Smart expands its battery electric vehicles range with the #5 SUV
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Smart expands its battery electric vehicles range with the #5 SUV
- The Smart brand – wholly owned by Mercedes until 2023 – had produced and marketed the small city car Fortwo (A-segment, 75,000 sales per year on average) from 1998 to 2024 under two successive generations (the first 2.50 m long and the second 2.70 m long) and the Forfour (A-segment, 30,000 sales per year on average) from 2004 to 2021 under two generations (the first 3.75 m long and the second 3.50 m long).
- Since 2023 Smart is evolving towards the production and sales of more expensive and therefore more profitable, larger and battery electric cars, produced in China in a Geely factory, a Chinese carmaker which at the same time became the owner of 50% of the share of the Smart brand, just like Mercedes, which also owns 50%.
- After the launch of the 4.27 m long electric Smart #1 (B-segment) and then the 4.40 m long electric Smart #3 (C-segment), here is the even more imposing Smart #5, measuring 4.69 m long (D-segment). All three models are based on the same platform, which they share with some Volvo models and other models from different brands within the Geely group , such as Lynk&Co for example.
- The Smart #5 is a mid-size, all-electric SUV that competes with the Ford Explorer EV, Skoda Enyaq EV, and Renault Scénic EV. The design is by Mercedes and is reminiscent of some of the German carmaker's SUVs. The Smart #5 has the advantage of having two architecture to choose from, one 400V already used on the #1 and #3, the other 800V which is completely new. The electric motor delivers 340 hp (254 kW) associated with a 74.4 kWh LFP battery (range: 465 km) or a 94 kWh NMC battery (range: 590 km). The weight of the car is between 2,200 kg to 2,370 kg depending on the version.
Ford's Cologne plant activity appears to be seriously compromised
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Ford's Cologne plant activity appears to be seriously compromised
- Following the European Commission's directive concerning the ban of new thermal vehicles in 2035 in Europe, the Ford plant in Cologne (Germany) has been converted in 2024 from the production of thermal vehicles (Ford Fiesta) to the production of battery electric vehicles (Ford Explorer, Ford Capri).
- But the production level is not the same as during the Fiesta era. For 2024, Inovev estimates the production volume of the Cologne plant at 20,000 units, compared to 140,000 vehicles in 2020 or 239,000 in 2019. These 20,000 units correspond to the start of production of the Ford Explorer and Ford Capri. For 2025, this volume could represent a volume of 40,000 to 50,000 units according to Inovev, based on the 10,500 units already registered between in the first quarter of 2025. This represents a fifth of the carmaker's objectives, which were 250,000 vehicles per year, and half of Inovev's forecasts (see Auto Analyse 2024-19 of September 9, 2024). which are 100,000 vehicles per year.
- It is clear that the Explorer and Capri models are not meeting the expected success, particularly due to their high prices (40,000 to 54,000 euros for the Explorer and 42,500 to 56,500 euros for the Capri) which do not correspond in any way to what Ford had previously offered in the mid-range.
- As a result, the Ford plant in Cologne seems truly threatened, especially since no other models are planned for this factory, competition will increase and Ford is gradually becoming a small carmaker in Europe in the passenger car market (3% of the European market in the first 4 months of 2025). Ford Europe could leave the European passenger car market to focuse on the more profitable light utility vehicle market (of which it holds 19% in 4 months of 2025).
Inovev forecasts 20,000 units per year of the new Nissan Micra EV
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Inovev forecasts 20,000 units per year of the new Nissan Micra EV
- Nissan has unveiled the sixth generation of the Micra, which becomes a fully electric sedan with no option for a combustion or hybrid engine, except in Mexico where the old combustion version will continue to be produced. The new fully electric Micra is rebranded version of the Renault 5 E-Tech, also produced at the Douai plant. It will also be produced exclusively in France, unlike the previous Micras.
- The new Micra adopts the AmpR Small platform (ex-CMF-B EV) of the Renault 5 E-Tech as well as a good part of its body and interior, the aesthetic modifications due to the Nissan Design Europe Center in England being concentrated on the front and rear exterior parts.
