The Chevrolet Malibu is the last American brand sedan to be produced in the USA in 2021
After the end of the Chevrolet Cruze, Chevrolet Impala, Ford Fusion and Ford Taurus, the Chevrolet Malibu becomes the last American sedan produced in the United States in 2021 (the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger being produced in Canada).

Mid-range, the Chevrolet Malibu (whose origins date back to the 1960s when it was named Chevelle) is the latest representative of American sedans in this category. It competes with the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Nissan Altima and Hyundai Sonata which still remain very present in the American market, because Asian carmakers do not practice the same strategy as GM, Ford and Chrysler, strategy which results in the removal of sedans of their production program in North America. And for good reason as the Asian carmakers are dominating this category in the USA.

In 2020, the Toyota Camry is the best-selling sedan with 294,348 sales in the US market, ahead of the Honda Accord (199,458 units), Nissan Altima (137,988 units), Chevrolet Malibu (102,651 units) and Hyundai Sonata (76,997 units).

The Chevrolet Malibu still represents a significant sales volume, even if the model had often exceeded 200,000 sales between 2007 and 2017, and even 300,000 sales in 2004. Back in time, the first generations of Malibu had exceeded the 400,000 sales in 1969, 1979, 1985 and 1986, long before the arrival of SUVs.

With the end of the Buick, Cadillac and Lincoln sedans, we can question ourselves if Chevrolet will continue to produce the Malibu in the United States, or if it will import it from Korea or even China where the model is also produced.


    
 

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The 2020 SUVs production ranking in the world
SUVs accounted for 36% of global automotive production in 2020, or 27.6 million units out of 77.1 million vehicles. Their market share is highest in the United States, Australia, Canada and China. The distribution over the top ten sales countries is as follows: 51% in the USA and Australia, 49% in Canada, 46% in China, 41% in Europe, 39% in Korea, 26% in India, 25% in Mexico , 24% in Brazil and 19% in Argentina.

SUVs are produced all over the world and there is no specialised countries unlike for the production of pick-ups (Thailand for the one ton, NAFTA for the big ones). In volume, they are mainly produced in China (9.4 million), in NAFTA (6.3 million), in Europe (5 million), in Japan (3 million units in 2020) and in Korea (2 million ).

Which SUV models were the most produced in 2020? The Toyota RAV4, renewed in 2018, is the most produced SUV in the world in 2020 (965,000 units), ahead of the Honda CRV (665,000), Volkswagen Tiguan (542,000), Nissan Rogue / X-Trail (451,000) , Hyundai Tucson (397,000), Chevrolet Equinox (345,000), Toyota Highlander (338,000), Mazda CX5 (335,000), Nissan Qashqai (331,000) and Mercedes GLC (320,000).

Japanese branded SUVs represent 7.5 million units in 2020, European branded SUVs also 7.5 million units, American 3.5 million and Korean 2.5 million, or 21 million in total out of 27.6 million, the rest being produced under Chinese and Indian brands.


    
 

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Iranian automobile production in 2020
Iranian automobile production (passenger cars and light utility vehicles) is dependent on economic sanctions introduced by Western countries and orchestrated by the United States. Thus, the sanctions introduced between 2010 and 2013 had caused Iranian automobile production to fall from 1.6 million vehicles in 2010 to 600,000 in 2013. Following an agreement between States, an easing of the sanctions allowed a stimulation of the Iranian automobile production, which increased from 600,000 units in 2013 to 1.4 million in 2017.

The return of the sanctions imposed by the Trump administration between 2017 and 2020, however, caused Iranian automobile production to fall again from 1.4 million units in 2017 to 680,000 in 2020. It is not yet clear what will be the position adopted by the Biden administration regarding the economic sanctions imposed against Iran.

Which carmakers in Iran have been successful in 2020? It is mainly carmakers already well established in the country, such as Iran Khodro, which has increased from 47% to 56% market share and SAIPA, which has stabilized its market share at 38%.

Chinese carmakers and Renault-Nissan, on the other hand, lost market share in a market itself in decline, with respectively 5% (against 10% in 2019) and 1% (against 4 % in 2019). The PSA group represented by Peugeot was forced to stop production of cars in  Iran, but Iran Khodro continued to produce Peugeot branded models in 2020 (using parts non approved by the French carmaker?).


    
 

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The South African market (PC + LUV) shrank by 29.7% in 2020
The South African automotive market for light vehicles (passenger cars – PCs and light utility vehicles - LUVs) fell by 29.7% in 2020. The registrations volume fell below the lowest level of the decade, meaning below the 2009 and 2010 levels, at the worst time of the financial crisis. It is true that since 2014, the South African market has continuously decreased in volume, dropping from 600,000 units in 2014 to 500,000 in 2019, and the Covid-19 crisis has only amplified the phenomenon as 2020 ended with a volume of 350,000 units.

SUVs represented 27% of the South African market in 2020, compared to 24% in 2019. Pick-ups represent almost as much sales as SUVs, with 23% market share in 2020 compared to 22% in 2019. Totally, SUVs and pickups represent 50% of the South African market in 2020 against 47% in 2019, which is a proportion close to what we can see on the North American and Australian markets.

By carmaker, the Toyota group remains the leader of the South African market (in particular thanks to its Hilux pick-up, one of the best-selling pick-ups on the African region), with 23.7% of the market share, despite a 30.7% drop in registrations. Next are the Volkswagen groups (17.9% market share; -28.8%), Renault-Nissan (11.2% market share; -44.4%), Hyundai-Kia (10.5% market share; -19%) and Ford (9.3% market share; -30.7%). The GM group has completely disappeared from the South African market, as it has disappeared from the Australian and New Zealand markets.


    
 

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Ford unveils its new strategy for Europe
Last year, the Ford group, the world's seventh-largest carmaker, set various targets for its business around the world. In North America, the end of sedans production and the reinforcement of the pick-up and SUV products line-up. In South America, gradual departure from production and the market. In Russia, end of production and the presence on the local market. In China, reinforcement of its product line-up and arrival of the Lincoln brand.

Regarding Europe, Ford has just unveiled its new targets. The American carmaker wants to accelerate the transition from thermal to electric by confirming the upcoming launch of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) based on Volkswagen's MEB platform, following the agreement signed between the two groups.

Perhaps the most important decision is to maintain Ford's presence in Europe only in the category of BEVs from 2030, unlike what will happen in North America and China. This strategy suggests that Ford may reduce its presence and volumes on this region, as strong uncertainties remain in the market development of BEVs in Europe.

On the industry side, the Cologne plant will become the European plant dedicated to electric cars, with a first model to be launched in 2023, which rise concerns about the sustainability of the Saarlouis, Valence and Craiova plants. According to various sources, the model launched in 2023 could use the design codes of the Mustang Mach E, but in a smaller size, in order to be marketed in the C-segment, in competition with the Volkswagen ID3, Nissan Leaf and future Renault Meganeelectric.


    
 

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