as they have easier access to raw materials, especially those for the production of batteries, and to semiconductors), and the war in Ukraine and all its economic side effects appear to have less impact on Asia.
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Volvo/Polestar and Jaguar/Land Rover models in the NAFTA zone 2022-2026
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Volvo/Polestar and Jaguar/Land Rover models in the NAFTA zone 2022-2026
- Volvo, the Swedish brand of the Chinese group Geely, will launch the facelifted XC40, S60 and V60 Cross Country models on the North American market before the end of 2022. In the second half of 2023, a large but as yet unnamed crossover is to appear there. In 2024, a re-designed S90 is scheduled to be marketed on the North American market. In 2025, Volvo plans to market an as-yet-unnamed electric midsize crossover as well as the redesigned S60 and V60 models in North America. Then in 2026, an as-yet-unnamed more compact electric crossover and the new XC40 and C40 models are scheduled to appear there.
- Polestar, a joint venture of Volvo and Geely, aims to release its new Model 3 in North America before the end of the first half of 2023. Models 4 and 5 should then follow in 2024. In 2026, Polestar could release a roadster in North America.
- Jaguar, owned by India's Tata Group, currently plans to release only two electric SUVs in North America in 2025.
- Landrover, also owned by the Tata Group, recently released the redesigned Range Rover Sport in North America. Then, in the second half of 2023, the Range Rover Evoque is scheduled to be redesigned. New electric versions of the Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and other as-yet-unknown PHEV and BEV models are then scheduled for release in North America in 2024. The Discovery is also to be redesigned. In 2025, an all-electric version of the Defender and a redesigned Discovery Sport could then hit the North American market.
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European production falls in 9 months 2022
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European production falls in 9 months 2022
- From January to September 2022, production in Europe decreased by 6% compared with the same period of the previous year, while global production increased by 6%. This decline corresponds to around 563,000 less vehicles produced. The decline in production was particularly sharp in Western Europe (Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden), where it reached 7.6%, while in Eastern Europe (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia) it was only 1.4%. In the case of light utility vehicles (LUV), the decline in production was 17.6%, while European passenger car production declined by just under 5%.
- In Eastern Europe, production in Serbia (-66%) and Slovenia (-42%) in particular dropped sharply due to the end of the Fiat 500L (produced in Serbia) and the phasing out of the Smart Forfour (produced in Slovenia). The losses were offset by Romania, which was the only Eastern European country to record an increase (+23%) in production thanks to the production of the Dacia Jogger.
- In Western Europe, production decreased particularly sharply in Finland (-26%), Belgium (-26%) and Portugal (-23%) in the first nine months of 2022. But even major production locations such as Spain (-20%), Italy (-16%) and France (-14%) cannot offer the same production volume as in 2021. Germany is the only country in Western Europe to record a slight increase in production (+4.1%).
- Lower consumer demand, war in Ukraine and loss of several suppliers, problems with the supply of semiconductors, and inflation, which led to a 9.7% drop in demand in Europe in the nine months to 2022, are reasons why only two European countries are recording an increase in production, while production volumes are declining in all other countries.
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