Suzuki is selling rebranded versions of Toyota RAV4 and Corolla
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Suzuki is selling rebranded versions of Toyota RAV4 and Corolla
- Following the agreements between Toyota and Suzuki, two of the best-selling Toyota models in Europe will be sold with the Suzuki brand. These are the Toyota RAV4 renamed Suzuki Across (D segment SUV) and the Toyota Corolla station wagon renamed Suzuki Swace (C segment sedan). Suddenly these models become the largest ones (in size) in the Suzuki product range as this carmaker was until now a producer of small-sized cars, from A and B segments.
- The Japanese brand had in a recent past experienced a real commercial failure with its larger models, such as its C-segment sedan, the Kizashi (2009-2016), Suzuki customers being little interested in large models. The Kizashi was 4.65 m long. Before the Kizashi, Suzuki had proposed the Verona (2001-2006) sedan derived from the Daewoo Magnus, but this 4.75m-long model had not met any success.
- Today, the launch of the Suzuki Across (4.63 m long) and Swace (4.65 m long) arise questions, because the commercial failures of the previous models in the C and D segments are likely to be repeated in the same way.
- These two Suzuki models are only offered in a hybrid version (with a Toyota engine) and are produced in the Japanese Toyota plant. The two models are marketed in Europe, India and Japan (Suzuki is no longer sold in China and USA). The only advantage of these launches seems that it will help Suzuki to complete its product range in India, where the Japanese brand has a significant market share, as the interest of these models in Europe seems very low.
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Inovev forecasts 650,000 to 700,000 units per year of the new Hyundai Tucson
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Inovev forecasts 650,000 to 700,000 units per year of the new Hyundai Tucson
- The Hyundai Tucson is a C-segment SUV launched onto the market for the first time in 2004. It's a crucial model for the Korean carmaker as its worldwide sales have exceeded 500,000 units per year since 2012 and 600,000. units per year since 2016. In 2019, its sales represented 620,000 units worldwide, against 650,000 in 2018. Hyundai is launching a new generation in 2020 (this is the fourth).
- The Tucson has been produced in Korea since its origins, but it is also produced in China for the local market, in the Czech Republic for the European market, and in Brazil for the South American market. The production of this model in the Czech Republic represents just over 150,000 units per year since 2016. The new generation will continue to be produced in these four countries, as before.
- The body of the Tucson gains 2 cm in length (4.50 m) and 2 cm in width (1.86 m). Its weight will exceed 1,650 kilos. The engines mounted are the 1.5 GDI gasoline direct injection and 1.6 CRDI diesel already used in the previous generation. In 2021, an hybrid version and a plug-in hybrid version will be added to the line up, but the carmaker is not planning a battery electric version.
- Inovev forecasts a volume of 650,000 to 700,000 sales per year of the new Hyundai Tucson, including 300,000 products in Korea, 200,000 products in China, 150,000 products in the Czech Republic and the rest in Brazil, India and Russia.
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Inovev forecasts 25,000 units per year of the new Renault Arkana SUV
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Inovev forecasts 25,000 units per year of the new Renault Arkana SUV
- In order to catch up its slight delay in terms of sales over its competitor PSA which sold a little more than a million SUVs worldwide in 2019 (under its Peugeot, Citroën, Opel, Vauxhall and DS brands), against a little more than 900,000 units for Renault, Dacia and Samsung, the Renault group has unveiled the European version of its Arkana coupe SUV.
- This model is marketed in Russia under this name and in Korea under the name XM3. The Russian version is based on the Dacia Duster (M0 platform) while the Korean version is based on the Renault Clio and Captur (CMF-B platform). The Korean version will be imported to Europe, not the Russian version. Even if the Arkanauses the Captur platform (4.23 m long) and not the Kadjar (4.49 m long) one, it is 8 cm longer than the Kadjar (4.57 m long ). On the other hand, the width of 1.80 m is less than 4 cm than the Kadjar.
- The Arkana will be marketed from spring 2021 with a 1.3 TCE engine developing 140 hp or 160 hp. Then the model will be available the following summer in an hybrid version (HEV), as the one used by the Renault Clio and not the plug-in version (PHEV) of the Renault Captur.
- Inovev forecasts 25,000 units per year of the new Renault Arkana imported from the Busan plant in Korea, where the Renault Koleos and its Korean version QM5 are also produced. It is to remind that the production of the Koleoshas never exceeded 20,000 units per year, while the Kadjar reached 150,000 units in 2016 before falling to 130,000 in 2019. Finaly, the Kadjar will be replaced in spring 2021 by a new generation based on the CMF-C / D platform.
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Opel continues to see market share shrink
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Opel continues to see market share shrink
- The European subsidiaries of the American group GM (Opel, Vauxhall) were bought in 2017 by the French group PSA, after belonged to the GM group for nearly 90 years.
- The European market leaving from the American group therefore greatly benefits to PSA group, which gains new production capacities and an opportunity to increase the use of its platforms and engines. This policy should continue to be developpedwith the next merger with Fiat, Alfa-Romeo and Lancia scheduled for 2021.
- Regarding Opel-Vauxhall (which we will call Opel here for an easy understanding), its market share has been steadily shrinking in Europe, from 12.5% in 1995 to 4.2% in 2020. In Germany, its first market, the market share declined from 16.8% in 1995 to 4.6% in 2020. The takeover by PSA in 2017 did not reverse this trend, it was even worst as the decline grown in 2020 compared to previous years. It is true that the end of the Opel Adam, Karl, Cascada, Mokka, Zafira can partly explain this decrease in the brand's market share. The imminent launch of the new Mokka and Astra models could however boost the carmaker sales.
- But the positioning of Opel in PSA is not yet clear, especially as the Fiat brand will position itself in the Stellantis group in the same market as Opel, meaning the entry-level generalists.
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There will be nearly no more American sedans produced in the NAFTA region in 2021
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There will be nearly no more American sedans produced in the NAFTA region in 2021
- 2020 was a very bad year for American brands sedans produced in the NAFTA region. Carmakers like GM and Ford had notified last year that they remove most of their sedans made in North America, for the reason that this type of body had become a very small segment of the local market, with customers going massively on SUVs and crossovers.
- The GM group has therefore eliminated the Chevrolet Cruze, Volt, Impala as well as the Buick LaCrosse and Cadillac ATS, XTS, CTS and CT6 this year. The Ford Group has phased out all of its sedans produced in North America, namely the Fiesta, Focus, Fusion and Taurus. The FCA group had already discontinued several of its sedans in previous years.
- This strategy of American carmaker leaves the market open to Japanese, Korean and German carmakers which can grab this sedan market that will represent nearly four million units in 2020, in the United States alone. This market represents 25% of the light vehicle registrations in the USA, which has been declining steadily for the past fifteen years, but we observe that the volumes are not negligible, since they still represent a market larger than that of Germany, for example. The only American sedans still produced today in North America are the Chevrolet Bolt, Chevrolet Malibu, Chevrolet Sonic, Cadillac CT5, Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Lincoln Continental and of course the Tesla Model 3 and Model S. Except from Tesla, it seems that several of these models are condemned at short term.
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