In 2021, production in Great Britain has fallen almost to Italy's level
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In 2021, production in Great Britain has fallen almost to Italy's level
- Great Britain was the first automobile producer country in Europe during the years 1945-1955, then the second country behind Germany between 1956 and 1960 and between 1963 and 1965, then the third country behind France and then finally the fourth country behind Spain. The share of the British automobile industry has been steadily declining since the 1950s, and the collapse of the British Leyland group in the 1980s destroyed much of the industry. The arrival of Japanese carmakers on British soil only partially offset the disintegration of the British Leyland group.
- Since the Brexit vote in 2016 (Great Britain's exit from the European Union), the British automotive industry is going through a new crisis, as its production volume has gradually decreased from 1.8 million units in 2016 to 950,000 in 2021. A drop of nearly 50%.
- The Japanese carmaker Honda closed its plant in Swindon in 2021, and this closure follows a long list of closures including those of Longbridge (Rover), Dagenham (Ford), Southampton (Ford) and Ryton (Peugeot) from the beginning of the 2000s. The Stellantis plants in Luton and Ellesmere Port have seen their capacities cut in half. And now we learn that Jaguar is put into hibernation until 2025, causing the Castle Bromwich factory to close.
- In 2021, production in Great Britain has fallen almost to Italy's level and the forecast for 2022-2025 are not optimistic. Italy could overtake Great Britain in terms of production in the next few years.
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Are the SUVs surpassing the sedans in the B segment in Europe?
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Are the SUVs surpassing the sedans in the B segment in Europe?
B-segment SUVs have grown a lot in recent years to complement the SUV offering. It is especially the case in Europe as B-segment SUVs have some success, grabbing a lot on the B-segment sedans market. Are the SUVs dethroning the sedans from the main carmakers in Europe? To answer this question, Inovev listed the ten best-selling B-segment sedans in Europe and compared them to the sales volume of SUVs from the same segment within the same brands.
- Ford: The Puma SUV is sold more than the Fiesta, but both models saw their sales fall in the second half of the year.
- Peugeot: The 2008 SUV is sold as much as the 208, but seems to gain the advantage from October.
- Opel: The Mokka SUV has come a long way since its launch and is getting closer to the sales level of the Corsa.
- Renault: The Captur SUV sales volume is little less than the Clio, but is very closed in July-August.
- Volkswagen: The T-Cross SUV sales volume is a little less than the Polo, with a gap between the two models being regular.
- Skoda: The Kamiq SUV is sold as much as the Fabia, but the Fabia takes over from September (new generation).
- Seat: Seat is one of the few brands where the SUV (Arona) is more sold than the equivalent sedan (Ibiza).
- Citroën: The C3 Aircross SUV is quite far ahead of the C3 sedan here.
- Fiat: As for Citroën, the SUV 500X is far behind the sedan 500.
- Mini: As for Citroën and Fiat, the Countryman SUV is quite far behind the Mini sedan.
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Nissan unveils its “Ambition 2030” Plan
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Nissan unveils its “Ambition 2030” Plan
- The Japanese carmaker Nissan (from the Renault-Nissan Alliance) has unveiled its “Ambition 2030” Plan which defines its industrial and commercial strategy from 2022 to 2030. This Plan is characterized by the launch of 23 new plug-in electric models (BEV and PHEV) including 15 battery electric models (BEV) and 8 plug-in hybrid models (PHEV).
- These new models aim to represent 50% of the brand's sales in 2030, or between 2 million and 2.5 million units at this date according to Inovev's calculations, as the volume will depend on the size of the global market and the influence of the brand at that time. It is to remind that Nissan sold 5 million vehicles in 2019 and 4 million vehicles in 2020.
- Nissan indicates that it wants to become carbon neutral by 2050 for its cars in circulation, therefore carbon neutral by 2035 for its new cars, the maximum age of passenger cars being estimated at 15 years at that time. The carmaker wants to sell 75% of plug-in electric cars in Europe in 2030, 55% in Japan, 40% in China and 40% in the United States.
- Nissan's “Ambition 2030” Plan also involves the creation of new solid state batteries (ASSB) which will allow better performance, greater range, shorter recharging time, and finally, thanks to in-house production, prices of electric cars equivalent to those of thermal cars. In summary, the Japanese carmaker wants to square the circle, by promising the electric car accessible to all. An ambitious goal for a pioneer brand in the battery electric vehicle (with the Leaf), which has failed to maintain its position and develop a wider range of vehicles, unlike a direct competitor like Volkswagen.
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Inovev forecasts 30,000 units per year of the new Suzuki S-Cross
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Inovev forecasts 30,000 units per year of the new Suzuki S-Cross
- Suzuki has just unveiled the new generation of its S-Cross SUV, the current generation launched in 2013 replaced the SX4 developed in partnership with Fiat. The new S-Cross is getting a bit bigger with a length of 4.30 m, a width of 1.79 m and a height of 1.58 m. Its styling is more massive than before and 48V Mild Hybridization (MHEV) is maintained, but a full hybrid (HEV) version is scheduled for next year. This hybrid version comes from Toyota, a Suzuki partner for several years.
- The renewal of the S-Cross seeks to better differentiate this model from the Vitara. The S-Cross is indeed closer to the dimensions of a Toyota CHR (4.36 m) than a Vitara (4.17 m). This means that Suzuki intends to reposition its model on the C-segment, because the carmaker is already present in the B-segment with the Vitara. It is to remind that the Suzuki model positioned above the S-Cross in the lineupis the Across (D-segment) a rebranded Toyota RAV4 whose length reaches 4.64 m.
- The new Suzuki S-Cross is equipped with the 1.4 liter turbo petrol engine with 129 hp already mounted on the previous generation. The model is still marketed in two-wheels drive (front-wheel drive) or four-wheels drive.
- Its assembly is still made at the Hungarian plant of Esztergom (Inovev forecasts 30,000 annual units, against less than 20,000 in 2021 for the previous generation) but it is possible that it will be produced later in India for the local demand.
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Read more... Inovev forecasts 30,000 units per year of the new Suzuki S-Cross
Is Jaguar in danger of disappearing after 2025?
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Is Jaguar in danger of disappearing after 2025?
- Following our previous analysis on the repositioning of the Jaguar brand, we learned in November that the British carmaker was going to be "put into hibernation" until 2025, which means that the various current models of the brand (XE, XF, E-Pace, F-Pace, I-Pace and F Type) will run until the end of their lifecycle, sedans until 2022 and SUVs until 2024, before the launch of all new battery electric models (BEV) in 2025.
- There will therefore be no new model by then, the project of the future XJ (in the final phase of development) having been abandoned. The plan to share platforms with Land Rover was also abandoned.
- Jaguar now wants to target the luxury market of Bentleys and Rolls-Royces, meaning selling cars more expensive but produced in smaller quantities than current Jaguars volume. The idea would be to produce between 10,000 and 20,000 cars each year at prices above 150,000 euros, while today the price list ranges from 45,000 to 130,000 euros at the carmaker. It means that the electric I-Pace, which anticipates the future battery electric range from Jaguar, would be a far too affordable model compared to the future range, as its price does not exceed 80,000 euros.
- This ambitious strategy turns out to be risky because the hibernation of Jaguar until 2025 could turn away a large part of the brand's customers towards the competition and experience shows that it is very difficult to recover lost customers after a few years. On the other hand, it is also difficult to win over customers in a very high-end market already in the hands of traditional, well-known and well-established brands. Finally, the years 2022-2024 are likely to be difficult for the sales network, which will see its orders drop drastically.
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