Inovev forecasts 150,000 units per year of the new Seat Leon
After successively launching three SUVs from different segments (Arona from B segment, Ateca from C segment , Tarraco from D segment) which meet the growing demand for SUVs all over Europe and even worldwide, the Spanish carmaker Seat (a subsidiary of the group Volkswagen) has just unveiled the fourth generation of its C segment sedan, the Leon.

The new model takes on the body style of the previous generation, with its six side windows, but the whole takes on certain stylistic codes of the Ateca. Designed on the Volkswagen group’s MQB Evo platform, the new Leon is 9 cm longer than the old one (4.37m) and its wheelbase increases by 5 cm (2.67m) which improves cabin space.

The new Leon will have to compete with the Volkswagen Golf, Skoda Octavia, Ford Focus, Opel Astra, Renault Mégane, Peugeot 308, Hyundai i30 and Kia Ceed mainly. It will be produced on the Spanish site of Martorell as previously. Inovev forecasts a volume of 150,000 units per year, slightly less than the volumes produced between 2014 and 2018, a period when the Seat SUVs had not yet been successful. Today, sedans are less popular with customers.

The Leon will be equipped with the following engines: a 3-cylinder petrol 1.0 TSI 90hp and 100hp, a 4-cylinder petrol 1.5 TSI of 130hp and 150hp, a 4-cylinder petrol 2.0 TSI of 190hp, a 4-cylinder diesel 2.0 TDI of 115hp and 150hp. A plug-in hybrid version of 200hp based on 1.4 TSI will be available later. The new Leon will be presented at the Geneva Motor Show next March for sales debut in April. Its Sports tourer station wagon version will be marketed in June.


    
 

Contact us: info@inovev.com 

The Renault group global sales (PC+LUV) drop by 3.4% in 2019
The Renault group (Renault, Dacia, Lada, Samsung, Alpine, Jinbei, Huasongglobal sales drop by 3.4% in 2019, with a volume of 3,753,723 units, against 3,884,273 in 2018, splited into:

• 2,357,093 units under the Renault brand (-6.9%),
• 736,570 units under the Dacia brand (+ 5.1%),
• 414,243 units under the Lada brand (+ 3.6%),
• 161,901 units under the Jinbei-Huasong brands (-2.2%),
• 79,081 units under the Samsung brand (-6.9%),
• 4,835 units under the Alpine brand (+ 130.9%).

The Dacia and Lada brands took advantage of their new models (Duster, Vesta, X-Ray) while the Renault brand suffered from the transition between old and new Clio, this model representing the major part of the brand's sales.

The Samsung brand remains in a fragile position, representing half the sales of the Chinese brands Jinbei-Huasong. This case will need to be resolved in the next few years, as the Korean plant has significant unused capacity.

Totally, passenger cars represented 3,129,434 units in 2019 (-4.1%) and light utility vehicles 624,289 units (+ 0.7%). Within the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, the Renault group maintained its positions in a global automobile market at -4.2%, while the Nissan group saw its sales drop by 8.4% to 5.18 million units (compared to 5.65 million in 2018). As a result, Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi lost its first world place in 2019, to the benefit of the Volkswagen and Toyota groups which have supplanted it. According to Inovev estimates, the Volkswagen group sold 10.7 million passenger cars and light utility vehicles, the Toyota group 10.5 million and Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi 10.2 million.


    
 

Contact us: info@inovev.com 

Volkswagen Group breaks its sales records (PC+UV) in 2019
The Volkswagen group (Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda, Seat, Porsche, Bentley, Lamborghini, Bugatti, MAN, Scania) again broke its sales record in 2019, with a volume of 10.97 million vehicles, against 10.83 million units in 2018, which represents an increase of 1.3%.

The Volkswagen group therefore remained the world's leading vehicle maker, when heavy utility vehicles (HUV) are included, ahead of the Toyota (10.74 million) and Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi (10.2 million) groups. Compared to 2018, the Volkswagen group increased its spread over the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi group, as the Franco-Japanese carmaker saw its sales drop significantly in 2019, due to the dropout of Nissan (-8.4% ).

