Buick, an American brand that survives thanks to China

Details
Buick, an American brand that survives thanks to China

- The GM group is currently regrouping four brands: Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac and GMC. Buick represents the group's mid-range brand. It is the only mid-range brand of the GM group to have survived after the end of the brands Oldsmobile in 2004 and Pontiac in 2010.

- On the decline, Buick also almost disappeared, but the establishment and development of its production in China made it possible to find real prosperity against all odds for several years, between 2008 and 2016, its production volume going from 440,000 to 1,415,000 vehicles during this period. Between 2008 and 2016, China's share of Buick production increased from 62% to 87%. And it has continued to progress since, reaching 94% in 2022.

- The problem is that Buick's production volume has been steadily declining since 2016 in both China and North America. It thus decreased globally from 1,415,000 units in 2016 to 1,318,000 in 2017, 1,138,000 in 2018, 915,000 in 2019, 861,000 in 2021 and 718,000 in 2022. Buick's production volume has thus halved between 2016 and 2022.

- The threat of a disappearance therefore resurfaces because nothing has so far made it possible to stop this fall. In addition, production in North America has become truly confidential. Chevrolet's strategy has been copied to Buick in North America by eliminating its sedans in North America and entering the battery electric vehicle market and a range of products made up exclusively of SUV in North America, with the same failure for the moment.

Cadillac, a final attempt to revive the American Premium

Details
Cadillac, a final attempt to revive the American Premium

- Within the GM group, Cadillac is the premium brand. Like Buick, it is very far from having regained its former prestige, but its establishment and development in China has paid off, since the brand has almost doubled its worldwide sales between 2005 and 2022, going from 239,000 to 426,000 vehicles last year.

- Today, 50% of the cars produced by Cadillac are made in China and 50% in North America, whereas in 2005 all of its production was carried out in North America.

- It is interesting to note that during the period of development of its production in China, the production of Cadillac in North America remained stable, around 200,000 units per year. In fact, the contribution of Chinese production (for local sales) has enabled the Cadillac brand to double its global distribution. It's a good performance, but the Buick brand had done even better by multiplying its sales by 5.5 thanks to its production in China.

- However, unlike Buick, Cadillac's production volume has not collapsed since 2016, but has remained stable. The gap between Buick and Cadillac has therefore narrowed significantly between 2016 and 2022, going from 4.3 to 1 in 2016 to 1.7 to 1 in 2022.

- As with Chevrolet and Buick, the Cadillac brand is gradually leaving the sedan market to focus on SUVs. Regarding the electric motorization, Cadillac seems better placed according to its premium positioning. However, its already marketed battery electric model, the Lyriq, does not meet a great success, whether in China or in the United States.

The thermal Peugeot 208 will be produced in Morocco and the electric e-208 in Spain

Details
The thermal Peugeot 208 will be produced in Morocco and the electric e-208 in Spain
- The thermal Peugeot 208s were produced until now in Slovakia (Trnava) and Morocco (Kenitra), the 100% electric Peugeot e-208s only in Slovakia (Trnava). From September 2023, the thermal Peugeot 208s will all be produced in Morocco (Kenitra) and the Peugeot e-208s will all be produced in Spain (Zaragoza). Production at the Trnava plant (Slovakia) will therefore be transferred to Kenitra (Morocco) for the thermal Peugeot 208s and transferred to Zaragoza (Spain) for the electric e-208s.
 
- Stellantis decided to produce the Peugeot e-208 in Zaragoza, because this plant already produces the battery electric Opel Corsa which is the twin sister of the Peugeot e-208. This transfer will be offset by the transfer of the Citroën C3 Aircross and Opel Crossland from Zaragoza to Trnava, a plant which will nevertheless continue to produce the Citroën C3 which was initially produced in Aulnay-sous-Bois, in France.
 
- Inovev has calculated what could represent in 2023 and 2024, the production of the Peugeot 208 and e-208 in Slovakia, Spain and Morocco:
 
- In 2023, 237,000 Peugeot 208s should still be produced in Europe and Morocco (compared to 241,000 in 2022) including 117,000 in Trnava (compared to 241,000 in 2022), 100,000 in Kenitra (compared to 69,000 in 2022) and 20,000 in Zaragoza (compared to 0 in 2022).
 
