Volvo has chosen to manufacture part of the XC60 in the United States
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Volvo has chosen to manufacture part of the XC60 in the United States
- In response to the threat of US tariffs on car imports from Europe, Volvo announced several months ago that it was considering increasing production in the United States, at its American plant in Ridgeville, South Carolina. This plant currently manufactures the all-electric Volvo EX90 (E-segment) and Polestar 3 (E-segment) SUVs, but with demand lower than expected, due to a sluggish electric market in the United States and the positioning of the two models being a bit too high-end, only 16,000 vehicles were produced at this plant for a capacity of 150,000 vehicles per year. Inovev had estimated that the best-selling Volvo models in North America could be produced at the Ridgeville site, such as the XC90 SUVs (39,492 units), XC60 (38,892 units), and XC40 (26,557 units).
- Finally, Volvo has just announced that an additional model produced at the Ridgeville site will indeed be the XC60 SUV for North American markets. The transfer of production of approximately 50,000 XC60s per year from Sweden to the USA will take place in the fall of 2026, that is, at the time of the launch of the new generation of the XC60 (which will be available in an all-electric version called EX60). It is possible that a second Volvo SUV will be added to the Ridgeville plant in 2028, and this could be the XC90 currently produced at the Swedish carmaker's site in Gothenburg.
- The consequence of this or these transfers is that the Swedish site in Gothenburg, the current production site for the XC60 and XC90, will lose between 50,000 and 100,000 vehicles per year, which will have an impact on the volume of vehicle production in Europe.
Mercedes could extend the A-Class's career until 2028
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Mercedes could extend the A-Class's career until 2028
- Mercedes had hinted as early as 2023 that its A-Class (C-segment sedan) and B-Class (C-segment MPV) models would no longer be sold from the end of 2025 and that they would be replaced by the new CLA, which was unveiled in the first half of 2025, and by a hypothetical Smart #4, which has not yet been unveiled.
- However, the Mercedes A-Class – as the entry-level model in the carmaker's range – is still selling well in Europe , given the circumstances (34,000 units in the first 6 months of 2025, which could represent 65,000 units over the whole year), while the CLA marketed in Europe from the second half of 2025 is larger and more expensive than the A-Class. For its part, the Smart brand is having difficulty establishing itself on the European market (and even on the Chinese market) due to a positioning deemed too high-end.
- According to internal sources, production of the A-Class (carried out at the Rastatt site in Germany) could therefore be extended until 2028, three years after the announced deadline. It seems that the idea of abandoning a popular model too early could be counterproductive, especially at a time when the electric transition is progressing less quickly than expected (particularly at Mercedes...). At the same time, Mercedes will focus its efforts on the new generation of CLA, GLA, GLB and on a smaller G-Class in order to restructure its compact range around more profitable models.
- On the other hand, the Class B, whose sales have become marginal (7,000 sales in the first 6 months of 2025), could be discontinued as planned at the end of 2025.
Current European car production still far from 2010-2019 figures
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Current European car production still far from 2010-2019 figures
- Current European car production (30 countries = EU + UK + Switzerland + Norway) is still far from the 2010-2019 figures. In 2024, it will have barely exceeded 14.0 million passenger cars + light commercial vehicles, which is certainly a higher volume than in 2020 (13.4 million units), 2021 (13.0 million units) or 2022 (13.1 million units) but lower than in 2023 (14.4 million units) and above all much lower than during the years 2010-2019 which recorded annual production volumes of between 15.5 and 18.5 million units.
- Even 2009 was better, with 14.8 million units , which was a very poor figure for the time, since 19 million units had been exceeded (just) in 2007, after having been around 18 million units per year in previous years (1998-2006). Even adding two offshoring countries outside Europe, Turkey and Morocco, the volume of passenger car + light commercial vehicle production for the years 2020-2024 remains lower than those of the years 2010-2019 and those of 1998-2008.
- The reason for this situation is undoubtedly due to the saturation of European markets (very high car ownership rate), limiting growth, changing behaviors (less interest in owning a vehicle among young urban dwellers), the development of alternatives (shared mobility, public transport), the lifespan of vehicles (cars are more durable which slows down the renewal of the fleet), but also the sharp increase in the price of cars since the Covid crisis in 2020.
- There is therefore little hope that car production in Europe will return to its 2010-2019 levels , even if the establishment of Chinese car factories could replace a significant part of China's car imports and represent an estimated volume of 2.5% of European production in 2030.
Electric pickup trucks are being shunned by the American public
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Electric pickup trucks are being shunned by the American public
All-electric pickup trucks are struggling to attract the American public , despite the initial enthusiasm observed around models like the Ford F-Series Lightning, the Tesla Cybertruck or the Rivian R1T. In the first 5 months of 2025, all-electric pickup trucks have not reached 39,000 sales in the United States (all models combined), while Ford was counting on 150,000 sales per year of its F-Series Lightning and Tesla on 500,000 sales per year of its Cybertruck . Several reasons explain this lack of interest:
1. High purchase price : Electric pickup trucks cost significantly more than their internal combustion engine counterparts, even after tax deductions. For example, an F-150 Lightning can cost over $70,000, making it inaccessible to many regular pickup buyers.
2. Disappointing autonomy and charging : actual autonomy can drop sharply when towing or transporting heavy loads (typical uses of pick-ups). The US charging network remains perfectible, especially in rural areas where pick-ups are most popular.
3. Unmet habits and expectations : Pickup truck users are often attached to the robustness, mechanical simplicity, and versatility of thermal models. Electric pickup trucks are perceived as less suited to intensive or long-term work, despite their technical advantages.
4. Unfavorable economic and cultural context : inflation, high interest rates, and economic uncertainty are holding back new vehicle purchases, even in the United States. There is also cultural resistance to electrification in some regions of the United States, such as Texas, where pickup trucks are a symbol of identity.
In summary, 100% electric pick-ups face a double challenge: convincing a public loyal to combustion engines while meeting the real requirements of a pick-up.
Production of the VW Group's B-segment BEVs will ultimately be split between two Spanish sites
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Production of the VW Group's B-segment BEVs will ultimately be split between two Spanish sites
- The Volkswagen Group's plan to consolidate all its fully electric B-segment cars at the Martorell site in Spain, the historic home of the Spanish brand Seat, by 2026 has been modified.
- This project presupposed the end of the Seat brand, since most of the models of this brand are produced at the Martorell site, the Terracoproduced at the German site of Wolfsburg having been eliminated and the Atecaproduced at the Czech site of Kvasiny having only a few months left to live.
- This project is modified in that the Seat Ibiza, Arona and Leon, as well as the Cupra Leon and Formentor, will continue to be produced in Martorell in 2026 and possibly even beyond that date. On the other hand, the Audi A1, which is also produced at this site, is scheduled to disappear in 2026, without being replaced.
- As a result, production of the Volkswagen Group's 100% electric B-segment cars will be spread across two different sites: Martorell and Pamplona.
- The Martorell site will house the 100% electric Volkswagen ID2 and CupraRaval, in addition to the Seat Ibiza, Seat Arona, Seat Leon, Cupra Leon, and CupraFormentor. Martorell's production capacity: 470,000 vehicles per year.
- The Pamplona site (which will no longer manufacture the VW Polo in 2024) will house the 100% electric Volkswagen ID2X and Skoda Epiq, in addition to the Volkswagen Taigo and T-Cross. Pamplona's production capacity: 350,000 vehicles per year.