Honda opens its seventh assembly plant in China
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Honda opens its seventh assembly plant in China
- Like VW or Toyota, Honda is one of the manufacturers that has managed to remain stable on the Chinese market despite the sharp decline over the past ten months. The Japanese manufacturer increased its sales by 10.7% in the first quarter of 2019, while at the same time, the Chinese passenger car market declined by 13.8%. Already, in 2018, Honda sales increased by 2.5% (to 1.475 million vehicles) in a Chinese passenger car market that was down by 4.1%.
- Honda therefore needs new capacity to meet demand, unlike other automakers who have decided to reduce their capacity in the country due to lackluster sales. That's why Honda has built a new factory in China, located in Wuhan, the industrial centre of the Chinese manufacturer Dongfeng.
- Honda currently has two partners in China (GAC and Dongfeng)., Honda previously had three plants with GAC and two plants with Dongfeng. A sixth plant located in Guangzhou is 100% owned by Honda. It manufactures and exports the Honda Jazz, particularly to Europe (about 50,000 units per year).
- The seventh Honda plant in China has just started operating (this is the third plant in partnership with Dongfeng). It will initially be able to produce 120,000 vehicles per year, then 240,000 per year. No information concerning the model names has been provided by the manufacturer. The Wuhan region is one of the most industrialized regions in China, with Honda, PSA, Nissan and Renault plants already operating in the region, for a volume of more than one million vehicles in 2018.
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Opel stops production of Corsa at the Eisenach site
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Opel stops production of Corsa at the Eisenach site
- PSA group has decided to stop production of the Opel Corsa, at the same time as the discontinuation of Opel Adam production at the Eisenach site in May 2019. The Corsa had been produced in Eisenach since 1993, when the GM group had just bought the plant. Historically, the Eisenach plant had manufactured Wartburg models between 1949 and 1990. Before the Second World War, this factory had been owned by BMW, which had to sell it to the Soviets in 1945.
- The Opel Corsa is currently manufactured mainly in Spain, at the Zaragoza site, alongside the Opel Crossland, Opel Mokka and Citroën C3 Aircross. In 2018, for example, 180,000 Corsa units were manufactured in Zaragoza compared to 70,000 units in Eisenach. In 2020, the new generation Corsa should be manufactured entirely in Zaragoza.
- It should be recalled that as of now the Eisenach plant will manufacture the Opel Grandland SUV, which was previously produced at the Sochaux site in France, which will prevent the site from being closed. The PSA group hopes to produce 100,000 units each year. This forecast is on the way to being achieved or even exceeded as Opel Grandland sales reached 29,000 units in the first three months of 2019, up 35% over 2018.
- In 2020, Corsa production concentrated on the Zaragoza site will be made possible by the transfer of the Opel Mokka from Zaragoza to the French site in Poissy. The Zaragoza site, in operation since 1982, has a production capacity of 480,000 units per year.
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続きを読む... Opel stops production of Corsa at the Eisenach site
Inovev forecasts 60,000 new Mercedes GLS per year
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Inovev forecasts 60,000 new Mercedes GLS per year
- At the 2019 New York Motor Show, Mercedes presented the new generation of its largest F segment SUV, the GLS. This model, traditionally produced at the American site in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, is mainly sold in the United States.
- In 2018, out of a total production of 45,000 units, 22,000 units, therefore nearly half, were sold in the USA ( vs. 14,000 in China), The previous year, out of a total production of 55,000 units, 32,000 units, so more than half, had been sold in the US (vs 13,000 in China). This situation is understandable because the Mercedes GLS (formerly GL) is a very large SUV (5.12m x 1.93m x 1.85m) which fits the demand of wealthy American customers. The new generation GLS is even more impressive, reaching a length of 5.20m and a width of 2.00m, similar in size to the world's most expensive SUV, the Rolls-Royce Cullinan.
- Although the new Mercedes GLS competes mainly with the BMW X7 and Range Rover, it can also be a rival of the Bentley Bentayga, Cadillac Escalade, and Lincoln Navigator, which are very popular with high income American customers.
- The Mercedes GLS takes over the platform of the GLE also produced at the Tuscaloosa site, but in an extended version. It also uses the GLE’s engines: a 3-litre 6-cylinder petrol engine developing 333 hp or 390 hp, a 3-litre 6-cylinder diesel engine developing 258 hp and a 5.5-litre 8-cylinder petrol engine developing 557 hp or 585 hp.
- Inovevpredicts sales volumes of 60,000 units per year of the new Mercedes GLS.
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Mercedes remains the leading Premium brand in the first half of 2019
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Mercedes remains the leading Premium brand in the first half of 2019
- Mercedes remains the world's leading premium brand in 2019, ahead of BMW and Audi. The Mercedes brand sold 560,421 passenger cars over the first half of 2019, compared with 519,307 units for the BMW brand and 447,250 units for the Audi brand.
- Mercedes was slightly down compared to the first quarter of 2018 (-5.5%), as was Audi (-3.6%). Only BMW grew (+0.4%) due to the arrival of the new generation of the 3 Series.
- At Mercedes, the A-Class beats sales records, but sales of the B-Class, CLA, and GLA, at the end of their lives, are seriously eroded. This situation should improve in the second quarter and even more so in the second half of the year, due to the arrival of the new generations of B and CLA Classes. For the GLA, we will have to wait a little longer.
- It should be noted that if we include Mini in the BMW total, the BMW group overtook the Daimler group (Mercedes, Smart) in the first quarter of 2019, with 782,626 vehicles sold against 587,921 units.
- On the other hand, if we add Mercedes commercial vehicles (light commercial vehicles, trucks, buses, coaches), the Daimler group remains ahead of the BMW group, since BMW does not sell commercial vehicles.
- Mercedes, BMW and Audi precede all other Premium brands, whether Japanese (Lexus, Infiniti, Acura), American (Cadillac, Lincoln, Tesla), Swedish (Volvo) or British (Jaguar, Land Rover, Rolls-Royce, Bentley).
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続きを読む... Mercedes remains the leading Premium brand in the first half of 2019
The global automotive market declined by 5.8% in the first quarter of 2019
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The global automotive market declined by 5.8% in the first quarter of 2019
- The global automotive market (PC+LCV) declined by 5.8% in the first quarter of 2019, compared to the first quarter of 2018. The trend observed during the last quarter of 2018 is therefore continuing at the beginning of 2019. However, the analysis of sales figures shows a noticeable improvement since the beginning of this year. Indeed, from a decline of -11% recorded in September 2018, the world automotive market gradually fell to -8% in January 2019, then to -5% in February 2019 and finally to -4.5% in March 2019.
- Nevertheless, most countries recorded a decline in the first quarter of 2019, except Brazil, which recorded a 10% increase. It is very rare to observe such a large number of countries declining at the same time during a single quarter. The last time such a situation could be found was during the 2008-2009 financial crisis. The OECD forecasts a poor economic situation in 2019, while the automotive market seems to be improving month after month.
- The driving force of the global automotive market, China, fell sharply in the quarter (-11.3%). At the same time, the other two major markets, the United States, and Europe 29 countries, posted a decline of 3.1% and 2.1% respectively.
- By category, there was a sharp decline in passenger car sales (-8.5%) in the first quarter of 2019, but a slight increase in commercial vehicle sales (+1.3%), observed in most countries. This means that the relative lack of confidence of individuals in the future contrasts with some serenity at the companies that are buying commercial vehicles.
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続きを読む... The global automotive market declined by 5.8% in the first quarter of 2019