Inovev forecasts 50,000 new Jeep Gladiator pickups per year
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Inovev forecasts 50,000 new Jeep Gladiator pickups per year
- Jeep (a subsidiary of the Fiat-Chrysler Group) unveiled its new mid-size pickup, the Gladiator, which is based on the recent Jeep Wrangler. The Jeep brand has already produced mid-tonnage pickups between 1963 and 1992, but sales had never been satisfactory. Today, the Fiat-Chrysler Group believes there is a new potential for mid-range pickups, particularly in North America, where Chevrolet, Ford and Dodge compact pickups have re-appeared on the market (specifically to counter mid-range Japanese pick-ups).
- The Fiat-Chrysler Group believes that the image of the Jeep brand is strong enough today (1.4 million sales in 2017 and 1.6 million in 2018) to engage in the manufacture and marketing of pick-ups that have never been a Jeep brand specialty up to now.
- The new Gladiator pickup, which carries over the entire front end of the Wrangler, will be powered by the 290hp 3.6-liter V6 engine already mounted on the Wrangler, and a new 265hp diesel V6 engine, both of them available as either a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic.
- The Gladiator, which will be the sixth model of the Jeep brand, will be produced at the historic Jeep site in Toledo, Ohio, alongside the Wrangler. Inovev expects a production volume of 50,000 annual units.
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Inovev forecasts 450,000 new Mazda 3s per year
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Inovev forecasts 450,000 new Mazda 3s per year
- Mazda (one of the last mid-sized independent automakers) unveiled the new generation of its Mazda 3 sedan at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
- This sharp style C segment model replaces the sedan whose origins date back to 2013. Like the old model, the new Mazda 3 is available in two different body types, hatchback (5-door sedan) and notchback (4-door sedan), principally intended for the American and Chinese markets. There is no station wagon in this range.
- At 4.46m long, the new Mazda 3 is 1cm shorter than the previous one, but longer than most sedans in its segment. Thus, it exceeds the VW Golf by 20cm, the Opel Astra by 9cm and the Ford Focus by 8cm.
- The Mazda 3, which remains one of the best-selling models of the brand (442,000 units in 2017), will be built in two petrol versions (1.5 l, 105hp and 2.0 l, 120hp or 165hp) and a diesel version (1.8 l, 150hp). There will be no hybrid in this range. Sales of the new Mazda 3 are expected to begin in the spring of 2019.
- The model will be manufactured as today, in Japan (Hofu) for the Japanese and European markets, in China (Changchun) for the Chinese market, and in Mexico (Salamanca) for the North American market. Inovev expects an overall production volume of 450,000 per year.
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Lincoln will produce vehicles in China
- 说明
Lincoln will produce vehicles in China
- The Lincoln brand, the luxury subsidiary of the Ford Group, will produce vehicles in China. Until then, all Lincoln sold in China (37,000 units in 2018 versus 32,000 in 2017) were/are imported from North America. Starting in 2019, the Lincoln sold in China will be more and more produced locally.
- These models will be manufactured in the Chinese factory of Huangzhou which belongs to the manufacturer Changan (2nd Chinese manufacturer behind Geely), because Ford has been working with Changan since the 2000s.
- Ford's goal is to quickly develop Lincoln's sales in the Chinese market, while avoiding new taxes on US vehicles imported from the United States.
- Lincoln's Chinese lineup will be based around the MKC (now Aviator), MKX (now Nautilus) and Navigator SUVs, as well as the MKZ and Continental sedans. Recall that the MKC is derived from the Ford Kuga, that the MKX is derived from the Ford Edge, that the Navigator is derived from the Ford Expedition and that the MKZ is derived from the Ford Fusion.
- Lincoln's main competitor in China, Cadillac (GM's luxury subsidiary), sold 125,000 vehicles in the first 10 months of 2018 (compared to 128,000 units in the first 10 months of 2017). As a first step, Ford plans to sell 50,000 Lincoln a year in China through their 120 locally-established dealers.
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GM to close five plants in North America
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GM to close five plants in North America
- General Motors has announced that it will cut 15% of its workforce and close five plants in North America, and therefore discontinue several models in its range.
- The factories closing in 2020 are Oshawa (Ontario Canada), Moraine (Ohio USA), Lordstown ( Ohio USA), Hamtrack (Michigan USA ) and Baltimore (Maryland USA).
- The models impacted are: Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac CT6, Cadillac XTS, Chevy Sonic, Chevrolet Cruze, Chevrolet Bolt, Chevrolet Volt, and Chevrolet Impala. The total production volume for these models was 378,000 units in 2017 and 315,000 units in 2018, or 39,375 units per model on average.
- These cars are therefore among GM group’s least sold in North America, but a significant aspect of this new rationalization is the halt of hybrid and electric vehicle production in the US (Baltimore manufactured the electric motors of the Bolt and Volt), which is probably a consequence of US government policy that encourages fossil fuel production, through less strict regulation of polluting emissions, and shale gas production, rather than encouraging the design and production of electric vehicles, as do China or Europe. On the other hand, GM still intends to market electric cars on the Chinese market, through its subsidiary Wuling.
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Volkswagen may not renew Arteon
- 说明
Volkswagen may not renew Arteon
- Like Renault with its Talisman sedan, Volkswagen may not renew the Arteon sedan, whose sales do not meet the manufacturer's goals.
- The successor to the Passat CC (2008-2012) then CC (2012-2016) has achieved only 16,000 sales in Europe in the first 10 months of 2018, and will probably not exceed 25,000 units worldwide on the year, compared with 18,000 in 2017, when it was launched.
- Like the late Phaeton (2002-2016), Arteon is probably a victim of its logo, as customers usually prefer upper segment sedans under Premium brands, such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Volvo or Jaguar.
- Arteon, which is built on the Passat platform (D segment sedan), targeted the E-segment sedan market, but with relatively modest success. It is barely better than the Renault Talisman (21,000 sales over the whole year 2018 vs. 29,000 in 2017), which is very comparable and will have an equivalent fate.
- Arteon will continue its career until the end of its life cycle, that is to say until 2022. It will thus pay for the new organization of the Emden plant which will produce exclusively electric vehicles from 2022. The VW Passat will then become the only luxury sedan of the Volkswagen brand.
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