Ford unveils new Transit Connect and Tourneo Connect
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- Ford has revised the nomenclature of its commercial vehicles and PC (passenger Cars) derivatives. Thus, the name Transit is now applied only to the commercial model and Tourneo to its family (Passenger Car) variant. The utility vehicles Transit, Transit Connect and Transit Courier will be available in a family variant: Tourneo Custom , Tourneo Connect and Tourneo Courier.
- Ford has unveiled the new Transit Connect and Tourneo Connect based on the C -Max compact MPV (like the Renault Kangoo based on Scenic and Citroën Berlingo based on the C4 Picasso), and not on the Fiesta. In this way the new model is bigger than the old model and benefits from more roominess and load volume .
- The new Ford Transit Connect and Tourneo Connect will be manufactured in Spain and not in Turkey as the old model. The Valencia plant product indeed the C -Max and Kuga which share the same platforms.
- The new models measure 4.42 m ( 4.28 m against the older generation ) and are also available in a long version which measures 4.82m.
- The Transit Connect (whose sales have collapsed since 2011 is positioned, within the range of European Ford utility vehicles, between the Transit Custom (same category as Class Mercedes Vito and Opel Movano) and the Transit Courier (same category as Peugeot Bipper and Citroen Nemo) which will be unveiled next year (but a prototype was unveiled earlier this year).
Read more... Ford unveils new Transit Connect and Tourneo Connect
Mazda will start production at its new Mexico factory in January 2014
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This Toyota vehicle, a sub-compact car based on the Mazda2, will start to be produced around the summer of 2015 (50 000 units per year).
Read more... Mazda will start production at its new Mexico factory in January 2014
BMW unveiled the fourth generation of the Mini
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Iran wants the arrival of new car manufacturers
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- Due to the tightening of US restrictions on Iran’s automotive industry, production fell in this country from 1 600 000 vehicles in 2011 down to 800,000 in 2013 (see previous analyses of Inovev).
- Even before the relaxation of the restrictions which have been promised by Americans within the frame of the 24 November agreement on the nuclear industry, Iran had announced that it invited major foreign automakers to launch or resume production on its territory.
- Renault and PSA could therefore return to Iran next year if all conditions are met. The two French manufacturers have lost production of 500,000 vehicles in 2013 compared to 2011 ( 100,000 for Renault and 400,000 for PSA ).
It is therefore worth for them to return to this market as quickly as possible.
- Other carmakers may also be interested in the potential of this market which has grown from 1 million to 1.6 million vehicles from 2005 to 2011, an increase of 100,000 units each year for six years, including Japanese, Korean and Chinese manufacturers,
(Chinese carmakers have already significantly developed their sales in the near-by Africa). Currently only the Hyundai- Kia Group, through its partnership with the second Iranian manufacturer SAIPA, continues its production in Iran, by the side of Khodro, first Iranian manufacturer.
Read more... Iran wants the arrival of new car manufacturers
First signs of improvement in the French, Spanish and Italian markets
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- The European market has significantly improved during the second half-year of 2013 in comparison with the first half-year of the same year (+3.3% in the July-October period against -6 , 5% in the January-June period). It is mainly the South countries - who had experienced a sharp drop in registrations in the first half of the year (mainly France , Italy and Spain ) – which have improved their performance in the second half-year.
- In France for example, three recent months (July, September, October) turned positive compared to 2012, while the first six months were strongly negative (-11 %).
- In Italy , the improvement is less noticeable even though the last four months show a decrease of 4 %, while the first six months fell by 10%.
- In Spain, the improvement in the second half-year is very clear ( +28.5 % in September and +34.4 % in October ), while the first six months were negative (-5 %). The Faconauto (Association of Spanish dealers ) expects 715,000 registrations in 2013 against 700,000 in 2012, the first annual increase since 2010.
- Southern markets - which weighed heavily on the Europe-as-a-whole performance - are now on the road to recovery. These three countries represent a third of registrations of Western Europe and 30% of those of the European Union.
Read more... First signs of improvement in the French, Spanish and Italian markets