Stellantis definitively stops production of the Fiorino small utility vehicle
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Stellantis definitively stops production of the Fiorino small utility vehicle
- Stellantis group has definitively stopped production of the small Fiat Fiorino utility vehicle launched in 2007 , which will have had a long commercial career of 17 years, at the end of 2024. This model, manufactured in Turkey, succeeded the Fiat Fiorino based on the Fiat Uno , which was manufactured in Italy.
- The Fiorino was the smallest utility vehicle in the Fiat range, which included the Doblo (N1-1), Scudo (N1-2) and Ducato (N1-3) at the upper level. In 2008, the Fiorino was released in Peugeot (Bipper) and Citroën ( Nemo ) versions , the two French brands not having such a small utility model in their catalogue.
- The Fiat Fiorino utility vehicle lived its commercial career in the shadow of the Fiat Doblo , which was more popular due to its larger loading capacity. The Fiorino had its best period during the economic crisis of 2009-2010, during which demand shifted towards smaller models, encouraged by scrappage incentives. In 2009 and 2010, the Fiorino reached 120,000 units produced per year before falling back to 80,000 and then 40,000 in the following years.
- The Fiat Fiorino was restyled in 2016, while the Citroën Nemo and Peugeot Bipper disappeared at the same time. The PSA group, owner of the Citroën and Peugeot brands, had decided that the future of utility vehicles did not lie in this small format but rather in larger formats such as the future Citroën Berlingo and Peugeot Partner, which will be launched in 2018. In 2024, Fiat (integrated into the Stellantis group since 2021) drew the same conclusion by abandoning and not replacing the Fiorino.
Smart #1 and #3 fail to establish themselves in Europe or China
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Smart #1 and #3 fail to establish themselves in Europe or China
- Nicolas Hayek, founder of the Swatch watch group, is the creator of the Swatchmobile unveiled in the 1990s and which would become – after some modifications – the Smart in 1998, with the help of Mercedes. This small two-seater model, 2.50 m long, was unrivaled in Europe. This is the reason why the Smart (renamed Fortwo at the time of the launch of the four-seater Forfour ) would meet with some success on the European market, as an A-segment city car. Of a total of 2.5 million Smarts produced in France ( Hambach in Lorraine) between 1998 and 2024, 2.1 million were two-seater versions ( Fortwo ) and 0.4 million were four-seater versions ( Forfour ). The first sales peak was reached in 2004-2005 (132,000 units per year) after the launch of the Forfour which doubled the brand's offering, before a slow decline observed between 2006 and 2014, the volume of Smart sales falling from 132,000 in 2005 to 54,000 in 2014, with the abandonment of the Forfour in 2007. The new generations of Fortwo and Forfour launched in 2014 relaunched the brand which reached a second sales peak in 2019 (113,000 units). But the parent company Mercedes then decided to switch the entire Smart range to 100% electric and sales collapsed (due to a price of 26,500 euros for an electric Smart compared to 12,500 euros for a thermal Smart). In 2020, only 27,000 Smart cars were sold in Europe. However, 140,000 electric Smart cars will be sold there by December 2024.
- Mercedes has decided to partner with China's Geely to design and produce the future electric Smart cars in China. The first B-segment model will be launched in 2023 and the third C-segment model in 2024. However, these larger and more expensive models than the previous Fortwo and Forfour have failed to establish themselves in either the European or Chinese markets.
- Global Smart sales rose to 87,500 units in 2023, up from 37,000 in 2022, and fell back to 57,500 in 2024. The bottom line is that the Fortwo and Forfour haven't really been replaced. Customers are demanding an affordable electric A-segment Smart.
Inovev forecasts 150,000 units of the new Mercedes CLA per year
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Inovev forecasts 150,000 units of the new Mercedes CLA per year
- Mercedes has unveiled the third generation of its Hungarian-produced CLA sedan, which the carmaker calls the 4-door Coupé. This 4.72 m long model (4 cm longer than the previous generation) is somewhat of a duplication of the Mercedes C-Class (4.75 m long) and visually differentiates itself from it by a third side window, like its main rivals, the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupé (4.53 m) and the Audi A3 4-door sedan (4.50 m).
- The new CLA, which replaces both the old CLA and the A-Class and B-Class , which will cease production at the end of this year, is equipped with the new multi-energy MMA (Mercedes Modular Architecture) platform. This new platform allows the car to adopt both 100% electric and thermal (micro-hybrid) engines.
- When it goes on sale next summer, the CLA will be available in a fully electric version with a 271 hp (200 kW) engine placed at the rear (the new fully electric CLA therefore becomes a rear-wheel drive) coupled with an 85 kWh NMC battery allowing a range of 800 km according to the WLTP cycle. A sportier 353 hp (260 kW) version will be offered shortly after. Then an entry-level version with a 58 kWh LFP battery will be added next fall. The thermal versions will follow in 2026, 48V micro-hybrids based on the 1.5 turbo four-cylinder engine developed with Geely , with 136 hp , 163 hp and 190 hp , and placed at the front (the thermal CLA is therefore a front-wheel drive). The new Mercedes CLA will be available as an estate next year.
