Plug-in hybrid cars in Europe over the first 7 months of 2017
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Plug-in hybrid cars in Europe over the first 7 months of 2017
- Rechargeable hybrid cars sold 73,636 units in the first seven months of 2017 in Europe, for 0.75% of the European market (29 countries) over the period. This is under 1% of the market and we are still very far from the 10% announced by several manufacturers for 2020.
- Hybrid rechargeable cars suffer from a price that is considered too high compared to non-rechargeable hybrid cars and especially to diesel cars, and from the insufficient number of charging stations, essential for this type of vehicle, in the various European countries.
- To a lesser extent, the limited number of available models can also negatively impact sales of these vehicles. However, it should be noted that the number of plug-in hybrid models is constantly increasing and will increase further from 2019, with the introduction of over thirty totally new models by 2025 from the Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW groups alone.
- In the first seven months of 2017, the Mitsubishi Outlander was the market leader (10,708 sales) ahead of the Mercedes GLC (6,917), VW Passat (6,864), BMW Active Tourer (6,055), BMW 3 Series (5,614) and Audi A3 (4,932). German manufacturers represent the vast majority of plug-in hybrid models on the European market.
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Rolls-Royce unveils the eighth generation of the Phantom
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Rolls-Royce unveils the eighth generation of the Phantom
- The British Rolls-Royce range has always featured two distinct series, the Phantom limousine series at the top of the range, and a series of less expensive and less imposing sedans (formerly the Silver Cloud, Silver Shadow or Silver Spirit and currently the Ghost). This month, the luxury car manufacturer unveiled the eighth generation of the Phantom limousine, the first generation of which dates from 1925 and the seventh from 2003.
- The new Phantom, designed by German BMW (owner of the Rolls-Royce brand since 1998), retains the timeless silhouette of the Phantom launched in 2003. The new model retains the original BMW 6.75-liter V12 engine. In terms of price, the Phantom remains one of the most expensive cars in the world, at more than 400,000 euros.
- The new model will be manufactured at the Goodwood UK site, like all Rolls-Royce since 2003, when the historic site of Crewe was taken over by the Bentley brand, formerly associated with Rolls-Royce and acquired by the Volkswagen Group in 1998.
- Because of its price, the Phantom will always have lower volumes (a few hundred units per year) than the Ghost launched in 2010. Rolls-Royce’s biggest 2018 novelty will be the Cullinan SUV, which will be the first SUV of the brand. It will compete directly with the Bentley Bentayga SUV launched in 2016 by the Volkswagen group.
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FCA USA 2018-2021 Product Plan
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FCA USA 2018-2021 Product Plan
- The FCA group communicated the product plan for its range of vehicles manufactured in the NAFTA zone for 2018-2021. Vehicles launched in 2017, such as the new generation Jeep Compass, are not included in this list.
- For the next four years, emphasis will be placed on the launch of new SUVs, as of the next 12 launches, 8 will concern SUVs, 2 only will concern sedans or coupes and 2 will concern pick-ups.
- Concerning brands, the effort will be focused on Dodge (5 launches) and Jeep (5 launches). The Chrysler brand seems to be abandoned, with only two launches, and the 300 sedan seems seriously threatened.
- The B segment (Fiat 500) sedan will be phased out at FCA, as this model has not been successful in the US market. On the other hand, it is possible that the 500X (B segment SUV) continues to be imported from Europe to compete with the Chevrolet Trax and Buick Encore, which retain a low but stable market share.
- FCA will complete its range with brand new models like the Jeep Scrambler and Wagoneer, as well as the Chrysler Aspen and another Chrysler D Segment SUV derived from the Dodge Journey, whose name remains unknown.
- On the other hand, predicted volumes for Dodge Barracuda were deemed insufficient, and the project has been stopped. The most important launch will be that of the Dodge Ram pickup which remains FCA’s biggest selling model.
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Inovev expects production of 30,000 units / year of new Buick Regal
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Inovev expects production of 30,000 units / year of new Buick Regal
- The new generation of the Buick Regal marketed from this fall will be the last car of the brand derived from an Opel model. Indeed, the Regal is derived from the Opel Insignia which is the last Opel designed under the ownership of General Motors. As such, it can carry a Buick logo, but Buick will no longer be able to badge the next Opel models, designed under the ownership of PSA. The construction of the future Buick range will have to be done on a new basis, probably of Chevrolet models.
- The latest Opel-inspired Buick is exactly the same as the Opel Insignia launched in Europe in the first half of 2017. It is a D-segment sedan, competing with Ford Fusion (Mondeo), Lincoln MKZ, Chevrolet Malibu and most importantly Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and Nissan Altima which dominate the US PC market.
- In the Buick range, it is located above the Verano sedan (C segment) and below the LaCrosse sedan (E segment), this brand having neither a B nor a F segment sedan.
- Like the previous generation, the new Buick Regal is produced in Canada, in Oshawa, Ontario. It is the least produced model of the Buick brand in the NAFTA region and will remain so, as Inovev expects production to be no more than 30,000 units annually over the next five years.
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GM USA 2018-2021 Product Plan
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GM USA 2018-2021 Product Plan
- The GM group communicated the product plan for its range of vehicles manufactured in the NAFTA zone for 2018-2021. Vehicles launched in 2017, such as the new generations of Chevrolet Traverse, Chevrolet Equinox, GMC Terrain and, more recently, Buick Regal, are not included in this list.
- For the next four years, the focus will be on launching new SUVs, as in the next 14 launches, 9 will be for SUVs, 4 for sedans or coupes, and 1 for pickups.
- Concerning brands, the focus will be on Chevrolet (7 launches) and Cadillac (6 launches).
- A single launch will be for the Buick brand, which means that this brand will gradually become marginal in the NAFTA region line-up, while it will continue to prosper in China. It is true that the acquisition of Opel by PSA hampers the Buick brand inasmuch as its models were previously derived from Opel models (Verano, Regal, Cascada, Encore) that Buick will no longer be able to use in the future. The B-segment sedans (Chevrolet Spark, Chevrolet Sonic) will be phased out at GM, as these models have not met the expected success in the US market. The Chevrolet Cruze (C), segment Malibu (Dsegment) and Camaro (E Segment) are still too new to be replaced before 2022. The Chevrolet Impala (E segment ) however seems threatened.
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