Details

Published: 31 July 2019

• France
• Production
• Renault-Nissan-Avtovaz

Inovev forecasts 50,000 new Renault Zoé per year

- At the same time as the PSA Group announced that at the end of this year it will have four new 100% electric (BEV) models - Citroën DS 3 Crossback E-Tense, Peugeot e-208, Peugeot e-2008, Opel e-Corsa - its competitor Renault  unveiled the new generation of its only 100% electric sedan, the Zoé (segment B).

- This second generation of the Zoe is very similar to the first, but the front end and hood have been modified. It is therefore more a major restyling than a complete renewal. It is a pity that Renault has not completely renewed this model, which dates back to 2012. It is also regrettable that Renault, after having gained a considerable lead over its competitors in the early 2010's in terms of electric engines, did not take the opportunity to develop a range of BEVs, by launching, for example, two or three different models in the A, B and C segments. Today, Volkswagen has invested heavily in electric powertrains and is preparing to launch many different models (sedans and SUVs) in the A, B and C segments. It is true that until 2018, the Renault Zoé remained the best-selling 100% electric car in Europe, ahead of the Nissan Leaf, but the situation should change completely in the coming years.

- The new Renault Zoé is equipped with a more powerful electric motor that allows a maximum range of 390km according to the WLTP cycle, 90km more than the previous model.  Zoé will continue to be manufactured at the Flins site in France, at a rate of 50,000  per year, according to Inovev.

    

 

Contact us: info@inovev.com 

Read more... Inovev forecasts 50,000 new Renault Zoé per year

Details

Published: 31 July 2019

• Production
• Volkswagen
• Germany
• Slovakia

Why Porsche transferred the Cayenne from Leipzig to Bratislava

- Porsche (a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group) transferred the production of its top-of-the-range SUV, the Cayenne (E segment) from the German site in Leipzig to the Slovak site in Bratislava last year, when the new generation of the model was launched.

- One may wonder about the reasons for this unexpected transfer. First of all, it should be noted that the Leipzig site has a production capacity of 200,000 vehicles per year and the Bratislava site has a production capacity of 400,000 vehicles per year.

- In recent years, the Leipzig site has been close to saturation, while the Bratislava site was operating at 75% of its capacity in 2018 (compared to 82% in 2017, 80% in 2016 and 77% in 2015) and therefore had unused capacity.

- This situation of overcapacity in Bratislava and under capacity in Leipzig could explain the transfer of Cayenne from Leipzig to Bratislava. This transfer would also have been facilitated by the fact that the Volkswagen Touareg, Audi Q7 and Audi Q8 SUVs share the same MLB platform as the Porsche Cayenne.

- How is the Porsche Cayenne's production volume compared to these three SUVs that share its platform?

- In 2018, 75,000 Porsche Cayenne were produced, compared to 45,000 Touareg, 68,000 Q7 and 17,000 Q8. Despite its top-of-the-range positioning, even compared to a Touareg or a Q7, the Cayenne manages to do better than these two models and the upcoming launch of the coupé version of the Cayenne should further strengthen its position. All these large SUVs together accounted for 205,000 units produced in 2018, compared with 187,000 in 2017.

    

 

Contact us: info@inovev.com 

Read more... Why Porsche transferred the Cayenne from Leipzig to Bratislava

Details

Published: 31 July 2019

• Production
• Registrations
• Volkswagen
• Spain

The VW Polo may no longer be in the European top 5

- The Volkswagen group has indicated that it wishes to produce as many Polos as T-Cross at the Spanish site in Pamplona, which means that an average of 175,000 T-Cross and 175,000 Polos could be produced each year in a plant with a maximum production capacity of 350,000 vehicles per year.

- However, the VW Polo sold in Europe is only manufactured in Spain, at the Pamplona site. With a volume of 175,000 VW Polo produced each year in Spain and sold on the European market, this model would no longer appear in the European top 5, as it has done for about ten years now (the Polo was N°3 in 2016, 2017 and 2018).

- The diversification of models puts Volkswagen at risk: indeed , if we look at the Fiat Punto for instance , it was once among the best-selling cars in Europe, and it has  gradually disappeared from the market.

- A quantity of 175,000 units sold per year would allow the Polo (and T-Cross) to be around 15th place at best, but rather around 18th place according to Inovev.

- It is true that SUVs account for more than a third of the European market overall, and tend to take customers from sedans, but setting an identical production quota for Polo and T-Cross at the Pamplona site seems a miscalculation. However, there is another possibility: that Volkswagen will find another production site for the Polo. Because it seems doubtful that Polo's sales will suddenly dip from 300,000 units to 175,000 per year.

    

 

Contact us: info@inovev.com 

Read more... The VW Polo may no longer be in the European top 5

Details

Published: 31 July 2019

• France
• Production

Will transfers of production from France to other countries be compensated?

- In France, over the period 2019 to 2021, many vehicles will be transferred outside the country to be produced at other production sites in Europe or elsewhere. Will the loss of production of these vehicles be compensated by the arrival of new models? This is the purpose of this analysis.

- Transfers of production from France to other countries are as follows:

• In 2019,

ØPeugeot 2008: transfer from Mulhouse to Vigo (Spain),

ØPeugeot 208: transfer from Poissy to Kenitra (Morocco),

ØOpel Grandland: transfer from Sochaux to Eisenach (Germany),

ØRenault Clio: transfer from Flins to Novo Mesto (Slovenia),

• In 2021, Smart Fortwo: transfer from Hambach to ???? (China).

• These transfers add up to 202,000 units lost in 2019, 405,000 in 2020 and 415,000 in 2021.

- Transfers of production from abroad to France:

• Only the future Opel Mokka will be transferred from Zaragoza (Spain) to Poissy. This transfer  brings  production of 150,000 units/year from 2020.

- The arrival of new models in France are as follows:

• In 2019,

ØNissan NV 250 (Maubeuge),

• In 2020

ØMercedes EQA on the Hambach site,

ØToyota SUV B (Onnaing),

• In 2021

ØRenault BEV C-Segment (Douai).

• These  transfers and  arrivals add up to  25,000 units in 2019, 250,000 in 2020 and 300,000 in 2021.

- Taking into account these production transfers and the arrival of new models, the balance is therefore negative at 177,000 units in 2019, 155,000 in 2020 and 115,000 in 2021.

- With these various production transfer movements (arrival in France, transfer from or to France), French production between 2019 and 2021 will remain above 2 million units, i.e. 2.15 million units in 2019, 2.22 million in 2020 and 2.05 million in 2021.

    

 

Contact us: info@inovev.com 

Read more... Will transfers of production from France to other countries be compensated?