The breakdown of the top five brands from the Volkswagen group in 2019 is as follows:

• 6,278,300 Volkswagen (+ 0.5%),
• 1,845,600 Audi (+ 1.8%),
• 1,242,800 Skoda (-0.9%) ,
• 574,100 Seat (+ 10.9%),
• 280,800 Porsche (+ 9.6%).

The global distribution of the sales shows that Volkswagen did not suffer too much from the decline in the Chinese market (37% of its sales), as the carmaker remained stable  (+ 0.7%) in a market down by 9.6%. In Europe (41% of its sales), the group was able to benefit from the successive and numerous launches of SUVs, and recorded an increase in sales of 3.9%. In South America, it recorded a 3.2% increase in sales.
On the other hand,
in North America, it recorded a 0.5% drop in sales. 


    
 

Contact us: info@inovev.com 

The PSA group global sales (PC+LUV) drop by 6.6% in 2019
The PSA group (Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel, Vauxhall) global sales drop by 6.6% in 2019, with a volume of 3,488,930 units, compared to 3,733,692 in 2018, splited into:

• 1,456,463 units under the Peugeot brand (-8.8%),
• 992,825 units under the Citroën brand (-5.1%),
• 977,130 units under the Opel-Vauxhall brands (-5.9%),
• 62,512 units under the brand DS (+ 17.5%).

The DS brand took advantage of its new models (DS3 Crossback, DS7 Crossback) while the Peugeot brand suffered from the transition between old and new 208, this model representing the major part of the brand's sales. The Citroën brand benefited from the new C5 Aircross but suffered from the weak sales of the C4 Space Tourer and the C-Elysée. The Opel brand is undergoing reconstruction with the launch of the new Corsa, but has also had to stop to market the Adam, Karl, Cascada and Zafira. In addition, the Opel Astra reached the very end of its product life cycle (it will be replaced in 2021).

The group's focus in Europe has increased, due to the absorption of the Opel-Vauxhall brands, the forced leaving of the Iranian market (the second in a few years) and the unsuccessful strategy on the Chinese market.

2020 should be a better year due to the ramp-up of the Peugeot 208, Peugeot 2008 and Opel Corsa, as well as plug-in hybrid versions of its 3008, 508 and C5 Aircross. However, no improvement is expected on the Iranian and Chinese markets. 


    
 

Contact us: info@inovev.com 

VW plans 100,000 units per year of the new VW ID 4 and Seat/Skoda versions
After presenting the Volkswagen ID 3 at the Frankfurt Motor Show last September, the German carmaker unveiled few weeks after the Volkswagen ID 4 which a SUV variant of the ID 3. It has all the technical characteristics of the ID 3, is marketed in the C segment as the ID 3  and will be produced in the same production plant, in Zwickau (Germany).

As for the ID 3, the ID 4 will be also marketed under Seat and Skoda brands, which will also be produced in Zwickau. All together, six different models from 3 different brands (3 sedans and 3 SUVs) will be produced in this plant.

As a reminder, Volkswagen has set the production capacity of the Zwickau plant at 200,000 units per year of BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicles), including 100 000 units for the ID 3 and its Seat and Skoda rebranded versions, and 100 000 units for the ID 4 and its Seat and Skoda versions.

This volume should be reached in the second part of the 2020s, as the production will grow slowly and gradually. The market is not yet ready to buy massively a BEV.

The ID 4 should be slightly more expensive than the ID 3, could be estimated at around 40,000 euros, also slightly heavier due to its larger dimensions.

The following models of the VW BEV range should be unveiled in 2020 and 2021. It should be the ID1 (A segment), ID 2 (B segment) and the ID Buzz which will be the alternative to the Kombi and Transporter (LUV/Mini Van) . An ID 5 (D segment) could complete the range in 2021 or 2022 as an alternative of the Passat.


    
 

Contact us: info@inovev.com 

Inovev platforms  >
Not yet registered ?