Geely acquires 49,9% of Proton and 51,0% of Lotus
- Details
Geely acquires 49,9% of Proton and 51,0% of Lotus
- The Chinese group Geely has acquired 49.9% of the Malaysian brand Proton and 51% of the British brand Lotus which is owned by Proton. Geely plans to give Proton access to certain technologies it has developed with its subsidiary Volvo Cars and to certain markets where Geely is present. Geely could also use Lotus's expertise in composite materials and light manufacturing methods. Geely considers this technology to be transferable on all vehicles it sells in China. Lighter cars will help the brand meet future emission standards.
- Proton had tried to internationalize its sales between 2005 and 2015, but the Malaysian manufacturer did not succeed in sustaining this strategy, which would have enabled it to become a global player. Successive attempts to partner with PSA, GM, Volkswagen and Suzuki, between 2006 and 2016, have also failed. One of the reasons for these failures may be that the Proton company not only missed its internationalization but also saw its influence sharply decrease over the past three years in its own market for the benefit of the other Malaysian manufacturer, Perodua.
- Proton's worldwide sales were halved between 2013 and 2016, from 215,000 to 75,000, while Perodua's sales increased from 196,000 to 206,000 units at the same time. After taking over Proton, Geely will first have to relaunch the brand's sales on the Malaysian market before going international.
Contact us: info@inovev.com
Read more... Geely acquires 49,9% of Proton and 51,0% of Lotus
Volvo Cars will produce cars in India
- Details
Volvo Cars will produce cars in India
- Swedish carmaker Volvo Cars (a subsidiary of the Chinese group Geely) has announced that it will start producing cars in India, hoping to capture part of the local demand for Premium cars. Sales figures for Premium brands are not officially known, but Inovev estimates their volume at 25,000 / 30,000 units in 2016 (in a market of 3.67 million vehicles).
- Sales figures for Volvo Cars in India are estimated at 1,400 units in 2016 (all imported), which is 5% of the premium market in India. The Swedish manufacturer wants to double this figure by 2020 (to 10% of the Indian Premium market) by manufacturing locally from kits (CKD), which would avoid import taxes. Today, the best-selling premium brands in India are BMW, Mercedes and Land Rover that already produce CKD in India, precisely to avoid import tax.
- Volvo Cars has signed an agreement with truck manufacturer Volvo Trucks to install its own car assembly line in the Hoskote plant near Bangalore where Volvo Trucks produces trucks and buses.
- The manufacturer believes that India has great potential for development. Volvo Cars already manufactures cars in Sweden, Belgium, China, Malaysia and is expected to start production in the United States in 2018.
Contact us: info@inovev.com
Chevrolet will stop sales in India and South Africa
- Details
Chevrolet will stop sales in India and South Africa
- After deciding to withdraw from the European and the Russian market, the Chevrolet brand (the largest brand in the General Motors group: 4.18 million worldwide sales in 2016) has announced that it will also withdraw from the Indian and South African markets. In 2016, Chevrolet sold only 29,000 cars on the Indian market (with a total market of 3.67 million units) and 20,000 cars on the South African market (out of total sales of 520 000 units).
- In both markets, Chevrolet has small assembly plants (one in India and one in South Africa).
- In India, the Talegaon plant (59,000 units produced in 2016, mainly Spark) will continue to manufacture vehicles for foreign markets (this proportion will increase from 50% to 100% of units produced) pending a possible sale to another manufacturer (which GM prefers to factory closure).
- In South Africa, the Port Elizabeth plant (22,000 units produced in 2016) will cease manufacturing Chevrolet models. It will be sold to Isuzu, which already owns half of the plant, through a local joint venture. Isuzu will continue to manufacture mid-size pickups there.
- In addition, Chevrolet will sell its shares in Isuzu to a joint venture in East Africa and withdraw from this part of Africa. All these decisions will take effect before the end of the second half of 2017.
Contact us: info@inovev.com
Read more... Chevrolet will stop sales in India and South Africa
Inovev expects 95,000 sales a year of the new Skoda Karoq
- Details
Inovev expects 95,000 sales a year of the new Skoda Karoq
- Skoda, the Czech subsidiary of the Volkswagen group, unveils the replacement for the compact SUV Yeti (whose origins go back to 2009). It has a new name (Karoq) and is more clearly in the C segment (with such cars as the Nissan Qashqai, Renault Kadjar, Peugeot 3008, Volkswagen Tiguan, Opel Grandland, Ford Kuga, Seat Ateca).
- Karoq is built on the MQB platform, taking the engines, several body panels, and the overall dimensions (length: 4.38m, width: 1.84m, height: 1.60m) of the Seat Ateca. It will also be produced alongside the Ateca on the Czech site of Kvasiny, where the Yeti was produced and where the Kodiaq (D segment vehicle which can be considered as the 7-seater version of the Karoq) is also produced, as well as the Superb sedan (E segment).
- The Karoq engines are therefore identical to those of the Seat Ateca: 3 cylinders 1.0 gasoline 115hp, 4 cylinders 1.5 gasoline 150hp, 4 cylinders 1.6 diesel 115hp and 4 cylinders 2.0 diesel 150hp and 190hp.
- Sales of the Karoq will start in the fourth quarter of 2017. Inovev expects 95,000 sales a year, while Yeti has never exceeded an average of 65,000 annual sales over its eight-year series life.
- A third SUV (B segment) will complete the Skoda range by 2019. Known today as Polar, this SUV will be close to the future Seat Arona and Volkswagen T-Cross. Ultimately, the Volkswagen group should have 25 SUVs.
Contact us: info@inovev.com
Read more... Inovev expects 95,000 sales a year of the new Skoda Karoq
2016 European Hybrid Vehicle (HEV) Market
- Details
2016 European Hybrid Vehicle (HEV) Market
- The European market for non-plug-in hybrid vehicles (HEVs) picked up again in 2016 (+ 9%), despite a decline in 2015 (-3%). This growth is mainly due to the launch of new products, such as Toyota Prius, Toyota RAV4, Hyundai Ioniq and Kia Niro.
- In 2016, the volume of sales of non-plug-in hybrid vehicles reached 233,000 units. Over the same period, the market for electric vehicles (BEV) and rechargeable hybrids (PHEV) in Europe was 223,000 units in 2016 (+ 18% compared to 2015).
- In 2016, for the first time, the volume of sales of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in Europe is almost equivalent to that of non-plug-in hybrids. But with the ramp up of the new Hyundai Ioniq, Kia Niro and especially Toyota CHR, the sales volume of non-plug-in hybrids will rise again in 2017.
- The European market for non-plug-in hybrid (HEVs) is dominated by the Toyota group, with 90% of sales in 2016. The strategy of the Japanese group so far has been to strongly promote this type of motorisation, rather than bet on diesel, rechargeable hybrid, or electric. One Toyota car out of three sold in Europe is now equipped with a hybrid engine. The best-selling models in Europe are Yaris (67,000 units), Auris (58,000 units) and RAV4 (28,000 units) ahead of the Prius (21,000 units).
Contact us: info@inovev.com
Inovev platforms >