The Smart Fortwo and Forfour are now available in an electric version
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The Smart Fortwo and Forfour are now available in an electric version
- Launched on the world market in autumn 2012, the former Electric Drive (ED) Smart Fortwo stopped being produced in the first half 2016 (700 units have been sold this year worldwide).
- The new generation of the ED Smart Fortwo and ED Smart Forfour were presented at the Paris Motor Show 2016.
- The ED Smart Fortwo combines the body of the Smart Fortwo, launched in 2014 and the engine of the Renault Zoe.
The ED Smart Forfour also uses the body of the Smart Forfour launched in 2014 and the engine of the Renault Zoe.
The electric versions of Fortwo and Forfour therefore benefits from the cooperation agreement concluded in 2010 between Renault-Nissan and Daimler.
The ED Smart Forfour also uses the body of the Smart Forfour launched in 2014 and the engine of the Renault Zoe.
The electric versions of Fortwo and Forfour therefore benefits from the cooperation agreement concluded in 2010 between Renault-Nissan and Daimler.
- The two main target markets are the United States (launch planned at the end of 2016) and Europe (launch in early 2017). Smart expects a proportion of 25% of electric car sales for the Fortwo and Forfour (i.e. 40,000 sales per year for all two models).
- The Smart ED Fortwo is produced in Hambach in France and the Smart ED Forfour in Novo Mesto in Slovenia, while the electric motor (R240) common to both models is made on the Renault Cleon site. Renault Twingo, twin sister of the Smart Forfour, could benefit from this engine around 2018-2019.
- The battery is produced by a subsidiary of Daimler, Deutsche Accumotive.
It would enable an autonomy of 150km (against 120km for the previous generation).
It would enable an autonomy of 150km (against 120km for the previous generation).
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Read more... The Smart Fortwo and Forfour are now available in an electric version
Hyundai renews the Elantra sedan (C-segment)
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Hyundai renews the Elantra sedan (C-segment)
- The sedan Elantra (Avante in some markets) is the Hyundai model brand the most sold in the world. Created in 1990 to compete with the popular Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla in the Asian and North American markets, the Elantra is very little spread in Europe where another C-segment model of the Hyundai brand predominates: the i30 which is produced since 2007 in the Czech Republic.
- Globally, Elantra totaled nearly 950,000 sales in 2013 and nearly 800,000 sales in 2015, against less than 200,000 sales of the i30 model. Due to such bigger sales volume in the world, replacing the Elantra is crucial for the Hyundai brand. The previous generation dated back to 2010.
- The new generation unveiled in 2016 is based on the platform used by the recent Kia Forte (known as Kia K3 in some markets), as Hyundai and Kia models now share all their platforms.
- The Elantra is manufactured as previously on five production sites: Ulsan (South Korea), Montgomery (Alabama USA), Beijing (China), Chennai (India) and Kaliningrad (Russia). In 2015, Korea produced 300,000 Elantra, China 300,000 as well (for the Chinese market) and the United States almost 200,000 (for the US market).
- With the new generation, the carmaker hopes to approach the million units sold per year in the world market.
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Honda unveils the new generation of the Civic
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Honda unveils the new generation of the Civic
- Honda unveiled the new generation of the Civic sold in Europe (the previous dating from 2011), thus respecting the life cycle of five years usually imposed on the brand's models.
- The new Civic will be produced in the UK plant in Swindon, alongside the CRV. It uses a new platform (platform however already used for the model sold in North America) which is announced as significantly reducing the vehicle’s weight.
- However, the new model is 13cm longer than the former model (4,50m instead of 4,37m) and consequently much longer than the C-segment competing models such as the Peugeot 308 (4,25m), VW Golf (4,26m), Toyota Auris (4,33m), Renault Megane (4,36m), Ford Focus (4,36m) or the Opel Astra (4,37m). So, the new Civic is approaching the dimensions of the upper range, which may be interesting after the removal of the Honda Accord from the European market, but remains risky in terms of sales targets, since D-segment European sedans’ sales are twice lower than the C-segment sedans’.
- The new Civic has two gasoline engines: a 3-cylinder 1.0l VTEC Turbo 129hp and a 4-cylinder 1.5 VTEC Turbo 184hp.
Honda does not offer diesel engines, while this type of engine still represents half the sales in Europe.
Honda does not offer diesel engines, while this type of engine still represents half the sales in Europe.
- Inovev expects annual sales of 45,000 Civic in Europe.
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The Japanese electric vehicles (BEV and PHEV) market in 2016
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The Japanese electric vehicles (BEV and PHEV) market in 2016
- In 2015, the market for electric vehicles (BEVs –Battery Electric Vehicles- and PHEVs Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles) totaled 26,000 units (against 20,000 units in 2014), making Japan the fourth largest market for electric vehicles, behind China (207,000), Europe (189 000) and the USA (115,000).
- In the first half 2016, this market represents 15,000 sales (+15% compared to first half 2015). Into these 15,000 units, the market for BEVs represents 11,000 units while the market for PHEVs represents 4,000 units.
- Also in the first half of 2016, Nissan dominated this market with 10,000 sales, ahead of Mitsubishi (more than 4,000 sales), other brands not exceeding 1000 units altogether. Nissan sells only BEVs (Leaf and NV200e) while Mitsubishi sells both PHEVs (Outlander) and BEVs (i-MievsMincab and Minitruck).
- The market is highly concentrated: only two models exceed 1,000 sales in the first half of 2016: the Nissan Leaf (9,500 sales) and the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (4,000 sales). Both models account for 90% of sales of electric vehicles in Japan. But the Toyota Prius PHEV is arriving onto the market.
- For 2016, Inovev forecasts an electric vehicles (BEV + PHEVs) market of 30,000 units, representing an increase of 15% compared to 2015.
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VW wants to sell 1 million electric cars annually by 2025
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VW wants to sell 1 million electric cars annually by 2025
- The BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) I.D. concept that was exposed by Volkswagen at the Paris 2016 Motorshow foreshadows a model which should be sold by 2020. The I.D. concept is a four-door B-segment sedan whose length is 4,10m (i.e. 2cm more than a Renault Zoe), based on a new modular platform of the VW group (called SEM) to be used for all BEVs of the group.
- Volkswagen announces a goal of one million BEVs sold per year by 2025, nearly 10% of total group sales across all models. The BEV derived from the I.D. concept will be the first member of a family composed of sedans of each segment, SUVs, and MPVs, sharing the same technical elements.
- Volkswagen plans various battery capacities for each future models, in order to develop an autonomy from 400km to 600km depending on the model. Renault exhibited at the Paris Motor Show 2016 a new version of the Zoe already displaying a 400km autonomy measured on NDEC cycles (to compare to 200km at the Zoe launch in 2012). The real autonomy in real driving of the new Zoe is certainly less than the 400 km measured on the standard test (probably 300 km instead of 400km) but this autonomy should be sufficient for many uses.
- The road will be long for VW to reach its goal of one million 100% BEVs sold per year as soon as 2025.
Volkswagen has sold indeed only 40,000 BEVs since 2010. It will sell 20 000 BEVs in 2016, while Renault-Nissan sold more than 300,000 BEVs since 2010 and will sell 80,000 in 2016.
Volkswagen has sold indeed only 40,000 BEVs since 2010. It will sell 20 000 BEVs in 2016, while Renault-Nissan sold more than 300,000 BEVs since 2010 and will sell 80,000 in 2016.
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Read more... VW wants to sell 1 million electric cars annually by 2025
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