Production of Fiat Ducato and rebranded versions takes place at two sites in Europe
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Production of Fiat Ducato and rebranded versions takes place at two sites in Europe
- The first Fiat Ducato (light utility vehicle in the N1-3 segment) was born in 1981. Following an agreement with the French group PSA Peugeot-Citroën for the creation of the joint company Sevel (Société Européenne de VéhiculesLégers), the Ducato was released in under Peugeot (Boxer) and Citroën (Jumper) versions from that time. All three models were produced at the Sevel Sud plant located in Atessa, in the Sangro Valley (Val di Sangro in Italian) at the foot of Abruzzo. The Opel version (Movano) arrived in 2021, after the acquisition of Opel by PSA. Finally, the Toyota version (ProAce Max) arrived in 2024.
- Sevel Sud - Val di Sangro plant has a production capacity of 260,000 vehicles per year. However, since the five models mentioned above sold nearly 300,000 units in 2024 (289,000 units to be exact), another production site had to be found capable of producing some of these vans. A former Opel site in Poland (Gliwice) had been nearly closed since the Opel Astra was discontinued in 2021. This is where the assembly lines for the N1-3 segment vans, which could not be assembled at the Val di Sangro site. The Gliwice site has a production capacity of 100,000 vehicles per year.
- In 2024, this plant produced 96,000 vehicles, including 24,000 Citroën Jumper, 24,000 Peugeot Boxer, 24,000 Fiat Ducato and 24,000 Opel Movano, while the Sevel Sud - Val di Sangro plant produced 193,000 vehicles, including 116,000 Fiat Ducato, 39,000 Peugeot Boxer, 38,000 Citroën Jumper. In total, this model family remains one of the most popular among light utility vehicles sold in Europe , along with the Ford Transit and Transit Custom produced in Turkey. The Fiat Ducato remains the best-selling (140,000 units in 2024), ahead of the Peugeot Boxer (63,000 units) and Citroën Jumper (62,000 units).
The CLA will become Mercedes' entry-level model
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The CLA will become Mercedes' entry-level model
- Mercedes has announced its product plan for 2025-2027. Facing a demand that is not achieving their objectives, the brand has decided to postpone the end of internal combustion engines by five years (from 2030 to 2035) and therefore continue to offer a range of internal combustion and electric vehicles.
- In 2025 , Mercedes will launch the CLA sedan based on the new MMA platform. The model moves from the C-segment to the D-segment due to revised dimensions, the model now exceeds 4.72 m long by 1.85 m wide and 1.47 m high. This sedan will be available in a micro-hybrid thermal version (MHEV) and in a battery electric version (BEV). It will replace the previous generation CLA but also the A-Class and B-Class discontinued in 2026. It will therefore become the new entry-level model of the brand.
- In 2026, Mercedes will launch the new generations of the GLA and GLB SUVs based on the MMA platform. The Mercedes C-Class will be facelifted and will be available in a new all-electric version. The S-Class, GLC, GLE, and GLS will also be facelifted. The GLC SUV will take advantage of this facelift to be available in a all-electric version in addition to its combustion engine version. Also in 2026, Mercedes will renew its V-Class (MPV) and Vito (van) ranges, inspired by the concept car presented at the 2025 Shanghai Motor Show.
- In 2027, the E-Class, CLE and SL will be facelifted. A new SUV will be launched, inspired by the G-Class but with more compact dimensions, somewhat reminiscent of the old Mercedes GLK marketed from 2007 to 2015.
Target of 400,000 vehicles produced by Renault in Douai by 2030 – Difficult to achieve
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Target of 400,000 vehicles produced by Renault in Douai by 2030 – Difficult to achieve
- The Renault plant in Douai (Hauts de France) is now dedicated to the production of battery electric vehicles.
- Two years ago, Renault announced an ambitious target of producing 400,000 electric cars at the Douai site by 2030. The production program then included the Renault Mégane E-Tech, the Renault Scénic E-Tech, as well as the future Renault 5 E-Tech, Alpine A290, and Nissan Micra EV, the latter two models being based on the Renault 5 E-Tech.
