With the EV3, Kia continues to develop its battery electric vehicles range
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With the EV3, Kia continues to develop its battery electric vehicles range
- Korean carmaker Kia (part of the Hyundai-Kia group) is gradually building up its range of battery electric vehicles based on the e-GMP platform shared by Hyundai, Kia and Genesis. After the Ray, an A-segment EV small MPV, still in production, the B-segment Soul electric SUV, the C-segment Niro electric SUV, the D-segment EV6 sedan and the E-segment EV9 SUV, Kia is launching the EV3 to replace the electric Soul. The new Kia EV3 takes up the styling of the larger Kia EV9 SUV, but on a smaller scale, measuring just 4.30 m in length - 10 cm longer than the Soul. Contrary to its appearance, which suggests otherwise, the EV3 boasts a particularly low Cx of 0.263.
- The new Kia EV3 is powered by a 204 hp (150 kW) electric motor powered by a 58.3 kWh or 81.4 kWh battery pack, giving a range of 500 km or 600 km respectively according to the WLTP cycle. The EV3, which is 12 cm shorter than the electric Niro, manages to outperform the Niro in terms of range, thanks to its new-generation batteries. The Niro's range does not exceed 460 km. Even the EV6 doesn't reach 600 km.
- If we look at the competition, the Renault Megane E-Tech, 10 cm shorter than the EV3, has a range of 470 km according to the WLTP cycle, and the Renault Scenic E-Tech, 17 cm longer, can reach 625 km according to the WLTP cycle.
- It remains to be seen how much the EV3 will cost, which will help assess its sales potential in South Korea and Europe, as the model is not due to be marketed in either China or the USA.
Stellantis announces that they could close Ellesmere Port plant
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Stellantis announces that they could close Ellesmere Port plant
- The Stellantis Group has announced that it could close its Ellesmere Port plant in the UK, which has been producing Citroën e-Berlingo, Fiat e-Doblo, Opel e-Combo and Peugeot e-Partner battery electric vans since 2023.
- According to the carmaker, BEV sales remain too low on the European market for this plant to operate at full capacity and become profitable. Inovevestimates that the plant has produced 21,479 vehicles by 2023. At the current rate of BEV sales in the first quarter of 2024, the production volume for 2024 (6,592 units produced over 4 months) could be lower than in 2023, and not reach 20,000 units for the full year.
- The Stellantis Group expects the British government to be willing to develop BEV sales through tax incentives to meet the "ZEV mandate" proposed by the government.
- The "ZEV Mandate" for zero-emission vehicles came into force in the UK on January 1, 2024. Here's what it entails: carmakers will have to produce more new zero-emission cars and vans every year so that by 2035, all new cars and vans sold in Britain will be battery electric vehicles. These regulations are backed by a government investment of over £2 billion to develop a network of charging infrastructure and encourage the uptake of zero-emission vehicles. The ZEV mandate is part of the UK government's low-carbon strategy to reduce transport-related greenhouse gas emissions.
Inovev forecasts 300,000 units per year worlwide of the new BMW X3 SUV
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Inovev forecasts 300,000 units per year worlwide of the new BMW X3 SUV
- The Bavarian carmaker BMW has just unveiled its new D-segment SUV, the X3, which replaces the previous model which was launched in 2017.
- The first BMW X3 dates back to 2004, and was produced in Graz, Austria (at Magna-Steyr), as the carmaker did not have enough production capacity in Germany to produce the model. But in 2010, it was transferred to North America, along with the E-segment X5, at the Spartanburg site in South Carolina. At that time, around 150,000 units a year were produced, mainly for the USA and Europe. Gradually, however, the X3 was also exported to China.
- In 2018, following growing demand in China, the third-generation X3 was also produced there for local demand, at a rate of around 130,000 units a year. Since 2020, Chinese X3 production has been higher than American production. Finally, the X3 has also been assembled in South Africa since 2017.
