Toyota announces plans to keep all its European factories
- 说明
Toyota announces plans to keep all its European factories
- The Japanese carmaker Toyota, the world's largest carmaker, has announced that it intends to maintain its European assembly plants and not follow the example of Honda, which closed its British and Turkish factories in 2022. Toyota has an assembly plant in the United Kingdom (Burnaston, 98,069 units in 2024), a second in France (Onnaing, 279,613 units), a third in the Czech Republic (Kolin,243,964 units), a fourth in Turkey (Adapazari, 158,076 units), a fifth in Portugal (Ovar, 2,525 units), not to mention the production sites for vans derived from those of Stellantis following the agreement signed between the two carmakers: ProAce City in Vigo (43,084 units) in Spain, ProAce in Hordain (32,359 units) in France and ProAce Max in Gliwice in Poland, these last three sites belonging to the Stellantis group. Also worth mentioning is the Magna-Steyr site in Graz (Austria) which produces the Supra coupe in small quantities.
- In total, Toyota produced nearly 865,000 vehicles in Europe in 2024.
- The carmaker announced that most of its assembly plants would have to start producing models with fully electric engines, to the detriment of combustion engines and full-hybrid engines.
- ProAce , ProAce City and ProAce Max vans are already available with fully electric engines and a new battery electric CHR+ has just appeared at the Turkish Adapazari site. The British plant in Burnaston will in turn have to gradually make way for new battery electric models to replace the Corolla Full-hybrid. This strategy is reminiscent of that of its compatriot Nissan, which recently announced the imminent start of three battery electric models at the British site in Sunderland: Leaf, Juke and Qashqai. Toyota points out that almost all of its European production is sold in Europe and that the increase in trade barriers around the world will accentuate this type of strategy among all carmakers.
Renault ends the Express LUV for the European market
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Renault ends the Express LUV for the European market
- To replace its N1-1 segment light utility vehicles Renault Kangoo II (launched in 2007) and Dacia Dokker (launched in 2012), the Renault group had decided to launch two different models in 2021, the Kangoo III (modernized version of the Kangoo II) and the Renault Express (modernized version of the Dacia Dokker), thus doubling the range of N1-1 segment vans sold under the Renault brand, a fairly rare proposition among European carmakers.
- Dokker-based Express was technically less sophisticated than the Kangoo III, which is why it was sold for less than the Kangoo III. This feature gave the Express a good start in Europe, as the model sold almost as much as the Kangoo III in Europe for several months in 2022. In 2023, the Renault Kangoo finally took over from the Renault Express in Europe. And in the summer of 2024, Renault decided to withdraw the Express from sale in Europe, due to the obsolescence of its technical base and the inability to comply with the new European GSR2 (General Safety Regulation 2). Renault therefore only retains one model in the N1-1 segment in Europe, the Kangoo III.
- The Express, however, continues its commercial career in North Africa and in some emerging countries, its production being carried out in Morocco, on the Tangier plant where the Dacia Sandero is produced for the European market. The Renault Kangoo III is produced in France, in the Maubeuge plant, like all previous generations of the Kangoo. On this site are also produced rebranded versions of the Renault Kangoo III, such as the Nissan Townstar and Mercedes Citan II.
Peugeot 2025-2028 product plan: 208 and 2008 will be replaced in 2026
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Peugeot 2025-2028 product plan: 208 and 2008 will be replaced in 2026
Here is the new Peugeot 2025-2028 product plan which undergoes several changes compared to the initial plan:
- 2025:
• The e-3008 and e-5008 will be available in a Long Range version.
• The 3008 and 5008 will be available in a new 195 hp PHEV version.
• The 308 sedan and estate will be facelifted mid -life and will be available in the 195 hp PHEV version.
• At the end of the year, the 508 saloon and estate will be phased out after seven years of service.
- 2026:
• In the spring, the new generation of the 208 (P31) will appear, which will finally be available in a hybrid version (MHEV) and a battery electric version (BEV) based on the STLA Small, whereas only the electric version was initially planned.
• In the autumn, the new generation of the 2008 (P34) will appear, which will finally be available in a hybrid version (MHEV) and a battery electric version (BEV) based on the STLA Small, whereas only the electric version was initially planned.