- As a result, the Micra, which measures 3.97 m, is 5 cm longer than the R5 E-Tech, with an identical wheelbase of 2.54 m. The engines are taken from the Renault: a 120 hp (88 kW) version associated with a 40 kWh NMC battery allowing a range of 300 km according to the WLTP cycle and a 150 hp (110 kW) version associated with a 52 kWh NMC battery, allowing a range of 400 km according to the WLTP cycle. The weight of the car (from 1,400 kg to 1,524 kg) is comparable to the R5 E-Tech. A sportier Nismo version is also considered later, which would be the rebranded version of the Alpine A290.
- The Micra will be priced slightly higher than the R5 E-Tech, starting at €29,000 (€28,000 for the base R5). It will compete with the Renault 5 E-Tech, Citroën e-C3, Peugeot e-208, Opel e-Corsa, Jeep Avenger , Mini Aceman, Fiat 600 e, Lancia Ypsilon and BYD Dolphin Surf. Inovev forecasts 20,000 sales per year of the Nissan Micra EV.
BYD to market and produce the Dolphin Surf (Seagull) in Europe
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BYD to market and produce the Dolphin Surf (Seagull) in Europe
- As we recently saw in our Auto Analysis No. 10, BYD has quickly become the leading Chinese carmaker in China (all engines combined), even overtaking the former leaders in production, such as the Volkswagen group (associated with SAIC and FAW) and GM (associated with SAIC). BYD has benefited from the electrification of the Chinese vehicle fleet, offering battery electric vehicles (BEV) and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) in roughly equal parts. Today, the BYD range consists of around twenty different models, the entry-level model including the battery electric Seagull sedan (B-Segment), which is enjoying great success in China, with 479,294 units produced in 2024 compared to 281,838 in 2023. The model is produced in China at the Xi'an (Shaanxi) and Changzhou (Jiangsu) plants.
- BYD has announced that it will produce and market this model in Europe this year, at a price close to 20,000 euros, even though its basic version is marketed in China at 56,800 yuan, or less than 7,000 euros. However, the price of 20,000 euros is rather a price of the lower segment (A-segment) in Europe . The 100% electric Seagull adapted to the European market and to be produced in the BYD factory in Szeged, Hungary, is renamed Dolphin Surf (there is already a battery electric Dolphin model of the C segment in the BYD range, which can create confusion). In Latin America, the same model is called Dolphin Mini and is imported from China.
- The 3.99 m long BYD Dolphin Surf will compete with the cheapest battery electric city cars sold in Europe such as the Leapmotor T03, the Dacia Spring, the Renault Twingo E-Tech or the future Volkswagen ID1, all in the A segment. Its LFP battery has a capacity of 45 kWh allowing a range of 340 km according to the WLTP cycle, while the Chinese Seagull has less powerful LFP batteries of 30 kWh and 43 kWh allowing a range of 220 km and 320 km.
Inovev forecasts 1,000,000 units of the new Toyota RAV4 SUV per year
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Inovev forecasts 1,000,000 units of the new Toyota RAV4 SUV per year
- Toyota has unveiled the new generation of its mid-range SUV, the RAV4, which is one of the best-selling models in the world, with more than one million sales in 2024. The diffusion of the Toyota RAV4 has continued to grow worldwide since the early 2000s, with its global sales increasing from 224,000 units in 2001 to 400,000 in 2007, 600,000 in 2013, 800,000 in 2017 and 1,000,000 in 2023.
- The model has continued to meet with increasing success due to the sharp increase in SUV sales worldwide and the intrinsic qualities of the Toyota model (build quality, true off-road capabilities, hybrid powertrain). This model quickly became the best-selling SUV in the world before being overtaken by the Tesla Model Y, a 100% electric SUV.
- The new Toyota RAV4 will attempt to continue the success of previous generations of the model. The new RAV4 retains very similar proportions to the old RAV4 (length: 4.62 m vs. 4.60 m, width: 1.88 m vs. 1.86 m, height: 1.69 m vs. 1.69 m). Based on a revised version of the TNGA G-AK platform of the previous RAV4, the new model is equipped with a 2.5 petrol full-hybrid (F-HEV) engine with 183 hp / 191 hp or plug-in hybrid (PHEV) with 304 hp on both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive versions. The RAV4 plug-in hybrid is equipped for the first time with front-wheel drive and a more powerful 22.6 kWh battery (compared to 18.1 kWh previously), offering a range of up to 100 km in electric mode, 29 km more than the previous RAV4 PHEV. Inovev expects 1,000,000 sales per year of the new RAV4 produced in Japan, Canada, China and the USA.
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