Category Blog

Details: Published: 06 September 2022

Chinese carmaker brands (excluding JV) are not all on the same boat

- Brands (excluding JV) Chinese manufacturers have decreased by 37% of the Chinese market in 2010 to 30% in 2013 (on the first three months of the year), but they are not all on the same boat.

- Indeed, when looking at the performance of the top 10 brands (see top ten below), we find that six brands have been declining since 2010 (Changan, Chery, FAW, BYD, Dongfengand JAC), while the other 4 continue to grow significantly (Geely, Great Wall, SAIC and Brilliance).

- In 2013, the decline is greater for some brands. Dongfengsold 60,897 vehicles (excluding JV) in the first three months of the year, 21.8% less compared to the first quarter of 2012.

- Within these Chinese carmakersthe multiplication of sub-brands was not as successful as planed.

- Thus, Chery announced at the Shanghai Motor Show, that it would abandon its three sub-brands Riich, Rely and Karry, while concentrating its production on the Chery brand (strategy change symbolized by a new logo).

- This announcement joins the Inovev analysis published in March, the relevance of multi-brand independent Chinese manufacturers strategies. View article "The Chinese groups' multi-brand strategy called into question“.

Data source: File #55 - Registrations in the World by makes

Contact us: info@inovev.com

Details: Published: 06 September 2022

The U.S. market has grown by 6.9% in the first four months of 2013

- Sales of light vehicles (passenger cars and LCVs) in the United States have increased by 8.5% in April 2013 compared to April 2012, to 1.29 million units and 6.9% accumulated over four months of 2013 vs. the same four months of 2012 to 4.98 million units. Carmakers still expect a market of more than 15 million vehicles for the full year 2013, which is possible given the current pace. Let us recall that in 2012, the american market reached 14.5 million units (against 12.8 million in 2011, 11.6 million in 2010 and 10.4 million in 2009).

- Regarding the passenger car market, the Toyota group is leading in the 1st semester of 2013 with a market share of 16.5% ahead of the GM group (13.6%), the Hyundai-Kia group (12.2% ), the Ford group (11.3%), the Honda group (10.4%), the Renault-Nissan group (9.9%) and the Fiat-Chrysler group (8.2%). German brands enjoyed a combined market share of 11.3% over the same period. Japanese brands achieve a combined market share of 42.7%.

- Concerning the market for light commercial vehicles (SUVs, minivans, and pick-ups), The GM Group was leading in the 1st semester of 2013 with a market share of 23.0% ahead of the Ford group (21.6%) and the Fiat-Chrysler group (15.6%). In this market, the Big Three (GM, Ford, Chrysler) still retain a major influence. However, Japanese brands enjoyed a combined market share of 30.6% over the same period ahead of German brands (4.6%) and Korean brands (3.6%).

Data source: File #55 - Registrations in the World by makes

Contact us: info@inovev.com

Details: Published: 06 September 2022

The Renault Flins plant will produce 82,000 Nissan Micra per year from 2017

- Renault has chosen the French Flins plant to produce the future Nissan Micra expected in autumn 2016. The current generation dates of 2010 and is built in India in Chennai. The previous generation was from 2002 and was built in Sunderland (Great Britain).

- Renault plans to produce 82,000 units per year from 2017, which represents a little more than the average annual sales in Europe of the current model and of the previous model in the past six years (2007-2012).

- This announcement follows the recent proposal of the management of Renault to to transfer a Nissan model to a Renault factory in France. We know that the production volume of the Renault factory in France has decreased in the last decade. Competitiveness Agreements recently signed by employees of Renault in France could explain this formalisation.

- The Nissan Micra will make better use of the Flins assembly lines, whose rate of use has been below 50% since 2011. The future Nissan Micra produced in France could share its platform with the Renault Clio and the Renault Zoe, also produced at Flins.

- This plant would be the group's first multimodelassembely line regrouping the production of vehicles from different brands (Renault and Nissan), but from the same segment (European segment B) and based on the same platform. The group's production would hence be optimised.

- Can such a policy be expanded to other vehicles, platforms and segments of the group? An analysis of the Renault-Nissan group, published shortly, will provide some answers.

Data source: File #101 - Worldwide production detailed by models

Contact us: info@inovev.com

Details: Published: 06 September 2022

The Spanish market is expected to stabilize at 700 000 PC's in 2013

- The Spanish market is expected to stabilize at 700,000 cars in 2013, with the continuation of a system of scrappage schemes (PivePlan), but much less ambitious than the Prever Plan, which was helped sustain and even develop the automobile market for ten years (1997-2007).

- The end of the Prever plan and the severe economic crisis that began in 2009 made the Spanish market drop by 56% in five years, from 1 600 000 to 700 000 units.

- Let us recall that the Pive plan provides an aid of 2000 euros (1000 euros from the government in 1000 from automobile brands) for the purchase of a new vehicle to replace a vehicle over 12 years old.

- Today, the unemployment rate in Spain is one of the highest in Europe (25%). The purchasing power has fallen sharply and the purchase of new cars is no longer a priority.

- Consumer confidence will take several years before returning. The Spanish car market is likely to be low for several years.

- Per carmakers, the VW group (24.1% market share) was ahead of its competitors in 2012 (thanks to its Spanish brand Seat), such as PSA (15.5%), Renault-Nissan (15.2%), GM (9.3%) and Ford (7.3%).