BYD to market and produce the Dolphin Surf (Seagull) in Europe
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BYD to market and produce the Dolphin Surf (Seagull) in Europe
- As we recently saw in our Auto Analysis No. 10, BYD has quickly become the leading Chinese carmaker in China (all engines combined), even overtaking the former leaders in production, such as the Volkswagen group (associated with SAIC and FAW) and GM (associated with SAIC). BYD has benefited from the electrification of the Chinese vehicle fleet, offering battery electric vehicles (BEV) and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) in roughly equal parts. Today, the BYD range consists of around twenty different models, the entry-level model including the battery electric Seagull sedan (B-Segment), which is enjoying great success in China, with 479,294 units produced in 2024 compared to 281,838 in 2023. The model is produced in China at the Xi'an (Shaanxi) and Changzhou (Jiangsu) plants.
- BYD has announced that it will produce and market this model in Europe this year, at a price close to 20,000 euros, even though its basic version is marketed in China at 56,800 yuan, or less than 7,000 euros. However, the price of 20,000 euros is rather a price of the lower segment (A-segment) in Europe . The 100% electric Seagull adapted to the European market and to be produced in the BYD factory in Szeged, Hungary, is renamed Dolphin Surf (there is already a battery electric Dolphin model of the C segment in the BYD range, which can create confusion). In Latin America, the same model is called Dolphin Mini and is imported from China.
- The 3.99 m long BYD Dolphin Surf will compete with the cheapest battery electric city cars sold in Europe such as the Leapmotor T03, the Dacia Spring, the Renault Twingo E-Tech or the future Volkswagen ID1, all in the A segment. Its LFP battery has a capacity of 45 kWh allowing a range of 340 km according to the WLTP cycle, while the Chinese Seagull has less powerful LFP batteries of 30 kWh and 43 kWh allowing a range of 220 km and 320 km.
Inovev forecasts 20,000 units per year of the new Nissan Micra EV
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Inovev forecasts 20,000 units per year of the new Nissan Micra EV
- Nissan has unveiled the sixth generation of the Micra, which becomes a fully electric sedan with no option for a combustion or hybrid engine, except in Mexico where the old combustion version will continue to be produced. The new fully electric Micra is rebranded version of the Renault 5 E-Tech, also produced at the Douai plant. It will also be produced exclusively in France, unlike the previous Micras.
- The new Micra adopts the AmpR Small platform (ex-CMF-B EV) of the Renault 5 E-Tech as well as a good part of its body and interior, the aesthetic modifications due to the Nissan Design Europe Center in England being concentrated on the front and rear exterior parts.
- As a result, the Micra, which measures 3.97 m, is 5 cm longer than the R5 E-Tech, with an identical wheelbase of 2.54 m. The engines are taken from the Renault: a 120 hp (88 kW) version associated with a 40 kWh NMC battery allowing a range of 300 km according to the WLTP cycle and a 150 hp (110 kW) version associated with a 52 kWh NMC battery, allowing a range of 400 km according to the WLTP cycle. The weight of the car (from 1,400 kg to 1,524 kg) is comparable to the R5 E-Tech. A sportier Nismo version is also considered later, which would be the rebranded version of the Alpine A290.
- The Micra will be priced slightly higher than the R5 E-Tech, starting at €29,000 (€28,000 for the base R5). It will compete with the Renault 5 E-Tech, Citroën e-C3, Peugeot e-208, Opel e-Corsa, Jeep Avenger , Mini Aceman, Fiat 600 e, Lancia Ypsilon and BYD Dolphin Surf. Inovev forecasts 20,000 sales per year of the Nissan Micra EV.
Germany produces 4 times more cars than France
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Germany produces 4 times more cars than France
- Germany has been the European country that produces the most vehicles (passenger cars and utility vehicles) since 1956, after having supplanted Great Britain, which had been the leader in this industry since 1945. France became the second largest European carmaker in 1969, after having supplanted Great Britain. It remained so until 2009, when Spain overtook it.
- France:
• France began to relocate part of its production from the beginning of the 2000s, first to Spain and Portugal, then to Eastern European countries, such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia.
