Several Stellantis Group brands could be stopped in the long term
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Several Stellantis Group brands could be stopped in the long term
- The management of the Stellantis group (the world's fourth largest carmaker), which includes 14 different brands, has suggested that those that are not profitable will eventually be eliminated.
- The euphoric period that took place following the merger between the PSA group (Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel, Vauxhall) and the FCA group (Fiat, Alfa-Roméo, Lancia, Maserati, Abarth, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram) in 2021 is no longer the same today. While the management of Stellantis stated that none of the brands making up the group would be eliminated and that everything would be done to develop these brands, the position has completely changed in 2024.
- Since 2021, in fact, the European automobile market has not returned to its pre-Covid levels, with this market representing almost half of the group's sales (44%). On the other hand, Chinese carmakers are making progress in this market and the production of their models in Europe will accelerate the movement.
- Recent statements on the search for lowering manufacturing cost and the possibility of closing several low-productivity assembly plants had already shown Stellantis' desire for maximum profitability.
- In this context, the group's brands most threatened would be Maserati (which could be sold), Abarth, DS and Lancia, whose market shares are extremely small. On the American market (26% of the group's sales), the Chrysler and Dodge brands have very low development potential and the resurrection of these brands seems very costly compared to the expected gains. The future of these six brands therefore seems to be in suspense today.
Toyota Group to remain world's leading carmaker in first half of 2024
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Toyota Group to remain world's leading carmaker in first half of 2024
- In a global market up 6% in the first 6 months of 2024 compared to the first 6 months of 2023, the ranking of the world's top 15 car carmakers has changed little.
- The Toyota group remains the world's leading car carmaker, with 5,131,198 vehicles produced over the period, but this volume is down 8.8% compared to the previous period, a drop attributable to the interruption of Daihatsu production for several weeks, following a fraud in homologation tests that cost the brand's CEO his job.
- The Volkswagen group remains the world's second largest carmaker, with 4,318,100 vehicles produced, which represents a decrease of 0.4%. The Hyundai-Kia group, with 3,547,262 vehicles produced, consolidates its third place despite a slight drop in its production volume (-0.6%), more widely ahead of the Stellantis group, which is down significantly (-7%) but which remains the fourth largest carmaker in the world, with 3,205,227 vehicles produced. The GM group (-5.6%) maintains its fifth place, with 2,450,599 vehicles produced, ahead of the Nissan group (2,216,666 vehicles produced; -2.6%), the Ford group (2,048,318 vehicles produced; -0.2%) and the Honda group (1,892,809 vehicles produced; -3.5%).
- These top eight carmakers are showing more or less significant declines and if the global automobile market is increasing as a whole, it is mainly thanks to the strong increase in the production volume of Chinese carmakers: +30.9% for BYD which is in ninth position (1,626,195 vehicles produced) and this year supplants Suzuki, +24.6% for Geely (1,375,390 units) which this year supplants BMW and Mercedes; +52.6% for Chery (1,031,235 units) which this year supplants Changan and Tesla. This ranking includes the models produced with the JVs in China in the production of non-Chinese carmakers (example: VWs produced with SAIC are counted at VW).
Inovev forecasts 20,000 units per year of the new Audi A6 E-Tron
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Inovev forecasts 20,000 units per year of the new Audi A6 E-Tron
- Audi has decided to rename all its sedans according to their engine type: sedans with combustion engines (or MHEV, or PHEV) will be designated by odd numbers and battery electric sedans will be designated by even numbers. A model cannot be both combustion and battery electric. It is in this context that the new Audi A6 was presented, which is therefore a battery electric sedan. The future combustion version of this model should be named A7 and should be launched next year.
- The new Audi A6 E-Tron is based on the PPE platform already used by the Audi Q6 E-Tron and Porsche Macan E. As with the recently presented Audi A5, the Audi A6 E-Tron abandons the three-box style (three volumes) and now has a tailgate. It has a drag coefficient (Cx) of 0.21, making it the most aerodynamic car in the entire Volkswagen group, as was the case with the famous Audi 100 from 1982 that marked its era.
