The Geely group is the 16th biggest global manufacturer after Changan
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The Geely group is the 16th biggest global manufacturer after Changan
- The Geely group, which bought Swedish manufacturer Volvo in 2010, became the 16th biggest global manufacturer in 2015, with 1.07 million vehicles manufactured last year (of which 0.52 million were Volvo vehicles). Geely is ahead of Tata Motors (0.98 million), Subaru (0.94 million), Great Wall (0.75 million) and Chery (0.50 million), but not Changan (1.11 million).
- This ranking does not include Chinese manufacturers (such as SAIC, FAW, Dongfeng or BAIC) who have entered into partnerships with foreign manufacturers. Without taking these JVs into acocunt, Geely is the second biggest Chinese manufacturer after Changan.
- Without the support of Volvo, Geely would be at the same level as Chery in terms of production volume, which means that Volvo is crucial to Geely's strategy, both in terms of output and the sharing of components, technology and plants in markets where Chinese manufacturers still have difficulty establishing themselves (NAFTA, Europe, Japan, Korea).
- Geely has recently announced a new joint technical platform with Volvo. This will equip the entire Geely range and Volvo's future compact range (V40/XC40). This platform (CMA) is planned to be produced for 750 000 vehicles per year around the world in the short term, and then 1 million per year in the mid term.
- Geely currently has 10 different passenger vehicle models under its own brand, including 8 sedans, 1 MPV and 1 SUV, manufactured in 6 industrial centres in China situated in Chengdu, Xiantan, Lanzhou, Taizhou, Shanghai and Jinan. Under the Volvo brand, the manufacturer has a further 6 passenger vehicle models, manufactured essentially in Göteborg (Sweden) and Ghent (Belgium).
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Suzuki will have shaken up most of its range in just 5 years
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Suzuki will have shaken up most of its range in just 5 years
Suzuki, a specialist in small cars and the world's tenth biggest manufacturer, producing 2.9 million vehicles in 2015, will have overhauled its range in just 5 years:
- The S-Cross replaced the SX4 in 2013, the Celerio replaced the Alto in 2014, the Vitara replaced the Grand Vitara in 2015, the hybrid Baleno came out at the start of 2016 to accompany the Swift, the Ignis will go on sale at the end of 2016 to replace the Splash (Wagon R) and the Swift will be replaced in 2017. These are Suzuki's six most produced models, with almost 1.5 million coming off the production line in 2015, making up half of Suzuki's global production.
- It is the first time that the Japanese manufacturer has launched so many models (excluding midgets) in so little time. Suzuki explains that the large number of new models launched since 2013 is due to the conclusion of agreements with Volkswagen which had involved a specific study and then the postponement of new models for the period 2010-2013. Suzuki is therefore engaging in a catch up by launching several of its own new models between 2013 and 2017.
- Suzuki covers segments A and B with its new models, using SUV and sedan bodywork, in which it is a global specialist. It hopes to exceed 3 millions sales in 2016.
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China has become the biggest market for electric and rechargeable hybrid vehicles
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China has become the biggest market for electric and rechargeable hybrid vehicles
- Combined sales of electric and rechargeable hybrid vehicles since 2010 total 400 000 vehicles in the USA, 400 000 vehicles in Europe, 300 000 in China and 100 000 in Japan.
- Yet, in 2015, China became the biggest global market for electric and rechargeable hybrid vehicles (207 382 sales), ahead of Europe (189 230 sales) and the USA (115 262 sales). The previous year, the USA was the biggest global market, and China was the third biggest. But China saw a quadrupling of sales between 2014 and 2015.
- Several factors have contributed to the growth of electric and rechargeable hybrid vehicles in China. Firstly, the government has been calling on manufacturers for many years to launch these types of vehicles, mainly to combat the problem of pollution in large Chinese cities, but also to encourage Chinese carmakers to become leaders and specialists in electric vehicles.
- Groups such as BYD, Zotye, Chery or Kandi already have considerable expertise in this area, so much so that BYD (which has 5 different electric models in its range) manufactures electric buses on US soil. It is currently the only vehicle manufacturer with a production plant in the USA. This site currently produces 300 electric buses a year and its capacity is set to grow to 1000 buses a year.
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Fiat to launch the new generation of the 124 spider based on the Mazda MX5
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Fiat to launch the new generation of the 124 spider based on the Mazda MX5
- Fiat will launch a new generation of the 124 Spider in Europe and the USA in May 2016. Ths model, which will be based on the Mazda MX5, will be manufactured by Mazda at its Hiroshima factory. It marks the 50th anniversary of the model launched by Fiat in May 1966.
- This first generation was relatively successful up until being retired in 1985, with 200 000 produced in total (an average of 10 000 vehicles a year over 20 years), of which 170 000 were sold in North America and 30 000 in Europe. Fiat is hoping to repeat this success by launching a new generation in 2016, and is counting on strong sales in North America, as happened with the first generation.
- Fiat has once again become an important player in this region, thanks to its purchase of the Chrysler group during the financial crisis of 2009-2010 and the debut on the American market of different versions of the Fiat 500, which has seen considerable success in this market (200 000 sales in five years).
- The fact that the new generation of the 124 Spider is based on the Mazda MX5 is positive not only in economic terms, but also in terms of sales, as the MX5 has been the best-selling convertible in the world since 1989 (over 1 million vehicles sold in total), and also the best-selling in North America (800 000 vehicles sold since 1989, an average 30 000 per year over 26 years).
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The US diesel market is in freefall in 2016
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The US diesel market is in freefall in 2016
- The US market for diesel vehicles shrank by 6.3% in 2015 to 154 776 vehicles (compared to 165 236 in 2014), but it fell by 50% in the first trimester of 2016, to just 19 071 vehicles (compared to 38 694 in the first trimester of 2015).
- The reason for this dramatic fall was the Volkswagen group's suspension of its sales of diesel vehicles (Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche brands), a consequence of the tampering of diesel engines by the German manufacturer.
- In 2015, the Volkswagen group held 42% of the diesel market in the USA (even as much as 56% in 2014). This share fell to 0% for the start of 2016. BMW and Mercedes continue to sell diesel vehicles in the US market, albeit in smaller numbers.
- The best selling diesel models in the USA in the first quarter of 2016 were therefore made by manufacturers other than Volkswagen : Dodge Ram (11 999 vehicles), Chevrolet Colorado (1 089 vehicles), Range Rover Sport (988 vehicles), Jeep Grand Cherokee (941 vehicles), Range Rover (906 vehicles) and GMC Canyon (519 vehicles). These were mostly SUVs and pickup trucks.
- The increase in the share of diesel vehicles in the US market which had been observed over the last few years has been heavily compromised by the Volkswagen affair, which has damaged the diesel market as a whole. This share, which had surpassed the 1% barrier in 2014, fell to 0.89% in 2015, and then to 0.47% in the first quarter of 2016.
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