- In 2024, the Douai plant produced 89,921 electric cars (compared to 50,781 in 2023), including 30,260 Mégane E-Techs, 34,282 Scénic E-Techs and 25,379 R5 E-Techs. From 2023 to 2024, production increased by 40,000 units.
- At this rate, i.e. 40,000 more units produced each year, we should approach 330,000 units produced in 2030, a figure lower but relatively close to the target of 400,000 units produced.
- But is such a growth rate can be maintained? In fact, it seems difficult to sustain. The Mégane and Scénic are not expected to make significant progress after 2025. And only one new model is planned for 2026 to boost Douai production: the Nissan Micra EV. The Renault 5 E-Tech will therefore have the task of filling up to saturate the plant's activity. Given these factors, Inovev is counting on only 200,000 cars produced in Douai (all models combined) in 2030, half of the announced targets.
Renault to stop production of the Mercedes Citan / T Class
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Renault to stop production of the Mercedes Citan / T Class
- Following an agreement between Renault and Mercedes, the German carmaker was able to offer in its catalogue and at a lower cost a light utility vehicle in the N1-1 segment (category of Renault Kangoo, Citroën Berlingo, Peugeot Partner, Opel Combo, Fiat Doblo, Volkswagen Caddy, Ford Transit Connect) based on the Renault Kangoo and produced in the same Renault plant.
- The first Mercedes Citan was launched in 2012 based on the Kangoo II, the second in 2021 based on the Kangoo III. The first generation (W415) never managed to exceed 25,000 sales per year, with sales fluctuating between 20,000 and 24,000 units per year from 2013 to 2019. The second generation (W420) launched in 2021 was unable to significantly improve on these sales figures, as it peaked at 26,000 units in 2023 and 2024, and the figures for the first months of 2025 show no progress compared to 2024.
- Compared to the Renault Kangoo, produced in the same French plant in Maubeuge, the Mercedes Citan (and its passenger car version, the T-Class) sells for five times less, due to a higher price (even though it is the same model equipped with the same engines).
- A third twin model was added to the Renault Kangoo and Mercedes Citan in 2021, the Nissan Townstar , which uses the same body and engines of the Kangoo and Citan, whose sales volume is close to that of the Citan.
- For Mercedes, which has the Vito in the N1-2 segment (101,000 sales in 2024) and the Sprinter (219,000 sales in 2024) in the N1-3 segment, the sales volume of the Citan is too low to sustain the career of this model. The German carmaker has therefore decided to definitively stop its sales in May 2026 and its production will therefore cease at the Renault site in Maubeuge in spring 2026.
Toyota Group presents the Toyota BZ7 and Lexus ES
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Toyota Group presents the Toyota BZ7 and Lexus ES
Toyota and Lexus have unveiled their new E-segment sedans, the Toyota BZ7 and Lexus ES. They will be available in China from 2025 and in other global markets from 2026.
1. The Lexus ES continues the brand line of E-segment sedans derived from the Toyota Camry.
• The new generation now measures 5.14 m (+16 cm compared to the previous one) and its shapes are more fluid than in the past.
• Like the previous generation models, it will be available as a full hybrid (F-HEV). But, unlike the previous generation, it will be offered as a battery electric (BEV). No purely thermal version is available in either the previous or the new generation.
• The car weighs 1,840 kg for the 2.0 hybrid version, 1,940 kg for the 2.5 hybrid version and 2,240 kg for the electric version. Its platform is known as TNGA-GA-K.
2. The Toyota BZ7 is an E-segment sedan derived from the Lexus ES, which could anticipate the future Camry.
• But this new model is only offered in a battery electric version, which was never the case with the Camry .
• Designed on the TNGA-GA-K platform, it is the fifth battery electric model from the Toyota brand, after the BZ3, BZ3X, BZ4X and BZ5 (the BZ being sedans, the BZX being SUVs).
• Specially designed for the Chinese market, it was developed by Toyota and its Chinese partner GAC Group.
• It takes on the imposing dimensions and weight of the Lexus ES and aims to consolidate Toyota's position in the Chinese market.
Toyota sold 1,516,000 cars in China in 2024, down 13.4% from 2023. In the first quarter of 2025, Toyota reversed the trend by selling 320,000 cars in China, up 10% from the first quarter of 2024.