- Inovev plans a production of 150,000 units of the new Mercedes CLA per year.
Inovev expects between 200,000 and 250,000 units of the new Audi A6 per year
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Inovev expects between 200,000 and 250,000 units of the new Audi A6 per year
- Audi has presented the replacement for the combustion engine Audi A6 ( code C8), which was supposed to be called the A7, but is now called the A6 following a new policy change regarding the brand's model naming.
- The new Audi A6 with combustion engine (code C9), which should not be confused with the Audi A6 E- Tron with 100% electric powertrain, is unveiled only in Avant estate version (traditionally the best-selling version of the Audi A6). It is therefore not certain that a sedan version will be launched in the coming months, at least in Europe (but perhaps in China). The VW group (of which Audi is a part) had already done the same thing with the new VW Passat, available only as an estate.
- The new Audi A6 Avant, which is 5 cm longer to reach 4.99 m, is based on the PPC platform reserved for thermal and hybrid engines (F-HEV, PHEV, MHEV) unlike the Audi A6 E- Tron based on the PPE platform dedicated to 100% electric engines. Its engines are ultra-known: the four-cylinder 2.0 TFSI petrol with 204 hp (150 kW), the V6 3.0 TFSI petrol micro-hybrid (MHEV) with 367 hp (270 kW) and the four-cylinder 2.0 TDI diesel micro-hybrid (MHEV) with 204 hp (150 kW). Plug-in hybrid engines (PHEV) will be added to the range in 2026, as well as sporty S6 and RS6 versions.
- The new Audi A6 Avant, priced between 70,000 and 80,000 euros depending on the version, competes directly with the BMW 5 Series Touring estate and Mercedes E-Class estate. The model will be produced in Neckarsulm (Germany) and Changchun (China) as today, at a rate of 200,000 to 250,000 units per year in total , this volume to depend on the intensity of the success of the electric Audi A6 E- Tron over the next few years. Audi is ready to increase production of the thermal versions if the electric versions have difficulty taking off, whether in Europe or in China, the converse being also true.
US additional tariffs could reduce exports from Europe by 200,000 vehicles
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US additional tariffs could reduce exports from Europe by 200,000 vehicles
- The new 25% additional tariffs on vehicles imported from the EU and UK, imposed by the US administration on April 5, sheds light on the flow of vehicles between these two regions of the world.
- In 2024, according to Inovev's calculations, approximately 860,000 passenger cars were exported from Europe : 730,000 from the European Union and 130,000 from UK. According to Eurostat and the SMMT, just over 900,000 vehicles were exported from Europe: 806,000 from the European Union (source Eurostat) and 102,000 from Great Britain (source SMMT). The USA is the leading destination for European vehicle exports, representing approximately 21.5% of total European exports.
- Of these exported vehicles, 42% are D-segments, 28% E-segments and 20% C-segments. The leading exporting automobile groups are the German carmakers: 26% from the VW group, 24% from Mercedes and 19% from BMW. This is followed by the Geely group (in fact Volvo) with 13% of exports and the Tata group (Land Rover, Jaguar) with 12%.
- What impact could this new additional tariffs have on European exports to the USA? It will initially depend on the duration of this measure: 1 month? 1 year? More? The duration of this measure could depend on the pressure that could be exerted both by carmakers on American soil (carmaker and supply chains) but also by the distributor network which risks seeing a drop in sales in the short term (in the event that there is NO buying transfer to models produced on American soil). In addition, the rate of this surcharge could also vary over time if negotiations open between the USA and Europe. If this additional tariffs were to run throughout 2025 at a constant rate of 25%, Inovev estimates that exports could decrease by 200,000 units compared to 2024 .
- C and D segment vehicles could be the most affected, such as the Mercedes GLC (D segment SUV), Volvo XC60 (SUV-D), Mercedes C-Class (Sedan-D) or Audi Q3 (SUV-C), which are in the TOP 5 vehicles exported from Europe and for which a tax increase could significantly impact the final sale price and therefore a portion of the customer base. In addition, some carmakers could be tempted to interrupt deliveries of their vehicles while waiting for better visibility on the duration of this measure.
- If this measure were to continue beyond 2025 (or even 2026), European carmakers could adjust their industrial strategies: transfer of production of certain models, addition of production lines in the event of saturation of capacities, or even construction of a new plant. Especially since for German carmakers, other plants outside Europe are also affected, mainly from Mexico. These subjects relating to production plants will be analyzed in more detail in the next edition of AutoAnalyses.