The pruning of the American sedan range has begun
The pruning of the American sedan range that had been announced by American automakers has begun.

The first models affected were the Buick La Crosse (which sold 15,527 units in 2018 compared to 20,161 in 2017), the Chevrolet Volt (which sold 18,306 units in 2018 compared to 20,349 in 2017),and  the Ford Taurus (which sold 36,088 units in 2018 compared to 41,236 in 2017). The Chevrolet Impala (which sold 56,556 units in 2018 compared to 75,877 in 2017) and Cadillac CT6 (which sold 9,668 units in 2018 compared to 10,542 in 2017) are enjoying a respite , but their fate seems to be sealed, as their low sales volume compared to their competitors no longer justifies their survival.

The shutdown of the Chevrolet Cruze (which sold 142,617 units in 2018 compared to 184,751 in 2017) and Ford Focus (which sold 113,345 units in 2018 compared to 158,385 in 2017) is more questionable, as these models had  a good volume of sales last year and were  at the heart of the American sedan market.

The discontinuation of these models, which are especially popular with rental companies, could benefit models from Korean and Japanese generalist brands, particularly Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Nissan Sentra, Hyundai Elantra and Kia Forte, which already have very high sales volumes, since most are in the top 10 sedans on the market.

American automakers want to focus on more profitable vehicles, such as SUVs and pick-ups, which account for the bulk of sales in the United States.


    
 

Contact us: info@inovev.com 

The new Volvo factory in Ridgeville (USA) has started production
The new Volvo factory in Ridgeville (South Carolina - USA) started operating last March. This plant will supply the American market while exporting part of its production.

The first model produced in this plant is the new S60 sedan (segment D) which is not produced in Europe like the previous S60 sedans were. It is curious to note that the new V60 station wagon is produced in Europe, like its predecessors, and not alongside the S60 sedan which is produced in the United States.

To justify this choice, the manufacturer points out that estate cars are practically no longer sold in the United States (minivans and SUVs have gradually replaced them) and that in Europe the V60 estate car sells much more than the S60 sedan.

The few S60 sedans that will be sold in Europe will therefore be imported from the United States, and the few V60 estate cars that will be sold in the United States will be imported from Europe, which will not simplify the manufacturer's logistics.

In 2022, another model will be added to the Ridgeville site: the large XC90  SUV, which is currently produced at the manufacturer's historic site in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The American plant in Ridgeville currently has a production capacity of 150,000 vehicles per year. It could therefore manufacture up to 75,000 S60  sedans and 75,000 XC90 SUVs each year, starting in 2022. The Swedish plant in Gothenburg (production capacity of 250,000 vehicles per year) will keep the production of  V60,and V90 estate cars and XC60 SUVs.


    
 

Contact us: info@inovev.com 

Volkswagen Group's A-segment sedans will switch to electric power

The Volkswagen Group's A-segment sedans (Volkswagen Up!, Skoda Citigo, Seat Mii) will finally be replaced, but they will all switch to electric.


The new models will be launched in 2022 (three years later than initially planned) and will be manufactured as today at the Slovak site in Bratislava. The manufacturer wants to sell 200,000 units each year for all three brands, which is an ambitious goal considering that the current electric variant of the Volkswagen Up! sells less than 5,000 units per year.


The three new models will be based on the MEB platform used by all Volkswagen Group electric models, but will not be manufactured at the German Emden site as initially planned.


The Bratislava site was ultimately chosen because the manufacturer wants to market these three models at a very low price (20,000 euros) and Slovakia still benefits from a much lower labor cost than Germany.


Nothing is known about the design of these three new models, but the manufacturer has announced that their length will be less than 4 meters (a current Volkswagen Up! measures 3.54m).


Since the name chosen for the C-segment electric Volkswagen is I.D. 3, it is very likely that the replacement for the A-segment Up! will be called I.D. 1.



    
 

Contact us: info@inovev.com 

The Peugeot 308 will be transferred from Sochaux to Mulhouse
The future Peugeot 308 will not be produced at the Sochaux site as before, but at the Mulhouse site ,also  in Francesome 50 km to the north. Indeed, the PSA group considers that in the future, the Sochaux site will not be able to produce all the Peugeot 308, Peugeot 3008 and Peugeot 5008 models, since by 2018, the site had already produced more than 500,000 vehicles, which is 102% of its production capacity, even though the Peugeot 308 marketed since 2013 was already in decline.

The Peugeot 3008, which is a great success, totalled 258,000 units produced at the Sochaux site in 2018 (more than half of Sochaux's production), the Peugeot 308 168,000, and the Opel Grandland 85,000.

In 2019, the Opel Grandland emigrated to the German site in Eisenach and was replaced on the Sochaux assembly lines by the Peugeot 5008, some of which was still manufactured at the French site in Rennes. 

The Peugeot 308 will be replaced in the first half of 2020 and production targets for this model exceed 200,000 units per year. This quantity, which could be a problem for the Sochaux site, will be easily absorbed at the Mulhouse site, since at the same time the Peugeot 2008 currently produced there will be transferred to the Spanish plant in Vigo. This will be the new generation of the 2008, which will be launched in early 2020. The models based on the EMP2 platform will remain in Mulhouse: the Peugeot 508, DS 7 Crossback and also the future Peugeot 308.


    
 

Contact us: info@inovev.com 

Inovev forecasts 200,000 new BMW 1 Series per year
BMW unveiled the new generation of the 1 Series (C-segment sedan) that competes with the Mercedes A-Class, Audi A3, Volvo V40, Lexus CT and Alfa Giulietta, but not the Infiniti Q30  which is ending its career this month.

This new 1 Series becomes a front-wheel drive (the old ones were all rear wheel drive), as it is built on the UKL platform dedicated to front-wheel drive, as are the Mini, and the BMW Active Tourer, Gran Tourer, X1 and X2.

The new 1 Series is now only available in a 5-door version, as the 3-door version has been cancelled. Most manufacturers are removing the 3-door versions from their catalogs.

The new Series 1 is as long as the previous one (4.32m), but 3cm wider (1.80m) and 1cm higher (1.43m) while manufacturers are generally reducing the height of their sedans. On the other hand, the wheelbase is 2cm shorter than the old model (2.67m), because it is based on that of the BMW Active Tourer, X1 and X2.

The 1 Series engines are based on the previous model: they are the 3 cylinder 1.5-litre 140 hp petrol engines, 4 cylinder 2.0-litre 300 hp petrol engines, 3 cylinder  1.5-litre 116 hp diesel engines and 4 cylinder 2-litre diesel engines of 150 hp or 190 hp. There are currently no plans for a hybrid, plug-in hybrid or 100% electric version. However, a 4-door three-box version could be proposed at a later date to counter the 4-door Mercedes A Class Sedan. The BMW 1 Series will be produced at the German site in Regensburg as before. Inovev expects 200,000 units per year of this new model.


    
 

Contact us: info@inovev.com 

 
Inovev 平台  >
尚未注册?
>>> 请登录 <<<