Stellantis discontinues the Ram 1500 BEV in the USA
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Stellantis discontinues the Ram 1500 BEV in the USA
- Like its competitors GM and Ford, which had launched the full-size Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, and Ford F-Series pickups to complement their internal combustion engine lineups, Stellantis decided to add an battery electric version to its full-size pickup, the Ram. Among the many Ram pickup models available, it was decided to offer the battery electric version on the most compact and lightweight model, the Ram 1500, just as GM and Ford had done with the most compact and lightweight versions of the Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, and Ford F-Series.
- Stellantis had the good idea of waiting for GM and Ford to work out the kinks, that is to say, to observe whether the electric pickup truck market would develop or not, and to see whether its competitors would succeed or fail in this venture.
- The result is that this market is still not taking off, after several years of presence of GM and Ford, since the Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC Sierra EV, Ford F-Series Lightning have totaled only about 150,000 sales in three years, or 50,000 units per year on average, while their internal combustion engine versions sell in total nearly two million units per year on average. Production of electric versions of these pickup trucks is even slightly down in 2025 compared to 2024.
- Stellantis concluded that the market for electric pickup trucks didn't exist and therefore decided not to market the Ram 1500 BEV pickup, even though it was ready. No units were sold. The carmaker ultimately decided to replace it later with a REEV version of its Ram 1500 pickup.
The VW Group, with nearly one million BEVs sold in 2025, is the 5th largest BEV carmaker in the world
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The VW Group, with nearly one million BEVs sold in 2025, is the 5th largest BEV carmaker in the world
- The Volkswagen Group sold nearly one million battery electric vehicles worldwide in 2025 (985,000 units to be exact), compared to 765,000 in 2024, representing a 30% year-on-year increase. However, the number of BEVs sold by the Volkswagen brand itself decreased.
- Indeed, in 2025, there were 417,000 Volkswagens, 246,000 Audis, 180,000 Skodas, 81,000 Cupras, and 61,000 Porsches. In 2024, there were 438,000 Volkswagens, 169,000 Audis, 82,000 Skodas, 43,000 Cupras, and 33,000 Porsches. It is therefore clear that there were fewer sales of battery electric Volkswagens in 2025 than in 2024, and that the BEV range expanded across other Volkswagen Group brands, such as Audi, Skoda, Cupra, and Porsche.
- Of the 985,000 BEVs sold by the Volkswagen Group worldwide in 2025, the ID.3, ID.4, ID.5, ID.6, and ID.7 accounted for 375,000 units, compared to 404,000 in 2024, representing a year-on-year decrease of 29,000 units. This demonstrates the relative success of these models. In percentage terms, the picture is even more striking, as the ID.3, ID.4, ID.5, ID.6, and ID.7 represent only 39% of the Volkswagen Group's global BEV sales in 2025, down from 53% in 2024. The ID. Polo, ID. Cross, Skoda Epiq , and Cupra Raval B-segment models are expected to launch in 2026.
- With sales of 985,000 vehicles in 2025, the Volkswagen Group ranks fifth among BEV carmakers, behind BYD (2.6 million units), Tesla (1.6 million units), Geely (1.4 million units) and GM (1.1 million units including Wuling), but ahead of Changan (0.58 million units) and Leapmotor (0.52 million units).
Porsche has seen its global sales decline again by 10% in 2025
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Porsche has seen its global sales decline again by 10% in 2025
- After spectacular growth between 2009 and 2019, the sports carmaker Porsche (a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group) experienced a second poor year in 2025 , following the underperformance of 2024. Its global sales fell by 10% to 279,449 vehicles (22% BEVs and 12% PHEVs), compared to 310,718 the previous year. Peak production was reached in 2022, with 337,523 vehicles produced. In two years, Porsche's global sales have decreased by nearly 57,000 units.
- The Chinese market is primarily responsible for the decline in Porsche sales, as the carmaker's sales plummeted by 26% in 2025 compared to 2024, despite this market having been Porsche's largest in recent years. Porsche sales in China reached only 41,900 units in 2025, compared to 56,900 in 2024 and 79,300 in 2023. What are the causes of this drop in Porsche sales in China over the past two years?
1. An economic slowdown in China which is weighing on premium purchases.
2. Local competition has become extremely aggressive, with Chinese brands having made a spectacular technological leap. Their selling prices can be 20% to 40% lower.
3. A difficult electric transition for Porsche.
4. A brand image that is less distinctive than before.
5. Saturation of the Chinese premium market. The Chinese luxury car market has reached a certain level of maturity with a dozen different brands. Growth is no longer automatic as it was in the 2010s. Brands now have to fight to maintain their market share.
The South African plant of Nissan is acquired by Chery
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The South African plant of Nissan is acquired by Chery
- The Japanese carmaker Nissan recently announced that it would make some of its underutilized assembly plants available to its competitors, either by selling them to a carmaker or by leasing them. It has already been observed that the Nissan plant in Barcelona, Spain, was acquired by the Chinese company Chery to assemble some of its models for the European market. Chery has now set its sights on another Nissan plant, which it has just acquired: the Rosslyn plant in South Africa. This plant had been producing the Nissan Navara pickup truck for African markets for about twenty years (mid-range pickups are highly sought-after vehicles on this continent) at a rate of 10,000 to 20,000 units per year, although the model experienced a production peak in 2018 (39,000 units produced). By 2025, production volume had fallen back to 10,000 units.
- While this factory is not of paramount importance to Nissan, for Chery it will represent its first production site in Africa capable of supplying the whole of Africa without being subject to high customs duties.
- South Africa benefits from a skilled workforce and modern logistics infrastructure. Furthermore, the South African government offers significant tax incentives to carmakers who produce locally.
- Chery, the third-largest Chinese automaker by production volume after BYD and Geely, can solidify its image as a global carmaker through this acquisition and prepare for the massive arrival of its electric vehicles, as South Africa seeks to attract this type of investment to modernize its automotive industry. For now, it remains unclear which Chery models will be produced at the Rosslyn plant.
The BYD Seal U was the best-selling PHEV in Europe by 2025
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The BYD Seal U was the best-selling PHEV in Europe by 2025
- In a European market (30 countries = EU + UK + Switzerland + Norway) of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) which represented 1,267,969 units in 2025 (9.5% of the market) compared to 952,058 in 2024 (7.5% of the market), and therefore which is growing by 33.2% (after a stagnation in 2024 compared to 2023), we note the arrival of completely new models, such as the Toyota CHR PHEV, the Jaecoo 7 PHEV, the MG HS PHEV, the Skoda Kodiaq PHEV, the Cupra Terramar PHEV, the Volkswagen Passat PHEV and even the Volkswagen Golf PHEV which is making a spectacular comeback, having tripled its distribution in 2025 compared to 2024.
- But is is the BYD Seal U D-segment SUV that became the best-selling plug-in hybrid model in Europe in 2025, just one year after its launch. This marks the first time a Chinese model has become the sales leader in its category on the European continent. The BYD Seal U PHEV recorded 65,866 sales in Europe in 2025 (compared to 6,200 in 2024), surpassing the Volkswagen Tiguan PHEV (61,614 sales) and the Volvo XC60 PHEV (57,450 sales).
- The Volkswagen Tiguan made a spectacular breakthrough (+177%) in 2025 compared to 2024 thanks to the new generation of the model, but this was not enough to overtake the BYD Seal U.
- It should be noted that the Chinese carmaker BYD produces both battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, but it is surprising that this carmaker has so quickly surpassed all other established European players like the Volkswagen Tiguan PHEV or the Volvo XC60 PHEV with the Seal U. This is a significant event.
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