- In 2024, 225,000 Peugeot 208s should be produced in Europe and Morocco, including 160,000 in Kenitra and 65,000 in Zaragoza.
 
- The new generation of Peugeot 208 and e-208 should be launched in 2026 and produced in Zaragoza and Kenitra.

Auto production in Iran increasingly dependent on China

Details
Auto production in Iran increasingly dependent on China
- Automotive production in Iran is evolving like a roller coaster. It is directly impacted by Western economic sanctions which are softened and hardened regularly, without much logic for the uninitiated. But Iran finds the solution by sourcing from China, either to assemble Peugeot vehicles (not recognized by the parent company) which represent a large part of the Iranian car fleet, or to assemble Chinese vehicles of different brands. Chinese brands accounted for 11% of Iranian automotive production in 2022, constantly increasing, and this share is expected to increase further in the coming years, as in Europe and Russia for example.
 
- Over the past 20 years, Iranian automobile production reached a volume of 1.6 million vehicles in 2010 and 2011 before collapsing in 2012 and 2013 (650,000 vehicles). Iranian production then gradually increased to 1.5 million units in 2017, before falling again to 800,000 units in 2019 and 725,000 in 2020.

 

- In 2021, Iranian automobile production resumed its growth to reach 1.2 million units in 2022 and according to the figures recorded in the first quarter of 2023, Iranian automobile production should fall to 1 million units over the entire 2023 year, of which 51% assembled by the Iran Khodro company (including 36% of Peugeot vehicles not accounted by the Stellantis group) against 46% in 2022 and 31% assembled by the SAIPA company against 43% in 2022. Chinese carmakers, in strong growth, should represent 18% of Iranian automobile production in 2023, against 11% in 2022.
 

Inovev forecasts 100,000 units per year of the new Volvo EX30

Details
Inovev forecasts 100,000 units per year of the new Volvo EX30
- The Volvo carmaker (subsidiary of the Chinese group Geely) has just presented its new B-segment battery electric SUV, the EX30, which shares its platform with the Smart 01. This model expands downwards Volvo's products range. It is in a way the successor of the B segment Volvo C30 (2006-2013). This extension of the range comes at the right time as the carmaker suffered a 13% drop in sales in 2022, falling from 652,000 units in 2021 to 569,000 units last year, a volume which is very far from the objectives of the carmaker set at 1 million sales in 2030.
 
- The new EX30 SUV competes with battery electric versions of B-segment SUVs like the Peugeot 2008, Opel Mokka, Hyundai Kona, Kia Soul and of course Smart 01 on which the Volvo EX30 is based. This category should be enriched with new models in 2023-2024, such as the future battery electric Mini Countryman and Aceman, as well as the future battery electric Skoda small SUV. The future battery electric Renault 4 could also be a competitor of the Volvo EX30.
 
- The new Volvo SUV is 4.23m long, 1.84m wide and 1.55m high. Its weight reaches 1,830 kilos for the two-wheel-drive version (weight of the C30: 1,350 kilos) and 1,965 kilos for the four-wheel-drive version. The battery has a capacity of 51 kWh or 69 kWh, with the higher capacity being standard on the four-wheel-drive version. The price should be between 37,500 and 50,000 euros depending on the version. Note that this model will be produced in China (alongside the Smart 01), in the Geely factory in Ningbo (south of Shanghai). Inovev forecasts 100,000 sales per year of this new small Volvo SUV.
  1. Inovev forecasts 50,000 units per year of the new Lexus LBX
  2. Tesla will build a new factory in Mexico
  3. Ford Fiesta and Opel Corsa: two completely opposite strategies
  4. The European Union remains the world's largest exporter of vehicles
Inovev platforms  >
Not yet registered ?
By keeping on browsing, on this site, you accept the use of cookies and TCU (Terms and Conditions of Use) of Inovev site (www.inovev.com)
Ok