- The new BMW X3, based on the CLAR platform, is a competitor to the Mercedes GLC and Audi Q5. It is 5 cm longer than the previous generation, reaching 4.75m. It is also 3 cm wider (1.92 m) and 1 cm lower (1.66 m). Its powertrains are carried over from the previous generation, namely a 2-liter MHEV gasoline engine, a 2-liter MHEV diesel engine and a PHEV plug-in hybrid engine. The battery electric version (BEV) should be launched next year, with a different body based on the Neue Klasse concept. Inovev forecasts 300,000 BMW X3 sales per year worldwide.
Smart adds to its range a 4.70 m long SUV
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Smart adds to its range a 4.70 m long SUV
- The Smart brand (a Mercedes subsidiary) is rebuilding its battery electric range with the help of China's Geely. Since 2023, we've seen the launch of the 4.27 m-long #1 (B-segment SUV) and the 4.40 m-long #3 (C-segment SUV), followed by the discontinuation of the Fortwo (A-segment sedan) in April 2024, which put an end to the 2.50 m to 2.70 m-long A-segment minicars in Europe. The Smart brand therefore chose to abandon the A segment (given the numbering of its models) and concentrate on the B and C segments.
- Today, the Smart brand wants to go further upmarket, unveiling a 4.70 m long D-segment SUV named the #5, again with an electric engine. Like the #1 and #3, this large SUV is produced in China, using the same SEA platform. The Smart #5 is available in four versions, two with 340 hp / 363 hp rear-wheel drive (RWD) and two with 587 hp / 646 hp all-wheel drive (AWD). The unladen weight of all versions will exceed 2 tones.
- The carmaker claims a range of 700 km in the Chinese CLTC cycle, equivalent to just over 600 km in the European WLTP cycle. Rear-wheel-drive versions are equipped with lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries, while all-wheel-drive versions feature nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) technology. Although their capacity is not yet official, the biggest is expected to be equipped with 100 kWh battery pack.
- The Smart #5 will be available on the European market in 2025, even with the handicap of the additional taxes announced by the European Commission. Sales figures for the new Smart "made in China" remain mixed, with 8,000 sales in Europe in the first five months of 2024 (including 6,000 #1 and 2,000 #3), compared with 8,600 Fortwo sales in the first five months of 2023. In China, the start of the Smart's career seems equally timid, with sales not exceeding 15,300 units in the first five months of 2024, representing 0.7% of the BEV market in China over the period.
Dacia Sandero is becoming Europe's best-selling car in 2024
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Dacia Sandero is becoming Europe's best-selling car in 2024
- While the Tesla Model Y was the best-selling car in Europe (30 countries = EU + UK + Switzerland + Norway) in 2023, ahead of the Dacia Sandero, it is the Dacia Sandero that becomes the best-selling car in Europe (114,000 units) over the 5 months of 2024 in a market that grew by 4.6% compared to the 5 months of 2023. The Tesla Model Y falls from first to eighth place (73,000 units).
- Even more surprising is the spectacular rise of the Volkswagen Golf (102,000 units) from ninth to second place over the same period. This spectacular rise is linked to the collapse of the Volkswagen ID3 and ID4, which fall from 56th and 60th place to 92nd and 96th. It seems that some customers, especially in Germany - due to the end of subsidies on the purchase of battery electric vehicles - have preferred to switch from the ID3/ID4 to the Golf, confirming the failure of the ID3/ID4, which was originally intended to become the leader of electric cars in Europe. The German carmaker's objective has completely failed. The sales collapse of the Tesla Model Y is also linked to the end of subsidies in Germany.
- The Peugeot 208 (89,000 units) and Renault Clio (87,000 units) rank third and fourth in Europe, ahead of the Volkswagen T-Roc (84,000 units), Peugeot 2008 (73,000 units) and Citroën C3 (73,000 units). Then, in eighth place, we find the Tesla Model Y. There are five French cars in the top 7, which is rare as German cars are usually the ones keeping the first places.