FCA stops production of Fiat 500 in North America
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FCA stops production of Fiat 500 in North America
- Production of the Fiat 500 for North America ended in September 2017. Since then, Fiat 500s sold in the USA are produced at the Polish site of Tichy, where the Fiat 500 destined for the European continent have been produced since 2007. The Fiat 500 began selling in North America in 2011, four years after its launch in Europe. It allowed North American customers to acquire a European city car capable of competing with the other two European city cars on the market at that time, the BMW Mini and Smart For Two. As of 2011, the Fiat 500 for the North American market was manufactured on the Mexican site of Toluca (factory owned by Chrysler).
- At BMW, the Mini was marketed in North America in 2002 and its sales quickly passed the 40,000 annual volume mark before reaching 50,000 in 2008 and 60,000 in 2012 and 2013.
- At Mercedes, the Smart For Two has been marketed in North America since 2008 and sold 25,000 units that year before falling back to 15,000 units annually from 2009 and 10,000 units annually in 2012.
- The Fiat 500 reached 40,000 units a year in 2012 and 2013 but fell quickly to 25,000 in 2015 and 15,000 in 2016. This drop in sales pushed the FCA group to stop production in 2017. Its sales should nevertheless continue until 2020, at a reduced pace (around 10,000 units per year).
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Maserati will launch a second SUV in 2020
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Maserati will launch a second SUV in 2020
- The luxury car maker Maserati (a subsidiary of the Fiat-Chrysler Group) has announced that it will launch a second more compact SUV in 2020, to join the Levante, which has doubled the sales of the brand since its launch in 2016. The Levante, of which 15,678 copies were sold worldwide in the first nine months of 2017 (6,415 in China, 4,368 in Europe and 3,908 in the US) is an E-segment SUV, built on the platform of the Ghibli sedan. This SUV is 5.03m long, 1.96m wide and 1.67m high.
- The future Maserati SUV (whose name is still unknown) will be a D-segment SUV, which will be built on the platform of Alfa-Romeo Stelvio and Giulia (Giorgio platform), Alfa-Romeo also being a subsidiary of the Fiat Chrysler Group.
- In fact, the future Maserati will be a variant of the Alfa-Romeo Stelvio, of which 11,582 units were sold in the first nine months of 2017 (including 10,501 in Europe, 633 in the United States and 285 in China ). The Alfa-Romeo Stelvio is 4.68m long, 1.86m wide and 1.65m high. Note that the future Maserati SUV will be the only D segment model of the brand, since the Ghibli and Levante are E segment and the Quattroporte F segment. The production of GranTurismo and GranCabrio will end before the end of the year.
- This future SUV will therefore be the new access model for the Maserati range.
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Audi A7: Inovev expects production of 30,000 units per year in Europe
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Audi A7: Inovev expects production of 30,000 units per year in Europe
- Audi (Volkswagen Group's premium subsidiary) unveiled the new generation of the sporty A7 Sportback sedan, whose current generation dates back to 2010. This E-segment model is presented a few months after the new generation of the Audi A8 (F-segment) and a few months before the new generation of the Audi A6 (E segment).
- The new Audi A7, which keeps its predecessor’s silhouette, and still does not exist in coupe and cabriolet versions (unlike the A5), is based on the platform MLB (longitudinal engines), already used by Audi A4, A5, A6, Q5, Q7 as well as Porsche Cayenne and Porsche Macan. The future Volkswagen Touareg will also be based on this platform.
- The new Audi A7 tackles E-segment sport sedans, which some automakers are announcing as 4-door coupes. It tackles mainly Mercedes CLS (which should be replaced in 2018) and BMW 6 Series GT (which was presented in June 2017).
- The new Audi A7 retains the engines of the current generation, as well as its dimensions (length: 4.97m, width: 1.91m, height: 1.42m). It takes the directional rear train of the recent Audi A8.
- This new model will still be manufactured on the German site in Neckarsulm, alongside the Audi A5, A6 and A8. Inovev predicts 30,000 units production a year in Europe for this model.
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South Korean market up 0.2% in the first nine months of 2017
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South Korean market up 0.2% in the first nine months of 2017
- The South Korean market (PC + LCV) increased by 19.5% in September 2017, which is the best monthly figure recorded this year, and confirms the rebound of this market after a negative second half of 2016 and first semester of 2017. During the 2017 9 month total, the South Korean market grew by 0.2% to 1.35 million units, whereas it decreased by 0.4% in 2016 but increased by 11.4% in 2015.
- In conclusion, according to these figures, the South Korean market seems stable in 2016 and 2017. However this observation is deceptive, as the amplitude of growth and decrease are so high in recent months that it is difficult to predict the level of the South Korean market at the end of 2017.
- However, according to Inovev, it could vary from 1.85 to 1.9 million units in 2017, which would be equivalent to a new registration record in this country, despite repeated nuclear threats from its dangerous neighbor, North Korea.
- The South Korean market is still a highly concentrated market, with Korean automakers accounting for 86% of total registrations, including 68% for the Hyundai-Kia group alone (Hyundai: 36%, Kia: 29%, Genesis: 3%), 6% for Chevrolet, 6% for Renault-Samsung and 6% for Ssangyong. Foreign manufacturers represent only 14% of the South Korean market.
- The future of this market will depend mainly on the political situation in the region.
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阅读全文... South Korean market up 0.2% in the first nine months of 2017
Tesla builds assembly plant in China
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Tesla builds assembly plant in China
- The Californian manufacturer of electric cars Tesla (based in Fremont, Silicon Valley) confirmed that they are building an assembly plant in Shanghai, without creating a partnership with a Chinese manufacturer, as is most often the custom in China.
- The announcement comes at a time when the automaker is struggling to meet demand for its new Model 3, which would help Tesla move from small-scale production to large-scale production.
- Tesla had to postpone its goal of achieving a production rate of 5,000 Model 3 per week to the end of the first quarter of 2018, whereas up to now it had expected to reach this point by the end of the fourth quarter of 2017.
- These difficulties have no influence upon the global strategy of the Tesla brand which wishes to expand its activities to regions other than the United States (Fremont) or Europe (Tilburg). The third Tesla assembly site will be located in Shanghai (where GM and VW are already present through the Chinese manufacturer SAIC) which will supply the entire Chinese market.
- Start of production is planned for 2020. The intention of the manufacturer is to produce the Model 3 (this is the cheapest model of the brand), which would avoid importing it in large quantities from the United States.
- Tesla is thus responding to the recommendations of the Chinese government which push for a high percentage of electric vehicles in their domestic market.
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