- Like its predecessors, the new A6 is available in a sedan (Sportback) and estate (Avant) version. It is 4 cm wider (1.92 m) and 4 cm taller (1.49 m) than the previous generation. However, it is one centimetre shorter in length (4.93 m) while the wheelbase is 2 cm longer (2.95 m).
- The new A6 E-Tron, which competes with the BMW i5, is equipped with a 367 hp (270 kW) electric motor or 503 hp (370 kW) for the S6, coupled with a 94.9 kWh battery that gives it a range of 757 km (676 km for the S6) according to the WLTP cycle. It will be assembled in Ingolstadt(Germany) alongside the Q6 E-Tron at a rate of 20,000 units per year according to Inovev's forecasts.
Renault has stopped the production of the Mégane (thermal) in July 2024
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Renault has stopped the production of the Mégane (thermal) in July 2024
- As we get closer in Europe to the 2035 deadline for the end of thermal vehicles, masse volume combustion engine models are disappearing one after the other.
- After the announcement of the end of the Ford Fiesta and the Volkswagen Up in 2023, and more recently of the Volkswagen Polo in July 2024, Renault has announced the termination of the Mégane assembled in Spain. This leaves only the battery electric Mégane (launched in 2022) to represent the carmaker's C-segment sedan in Europe.
- The sales drop of the Renault Mégane since 2005 has been impressive and inexorable. From over 350,000 units sold in 2005 (excluding Renault Scénic), the sales volume gradually fell to 150,000 units in 2014, then 35,000 in 2023 and only 10,000 in the first half of 2024.
- The Renault Mégane was an important model for the carmaker, launched in 1995 to succeed the Renault 19 (1988-1995). It was the mid-size C-segment sedan that competed with the VW Golf, Peugeot 306/307/308, Opel Astra and Ford Focus. Today, the VW Golf, Peugeot 308 and Opel Astra still exist, but the Ford Focus will be phased out without descendants in 2025.
- Luckily for Renault, its C-segment SUVs are numerous (Symbioz, Arkana, Austral) and the Sedan version with a trunk still exists in Turkey (nearly 50,000 sales per year). As for the Megane BEV, it will probably not be able to reach the sales volume at medium term of the thermal Megane recorded between 2005 and 2019.
The future electric Renault Twingo will be assembled in Slovenia
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The future electric Renault Twingo will be assembled in Slovenia
- Renault has announced that the future battery electric Twingo scheduled for 2026 will be assembled at the Slovenian site in Novo Mesto, which produced the previous generation of the model (thermal).
- Renault objective is to sell 150,000 units per year. This objective seems very ambitious. For Inovev, this model would reach 50,000 sales in 2026, 100,000 sales in 2030 and it would be necessary to wait until 2035 for the 150,000 sales to be effective, but this would done by the next generation, because the Twingo launched in 2026 could be marketed until 2033 in the best case scenario but hardly beyond.
- The decision to produce the future battery electric Twingo at the Novo Mesto site will save this factory because this site only produced 60,000 vehicles in 2023 (including 36,000 Twingos and 24,000 Clios), compared to 210,000 in 2018 and 220,000 in 2010. The years 2024 and 2025 are likely to be even worst, especially since Renault seems to have decided to stop the current Twingo before the launch of the new one. The Novo Mesto site, which has been producing Renault-branded vehicles since the 1970s, now employs more than 1,400 people.
- For the current Twingo, Renault had collaborated with Mercedes (Smart), but the German carmaker is now in partnership with Geely to design its new Smarts. For the future Twingo, Renault had considered collaborating with Volkswagen to share costs, but this association could not take place, Volkswagen having decided to design its own A-segment electric car internally. It is said that Renault would have turned to a Chinese carmaker to design its future Twingo. This could be Geely, which already collaborates with Renault for the Horse company.