• The 408, which will have ended the career of the 508, will be facelifted during the year.
- 2027:
• A new Boxer LUV (X250) should appear during the year, like its cousins Citroën, Fiat, Opel and Toyota.
- 2028:
• The 3008 and 5008 will be facelifted and the new generation of the 308 should appear during the year based on the STLA Small.
Kia wants to develop in the European LUV market
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Kia wants to develop in the European LUV market
- We have recently seen that the European LUV market, which represents 2 million units in 2024 and between 1.5 million and 2 million units per year between 2010 and 2023 (also in terms of production), is mainly represented by the Stellantis, Renault, Mercedes, Volkswagen and Ford groups (also in terms of production). The Japanese groups Toyota and Nissan have little share in this European LUV market (less than 10% of total sales between them) and their models are simply a rebranding of light utility vehicles from Stellantis (for Toyota) and Renault (for Nissan).
- The presence of Korean carmakers (Hyundai and Kia) in this European LUV market is practically anecdotal. This situation could change rapidly with the launch of brand new Kia-branded utility vehicles, the PV5 (2025), PV7 (2027) and PV9 (2029), three battery electricLUVs with futuristic design that differ mainly in their dimensions, the Korean carmaker wishing to be present in each of the European segments N1-1, N1-2 and N1-3. It should be remembered that the LUV market is a market with high margins, rather stable and therefore very profitable.
- The first model, PV5, has just been presented in two versions, the first with a length of 4.50 m, the second with a length of 4.70 m. These dimensions place it between a Renault Kangoo (4.50 m) and a long Renault Kangoo (4.90 m). The PV7 launched in 2027 will target the electric Renault Trafic. As for the PV9 launched in 2029, it will target the electric Renault Master. The new Kia utility vehicles will also target the new LUVs designed by Flexis for Renault and Volvo.
- The PV5 has a choice of three batteries: LFP 43 kWh, NMC 51 kWh, and NMC 71 kWh. Its range can reach up to 400 km depending on the battery chosen. Pricing for the PV5 has not yet been announced.
The Ford Puma is the best-selling and most-produced MHEV model in Europe in 2024
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The Ford Puma is the best-selling and most-produced MHEV model in Europe in 2024
- In a European market (30 countries = EU + United Kingdom + Switzerland + Norway) of micro-hybrids (MHEV) estimated at 1.8 million units in 2024 against 1.5 million in 2023, the Ford Puma, a small B-segment SUV which ended up replacing the Ford Fiesta sedan, remained the best-selling MHEV model in Europe (and the most produced), with 137,000 units (against 143,000 in 2023).
- In second place, we note the presence of the Fiat Panda (the old model produced in Italy and not the new Grande Panda model produced in Serbia), with 113,000 units (compared to 111,000 in 2023). It is surprising to find in this ranking two small models from main stream carmakers, while the MHEVs had initially invested in the premium model market.
- Of the top 15 MHEV sales in Europe in 2024, there are now 10 models from main stream carmakers, compared to 5 models from premium carmakers: Volvo XC40 (3rd with 61,000 sales), Audi A4 (7th with 54,000 sales), Mercedes GLC (11th with 46,000 sales), Audi A3 (13th with 42,000 sales) and Mercedes A-Class (15th with 39,000 sales).
- Three general models are well placed: the Ford Focus (4th with 59,000 sales), the Fiat 500 (5th with 57,000 sales) which was unfortunately discontinued during the second half of 2024 – which posed a serious problem of poor sales for the Fiat brand and more generally for the Stellantis group – and the Volkswagen Golf (6th with 54,000 sales). Peugeot places two of its models in the Top 15: the 3008 (10th with 47,000 sales) and the 208 (12th with 43,000 sales). Suzuki also places two of its models: the Swift (8th with 52,000 sales) and the Vitara (14th with 41,000 sales). The Nissan Qashqai is 9th with 49,000 sales. It is to be noted that in the case of Stellantis, the MHEV technology used allow their models to run in a full electric mode, for a very short distance, which is not the case for most of the models from the competition.