Renault hopes to quickly resume production in Iran

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Renault hopes to quickly resume production in Iran
 

- Renault hopes to resume quickly  its activities in Iran  after the effective lifting of sanctions against Tehran expected in January 2014.  The manufacturer states that it will anticipate the activity resumption in order to be operational as quickly as possible.


- Renault was an important player in the Iranian automotive market until it freeze its activities in July due to the tightening up of the embargo decided by the Americans. The French automaker sold 103,000 vehicles in Iran in 2012, most of these vehicles being produced in Iran (this volume represented 5% of the world production of Renault. The figures for 2013 are not yet known but they will likely be closer to 50,000 than 100,000.


- Vehicles manufactured in Iran until last summer were Tondars, cars derived from first generation of Dacia Logan which has been manufactured in Romania from 2004 to 2012.


- Even if Renault and PSA have stopped production in Iran, automobile demand in this country remains very important, since the fleet of 20 million cars is aging and composed mostly of old Paykan whose origins date back to the 60s, and the rate of motorization in Iran remains low ( 90 cars per 1 000 inhabitants , against more than 500 in Europe). This market has a potential of 1.5 to 2 million cars per year (equivalent to the Italian market). However it will not exceed 800,000 units in 2013
(against 1.6 million in 2011 and $ 1 million in 2012) due to the embargo.


13-50-10  
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The seven finalists of the Car of the Year 2014

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The seven finalists of the Car of the Year 2014
 
- In February 2014 will be held the fiftieth edition of the election of the Car of the Year, on the same basis as previous editions, namely a first selection made from all cars released during the previous twelve months, then the selection of seven to ten finalists vehicles through a first vote.

- Like each and every year the finalists for the Car of the Year competition were selected by all 58 EU members of the jury accredited for this award. The final election will be held in February 2014.

- In alphabetical order, the seven finalists cars acclaimed by the jury are:

- BMW i3, Citroën C4 Picasso II, Mazda 3, Mercedes S Class, Peugeot 308 II, Skoda Octavia III, Tesla Model S.

- By country, there are two French models, two German, one Japanese, one American and one Czech model.

- There are among the seven finalists two electric cars (BMW i3 segment B and Tesla Model S from segment F) and five combustion engine cars: three C segment hatchbacks (Mazda 3, Peugeot 308, Skoda Octavia) one minivan from segment C (Citroën C4 Picasso) and a limousine from segment F (Mercedes S Class). 

14-02-1  
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The Nissan Leaf will be sold in China under the name Venucia E30

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The Nissan Leaf will be sold in China under the name Venucia E30
 
- Nissan in partnership with Dongfeng  will soon be manufacturing vehicles in China, and will launch in 2014 on the Chinese market the  Leaf a 100% electric under the Venucia brand (brand dedicated to electric vehicles for this market).

- The name Venucia E30 (segment C) indicates that this brand will launch over the next few years other smaller models (E10 in segment A and the E20 in segment B ) that could use the electrical technology of the Mitsubishi i-Miev (for the E10) and also use the electrical technology from the Renault Zoe (for the E20).

- At the other end of the range, the E40 could be launched (segment D), this model may use the electric technology from the Nissan Leaf in larger body sizes (similar to the Chevrolet Volt).

- The Venucia E30 will be launched in 2014 in a weak Chinese electric vehicle market , since it provides a sales volume of 50 000 to 100 000 units (all brands combined). This same year, the global market should represent 20 million vehicles, representing a market share of approximately 0.25% to 0.50%.

- On the other hand, it is certain that manufacturers will offer more and more electric vehicles to Chinese customers, and Nissan will be positioned (via the Venucia brand) among the pioneers of this field. The Chinese government still expects a rapid growth of sales of electric vehicles in China, the government does indeed intend to promote such vehicles.

13-50-7  
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Suzuki unveils its lightweight modular platform

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Suzuki unveils its lightweight modular platform
 
- Suzuki has developed a new lightweight modular platform for its compact cars, in the same way as Volkswagen, Renault -Nissan and PSA groups have made before.

- For several years, car manufacturers have attempted to reduce the weight of their models, in particular by downsizing the engines and developing lighter platforms that can be used on different segments ( A-B or C-D or D-E).

- For Suzuki, the problem was easier to solve since this manufacturer produces and sells almost exclusively small cars (segments A, B and Midget): more than two and a half million per year.

- The new platform for segments A and B will be unified and used on Suzuki models manufactured in the whole world. The concerned models are Alto , Splash, Swift, Wagon R and their Indian derivatives. Midget continue however to keep their specific platform since these models are smaller than other models of the brand.

- Given the failure of the C -segment model Suzuki Kizashi, the Japanese manufacturer will no longer produce this vehicle, based on a specific platform. Suzuki will therefore reduce the number of its global platforms from four to two, by using only one platform for A- and B-segment cars.

13-50-9  
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The Ford plant in Valencia should double in volume in four years

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The Ford plant in Valencia should double in volume in four years
 

- In 2013, the Ford plant in Valencia, Spain, will have produced less than 200 000 vehicles, one of the lowest production on this site over twenty years.


- However , the situation should change next year. New models will be transferred from outside Spain to the Valencia plant.


- In 2013, the Transit Connect has been transferred from Turkey (Turkish Kocaeli plant is now focused on the Transit Custom).
And Ford has scheduled the arrival in 2014 of new generations of the Mondeo and Galaxy / S-Max transferred from Belgium (Belgian Genk plant closed in 2014).


- Conversely, the Valencia plant will no longer produce the C- Max minivan,  relocated in Germany, Saarlouis, where the Focus is produced on the same platform. In recent years, the site of Valencia lost successively the Ka (2008), the Focus (2010) and the Fiesta (2012).


- At total, the manufacturer plans to produce in the Valencia plant 380,000 units in 2017 (Inovev expects however only 330 000 vehicles), a doubling of production in four years. The Valencia site's capacity is now 400,000 vehicles per year. The plant would be used for 95% of capacity , a utilization rate similar to BMW or Volkswagen plants.


13-50-8  
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  1. VW is considering producing future Crafter in Poland
  2. British car production is close behind the French production in 2013
  3. BMW builds its first assembly plant in South America
  4. The Opel plant in Zaragoza should double in size in four years
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