• Its production volume gradually declined from 3.5 million vehicles (passenger cars and light utility vehicles) per year to 2.0 million in 2009. Today, it is around 1.5 million vehicles per year.
• If we only take into account passenger cars (PC), production in France has been below one million units since 2020.
- Germany:
• Germany began relocating about a dozen years later than France, first to Spain and Portugal, then to Eastern European countries such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary.
• Its production volume gradually declined from 6.0 million vehicles (passenger cars + utility vehicles) per year to 3.5 million in 2021. In 2024, this volume rebounded to 4.5 million units, three times more than France.
• If we only consider passenger cars (PC), production in Germany will reach 4 million units in 2024.
- In conclusion, Germany today produces 4 times more passenger cars than France and 3 times more passenger cars + utility vehicles than France.
Inovev forecasts 1,000,000 units of the new Toyota RAV4 SUV per year
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Inovev forecasts 1,000,000 units of the new Toyota RAV4 SUV per year
- Toyota has unveiled the new generation of its mid-range SUV, the RAV4, which is one of the best-selling models in the world, with more than one million sales in 2024. The diffusion of the Toyota RAV4 has continued to grow worldwide since the early 2000s, with its global sales increasing from 224,000 units in 2001 to 400,000 in 2007, 600,000 in 2013, 800,000 in 2017 and 1,000,000 in 2023.
- The model has continued to meet with increasing success due to the sharp increase in SUV sales worldwide and the intrinsic qualities of the Toyota model (build quality, true off-road capabilities, hybrid powertrain). This model quickly became the best-selling SUV in the world before being overtaken by the Tesla Model Y, a 100% electric SUV.
- The new Toyota RAV4 will attempt to continue the success of previous generations of the model. The new RAV4 retains very similar proportions to the old RAV4 (length: 4.62 m vs. 4.60 m, width: 1.88 m vs. 1.86 m, height: 1.69 m vs. 1.69 m). Based on a revised version of the TNGA G-AK platform of the previous RAV4, the new model is equipped with a 2.5 petrol full-hybrid (F-HEV) engine with 183 hp / 191 hp or plug-in hybrid (PHEV) with 304 hp on both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive versions. The RAV4 plug-in hybrid is equipped for the first time with front-wheel drive and a more powerful 22.6 kWh battery (compared to 18.1 kWh previously), offering a range of up to 100 km in electric mode, 29 km more than the previous RAV4 PHEV. Inovev expects 1,000,000 sales per year of the new RAV4 produced in Japan, Canada, China and the USA.
Stellantis: new action plan, new president
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Stellantis: new action plan, new president
- In recent years, under the leadership of its president Carlos Tavares, the Stellantis group has developed a strategy favouring the marketing of vehicles with high added value and high margin, to the detriment of cheaper and more affordable vehicles.
- This strategy has certainly allowed the automotive group to generate substantial profits in the short term. But it is now facing significant difficulties, mainly linked to a decline in volumes and the corresponding overcapacity of its factories:
• The group's sales fell by 12% in 2024 and by a further 10% in the first four months of 2025.
• The group's factories are running at a slow pace and most are suffering from significant overcapacity, as Stellantis‘ management has adopted a policy of not closing any factories.
• In addition, some of the group's brands are experiencing severe underperformance, such as DS (-26.8% compared to the first 5 months of 2024), Abarth (-32.5%), Lancia (-71.1%), Maserati (-31.6%) and Dodge (-46.3%), even threatening their survival in the short term.
- Given these elements, the Stellantis group will most likely be forced to implement a policy that breaks with the previous years objectives, aided in this by the arrival of a new CEO, Antonio Filosa (who has both European and American experience).
- The objective will probably be to adapt the group's industrial tool in relation to actual sales, and if possible regain volume. This could result in factory closures and brand purging, which would imply the end of certain projects already in development. On the other hand, Stellantis could relaunch thermal and hybrid engines, and abandon a fully battery electric range, with the hope of a postponement of the 2035 ban on thermal vehicles.