Smart has seen its sales in Europe halved by two in 2025
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Smart has seen its sales in Europe halved by two in 2025
- Contrary to Mercedes and Geely 's forecasts, sales of the Smart brand (owned 50% by Mercedes and 50% by Geely) are currently much lower than when the brand only offered the Fortwo in European markets. They are also significantly lower than the targets set by the two carmakers (250,000 sales per year).
- The three latest Smart models #1, #3, #5 have failed to gain traction in either the European or Chinese markets. In 2025, their sales failed to take off in China (32,948 units in the first nine months of 2025 compared to 33,619 in the first nine months of 2024), and their sales were even halved in Europe (9,130 units in the first nine months of 2025 compared to 19,889 in the first nine months of 2024).
- Mercedes and Geely have agreed that the project to launch new electric Smart cars in higher segments has not lived up to its promises and that the launch of a cheaper model, such as the replacement for the electric Fortwo (#2), remains crucial for the future of the brand.
- As a result, Mercedes had to change its plans regarding the replacement of the Mercedes A-Class with a similarly sized Smart #4. The German carmaker has decided to replace its A-Class with a new Mercedes A-Class (likely in 2028) because a Smart #4 would have had less sales potential than a new Mercedes A-Class. The brand is therefore not abandoning the C-segment, contrary to what it announced a few months ago.
The Ineos Grenadier is selling much less than expected
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The Ineos Grenadier is selling much less than expected
- British carmaker Ineos, which took over the Mercedes factory in Hambach (producing Smart models), France, in 2023, is currently experiencing difficulties because its Grenadier model, powered by a BMW six-cylinder petrol or diesel engine and inspired by the former Land Rover Defender, is not selling as well as expected. Ineos reportedly aims to produce 30,000 vehicles per year in Hambach, but by 2025, production will not even reach 7,000 units, following the 7,500 units produced in 2024.
- In Europe, the vehicle is expensive (over €75,000, not including additional taxes in France) and faces competition from American, European, Japanese, and Korean (but not yet Chinese) internal combustion engine SUVs, which are often more modern and less expensive. In reality, the Grenadier primarily targets the Mercedes G-Class, which has a loyal customer base (40,000 sales in 2024 compared to 7,500 Ineos Grenadier). In the United States, its largest market worldwide, the Ineos Grenadier has recently been affected by the 25% tariff applied to vehicles imported from Europe, and its sales in that market have declined since August 2025.
- As a result, the carmaker's sales, which had peaked in June and July 2025 at more than 700 sales per month, have fallen back to less than 600 units per month, and the launch of the derivative pickup has not changed anything.
- Due to an extremely expensive penalty in France, only one Grenadier (all versions combined) was sold on this market in 2025. The carmaker has become aware of this problem and plans to launch an electric version with or without a range extender, called Fusilier, which should be released in 2026.
Toyota crowns its range with the Century brand
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Toyota crowns its range with the Century brand
- The Century limousine represented the pinnacle of the Toyota brand for several decades. The first generation of the model, equipped with a 3.0-liter V8 engine (later a 4.0-liter from 1982), was launched in 1967 and replaced thirty years later, in 1997, by a second generation with a 5.0-liter V12 engine. The first two generations were 5.27 meters long. They were (and still are today) the longest Japanese cars. The third generation was launched twenty years later in 2017. It marked the return of the V8 engine, replacing the V12, but this time enlarged to 5.0 liters and assisted by an electric motor, boosting power to 425 hp (317 kW) from the previous 295 hp (220 kW). The model's length was increased to 5.34 m.
- In 2023, a Toyota Century SUV equipped with a 3.5-liter plug-in hybrid V6 producing 406 hp (303 kW) was introduced, joining the limousine lineup. In 2025, at the Tokyo Motor Show, renamed JMS 2025, Toyota announced that Century would become an independent brand within the Japanese group, positioned above Lexus and thus in the ultra-luxury segment, with its primary targets being Rolls-Royce (which sells over 5,000 cars per year) and Bentley (which sells over 10,000 cars per year). Until then, Toyota Century production had never reached 1,000 units per year, instead hovering around 200-300 units annually. Century unveiled a coupe concept car at JMS 2025 that will give rise to the brand's third model, probably next year, much more expensive than a Lexus model.
Chinese cars now represent 8% of the European passenger car market
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Chinese cars now represent 8% of the European passenger car market
- Sales of Chinese cars (both Chinese-made and non-Chinese brands under Chinese control, such as Volvo) reached nearly 790,000 units in Europe (30 countries: EU + UK + Switzerland + Norway) in the first nine months of 2025, compared to 575,500 in the same period of 2024, representing a 37.3% increase year-over-year. These sales thus account for 8% of the European passenger car market at the end of September 2025, compared to 6% at the end of September 2024. By comparison, Japanese car sales represent 13% of the European passenger car market, and Korean car sales 8%. They also represent 11% of European sales of battery electric vehicles in the first nine months of 2025.
- Sales of Chinese cars are therefore booming, and this expansion is expected to continue, according to Inovev, due to the growing supply and greater acceptance of this type of car by European customers. This acceptance is undoubtedly due to the marketing efforts of Chinese carmakers, but above all to their immense achievements, particularly in design and technology. It's also worth noting that the prices of Chinese cars remain comparable to their European, Japanese, and Korean competitors, despite the additional taxes added to the base prices.
- The best-selling Chinese or Chinese-controlled brands in Europe remain Volvo, MG and BYD, but the gap between these three brands has narrowed considerably between 2024 and 2025.
- By model, two Volvos are among the top three best-selling Chinese cars in Europe, but the best-selling model remains the MG ZS, which has led this ranking for several years. A BYD ( Seal U) comes in fourth place.
Renault is offering an alternative to the European Commission's E-Car
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Renault is offering an alternative to the European Commission's E-Car
- The European Commission recently made a proposal to carmakers to try to revive the European electric vehicle market and achieve the goal of battery electric car sales in Europe by 2035. This proposal concerned the design, industrialization and marketing of small cars sold for less than 15,000 euros each, these models being inspired by the Kei cars sold in Japan.
- As a reminder, to be classified as a Kei car in Japan, a vehicle must not exceed 3.40 m in length, 1.48 m in width, and 2 m in height. Engine power is limited to 64 hp for internal combustion engines and 47 kW for electric motors. Engine displacement is limited to 660 cc for internal combustion engines. However, there are no weight restrictions, allowing for electric versions to be offered without altering the prescribed dimensional standards.
- Gerpisa (Permanent Study and Research Group on the Automotive Industry and Employees) is proposing the launch of M0 models, a new category composed of BEVs with a maximum length of 3.80 m and a maximum weight of 1,000 kilos.
- Renault makes another proposal: the launch of M1 models, BEVs with a maximum length of 4.20 m and equipped with a maximum battery capacity of 60 kWh, which allows the Renault 4 E-Tech and Renault 5 E-Tech to fall into this category.
- Currently, between 350,000 and 450,000 models produced in Europe theoretically fall under category M1E, representing approximately 3% of European production. There are currently no cars in Europe that correspond to category M0.
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