Stellantis Mirafiori plant will produce all Maserati models

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Stellantis Mirafiori plant will produce all Maserati models
- The Stellantis plant in Mirafiori (ex-Fiat), located four kilometers from Turin, was in the 1950s and 1960s the main factory of the Fiat carmaker, which produced millions of cars for the whole of Europe, at a time when Fiat was the second European carmaker behind Volkswagen. Then the factory saw its activity decrease, due, on one hand, to the construction of new plants in Italy (Melfi, Cassino), and the other, to relocations to countries with lower labour costs, mainly Poland (Tichy, Bielsko-Biala). Finally, it should be added that Fiat lost a lot of influence during the 80s and 90s, and even more so in the 2000s.

- Today, the Mirafiori plant (which narrowly avoided closure) produces the fully electric version of the Fiat 500 and the Maserati Levante.Indeed, the electric Fiat 500 really saved Mirafiori from an announced shutdown.

- The Stellantis group has announced that the Mirafiori plant (130,000 vehicles per year in capacity) will soon produce, alongside the electric Fiat 500, all Maseratis with thermal engines and those with electric motors. Today, Maseratis are produced in Mirafiori (Levante), Grugliasco (Ghibli, Quattroporte) and Modena (MC20).

- The Melfi plant (200,000 vehicles per year in capacity), which today produces the Jeep Compass and Renegade, as well as the Fiat 500X, is expected to welcome a new model, in addition to the three models already produced. All models produced on this site will be marketed in a plug-in hybrid version and in a battery electric version. We do not know yet the name or the brand of the fourth model planned on the Melfi site. It could be a Lancia brand compact SUV.


    
 

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Renault confirms the production end of Scenic, Espace and Talisman in 2022

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Renault confirms the production end of Scenic, Espace and Talisman in 2022
- The strategy of Renault to switch the French factory in Douai to battery electric vehicles will inevitably lead to the discontinuation of the thermal cars that were produced there until now.

- Consequently, Renault confirmed the end in 2022 of the Scenic (C-segment), Grand Scenic (C-segment) and Espace (D-segment) as well as the Talisman sedans and station wagons (D-segment), these three models being based on the same CMF-C /D platform.

- These models represented only a tiny share in the carmaker production, as less than 35,000 vehicles will be produced in 2021 in this plant, including 25,000 Scenic and Grand Scenic, 7,000 Talisman and 3,000 Espace.

- This factory, which was once the main production site for Renault MPVs (400,000 units per year in the early 2000s) suffered from the drop in demand for this segment of vehicle, to the benefit of strong demand for SUVs. However, Renault choose to produce its SUVs in Spain: the Kadjar in Palencia and the Captur in Valladolid.

- The Renault Scenic, Grand Scenic, Espace and Talisman will not be replaced, which means that the carmaker is leaving the MPV segment as well as the D-segment sedans. The name of Scenic could be used on the future battery electric SUV derived of the Mégane E-Tech Electric which has just been unveiled. It will be marketed from March 2022, when the Talisman will be discontinued. The Espace will be discontinued the following summer, then the Scenics and Grand Scenics in the fall. This is when the long version of Kadjar (probably named Koléos) will be launched and produced in Palencia.


    
 

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The production of D-segment sedans in Germany has fallen by 57% in 9 years (1/2)

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The production of D-segment sedans in Germany has fallen by 57% in 9 years (1/2)
- With the increased demand for SUVs, which now represent nearly 40% of the European market, the sedan category has declined significantly.

- If we analyse the production of the established German D-segment stars, namely the Mercedes C-Class, BMW 3-Series, Audi A4 and Volkswagen Passat, we see a real collapse in the production of these models in Germany, their country of origin and historical production site.

- Thus, the Mercedes C-Class decreased from 300,000 units in 2012 to 100,000 in 2021, the BMW 3-Series from 350,000 units in 2012 to 165,000 in 2021, the Audi A4 from 250,000 units in 2012 to 100,000 in 2021 and the Volkswagen Passat from 300,000 units in 2012 to 150,000 in 2021. These four models, which represented a good part of the German automobile production, with 1,200,000 units in 2012, only represent 515,000 units in 2021, recording a drop of 57% in nine years. If we go back further, we can see that these four models represented up to 1,335,000 units produced in Germany in 2005.

- However, these models were not sidelinedby German carmakers as they have been renewed regularly. In fact, demand for these models has shifted to SUVs of the same brands. In addition, the transfer of part of their production to China and USA or Mexico, replacing their exports from Germany, contributed to the fall in production of these models in Germany.


    
 

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The Daimler group officialise its split into two autonomous entities

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The Daimler group officialise its split into two autonomous entities
- The Daimler group (which should change its name to the former one of Mercedes-Benz) officialised on October 1, 2021 the split of the company into two independent entities: on one hand, the brand covering the passenger cars and light utility vehicles products, and on the other hand, a brand covering the trucks and buses products.

- The passenger cars and light utility vehicles division will become the Mercedes-Benz brand on February 1, 2022, bringing together cars and light utility vehicles assembled in Germany, United States, China and Russia mainly, as well as light utility vehicles produced in Spain and France. This entity produced 2.42 million vehicles in 2020, against 2.82 million in 2019, and is in twelfth worldwide rank, behind its competitor BMW.

- The heavy-duty division will keep the name of Daimler Trucks, as unlike the passenger car brand, the heavy-duty division brings together several different brands, including Mercedes, Freightliner, Western Star, Mitsubishi Fuso, Setra, Thomas Built Buses, Detroit Diesel, Bharat-Benz. This entity produced 371,000 vehicles in 2020, compared to 514,000 in 2019, and ranks second worldwide, behind its competitor Volvo Trucks.

- According to the management of the company, the split of the former Daimler group will allow the two autonomous companies to better face the challenges linked to the end of combustion engines, with completely different technologies: batteries technology for passenger cars and utility vehicles and hydrogen for trucks and buses.


    
 

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The production of D-segment sedans in Germany has fallen by 57% in 9 years (2/2)

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The production of D-segment sedans in Germany has fallen by 57% in 9 years (2/2)

- It is interesting to note that in 2021, the production volume in China of these four German D-segment models is now higher than the volume produced in Germany:

• the Mercedes C-Class in China reached 148,000 units, against 100,000 in Germany.

• The BMW 3 Series in China reaches 178,000 units, against 165,000 in Germany.

• The Audi A4 in China reaches 117,000 units, compared to 100,000 in Germany.

• The Volkswagen Passat in China reaches 154,000 units, against 150,000 in Germany.


- Chinese production of these four models is equal to 597,000 units in 2021, while it did not exceed 65,000 units in 2005, 265,000 in 2010, 500,000 in 2015 and 590,000 in 2020.


- The production of this four models mentioned in China, is only dedicated to the Chinese market. Gradually, German carmakers moved from exports from Germany to China to locally assembling models sold in China.


- Today, we are almost at the end of this process, as almost all volumes sold in China of these four models are produced in China. We are witnessing the same phenomenon for Premium E segment cars: Mercedes E-Class, BMW 5 Series and Audi A6. On the other hand, for premium F segment cars (Mercedes S-Class, BMW 7 Series, Audi A8), German carmakers still prefer to exports from Germany and not produced them in China.



    
 

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