New segment A models unveiled at the New Delhi auto expo of 2014

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New segment A models unveiled at the New Delhi auto expo of 2014

- The New Delhi Auto Expo 2014 has put great emphasis on small sedans from segment A, this segment represents the largest part of the Indian car market. India is indeed the country that has the largest proportion of small cars.


- To revive the Indian market down by nearly 8% in 2013 (compared to 2012), local manufacturers have unveiled their new models and future projects of small sedans from segment A: Suzuki introduced the Celerio (which replaces the Alto) Tata has presented the Bolt (a hatchback) and Zest (a sedan), Ford introduced the new Figo, Hyundai presented the Xcenta sedan model derived from the recent i10 hatchback, Chevrolet introduced the Adra, a small SUV and Nissan introduced the Datsun Redi-Go


- These inexpensive models are less than 4 meters long, in order to benefit from the tax advantages given to this type of model in Indi,  these models are inspired by the K-cars (Midget car) from Japan.


- A leader (Maruti-Suzuki) and a challenger (Hyundai-Kia) achieve 57% of vehicle sales in India. Tata failed to impose itself in the top 2 with its Nano that has not found a sufficient amount of buyers. Renault who is positioned rather at the top of the market, sells mainly the SUV Duster. But the French manufacturer has decided to also produce the Lodgy MPV to complete its Indian range and compete with the Toyota Innova MPV. It has also decided to launch an entry level vehicle (segment A) a very low cost model along the lines of the Datsun Redi-Go unveiled at the New Delhi Auto Expo. 


14-06-9  

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Renault is removing the Fluence ZE from its range

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Renault is removing the Fluence ZE from its range

- Renault has decided to remove the Fluence ZE from its range of electric cars.

- While this model was supposed to be sold at 10 000 units per year since 2011, according to the objectives of the manufacturer, it found only 4 000 buyers worldwide in three years (750 in 2011, 2 150 in 2012 and 1 100 in 2013).

- The bankruptcy of Better Place (charging system originally planned for the Renault Fluence ZE) and the arrival on the market of the Renault Zoe a cheaper alternative, probably caused a fatal blow to the lifecycle of the Fluence ZE.

- Nevertheless, the mixed sales record of Renault electric cars will necessarily darken with the removal of the Fluence ZE. However, the manufacturer claims that this model will go on under the Samsung brand (SM3 ZE) throughout Asia, but nevertheless this is one less model for the range of the current leader of the electric car market in Europe, which now only consists of Zoe, Kangoo and incidentally Twizy whose distribution has also become rather sparse.

- Renault should undoubtedly focus its electrical activity on two models, a passenger car (Zoe) and a light commercial vehicle (Kangoo) The same way that Nissan is focusing on the Leaf.

- The Zoe was sold in 2013 at 10 000 copies in Europe (against a target of 50 000 according to the manufacturer) and the Kangoo ZE was sold at 6000 copies (against a target of 10 000 according to the manufacturer). 

14-06-10  

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The new generation Renault Trafic, Opel Vivaro, Nissan NV300

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The new generation Renault Trafic, Opel Vivaro, Nissan NV300

- The next generation Renault Trafic, Vivaro and Nissan NV300, which share the same body and the same platforms will be launched during the summer of 2014, after having seen their launch been postponed twice.


- Current generations of these three models are produced on both the GM plant of Luton (Great Britain) and on the Renault-Nissan plant of Barcelona (Spain). The next generation of Trafic and NV300 will be manufactured at the Renault-Nissan plant of Sandouville and the next generation Vivaro in the Luton plant.


- The Sandouville plant will therefore become a 100% dedicated plant to LCV whereas today it also produces PC (Laguna and Espace).


- The new generations of the Espace and the Laguna (planned for 2014 and 2015 respectively) will be manufactured in the Douai plant (alongside the Renault Scénic). This is a significant production transfer for the Renault-Nissan group.


- The arrival of the new Trafic and NV300 will take place in a context of massive under-utilization of the plant (poor sales of the Espace and Laguna). With these new models, Sandouville should quickly regain a utilization rate of around 70% (ie. 100 000 vehicles produced out of a production capacity of 150 000 per year).


- For the Barcelona plant, the production loss due to commercial vehicles will be compensated by the arrival of a Nissan sedan from segment C. As regards to the Luton plant, GM has not announced any new models to compensate for the loss of production there.


14-06-7  

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The European market for LUV stagnated in 2013

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The European market for LUV stagnated in 2013

- The European market (29 countries) for light commercial vehicles (LCV weighing less than 3.5 tonnes) remained stagnant in 2013 compared to 2012, but there have been positive results since September 2013, which bodes well for a gradual recovery in sales in 2014, alongside the European passenger car market.

- In 2013, nearly 1.5 million LCV  were sold in Europe (against 12.3 million PC), similar levels to those of 2012 or 2009, which were among the worst figures recorded since the 90s.

- Since 2007, the European LCV market has lost 37% of its volume (against 22% for PC), which is a significant amount.

- By manufacturer, the PSA group is the market leader (It had 28% market share in 2013) in front of the Renault-Nissan group (24%). Followed far behind by the Ford group (12%), Fiat-Chrysler (12%), Volkswagen (8%) and Daimler (7%). French manufacturers (PSA and Renault-Nissan) alone hold 52% of the European LCV market in 2013.

- By models, the figures are not yet fully known, but we can already say that the six most popular models are in this same order the: Ford Transit, Citroen Berlingo, Renault Kangoo, Peugeot Partner, Fiat Ducato and Renault Master.

14-06-8  

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The Argentinean passenger car market grew by 8.8% in 2013

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The Argentinean passenger car market grew by 8.8% in 2013

- The Argentinean passenger car market grew by 8.8% in 2013, to 730 000 units (against 671 000 in 2012 and 615 000 in 2011). This key market of South America (second biggest after Brazil) increased last year while the Brazilian market shrank by 3.4%.

- The Argentinean market really picked up in 2004 after the country’s economic bankruptcy in the early 2000s, apart from a drop in sales in 2009, the country has continued to grow since 2004. In other words, between 2003 and 2013 the volume of the Argentinean market was multiplied by 7.

- By manufacturer, the Argentinean market is quite diverse, since behind the Volkswagen group that has 19% market share, GM, Renault-Nissan and PSA groups are shoulder to shoulder with each 17% market share. The Ford group has 13% market share, just ahead of the Fiat-Chrysler group (11%).

- By model, the Volkswagen Gol (58 534 units) remains the market leader in 2013, followed by the Chevrolet Corsa (37 095 units), Renault Clio (33 760 units), Ford Ecosport (32 561 units), Renault Duster (30 986 units ), Peugeot 207 (29 592 units) and Ford Fiesta (23 419 units).

14-06-6  

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