Ford ceases production of the Mondeo
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Ford ceases production of the Mondeo
- Ford decided to end the production of the Mondeo, its D-segment sedan, of which several generations have been launched since 1993. The Mondeo replaced firstly the Sierra whose origins date back to 1982. Like its American counterpart, called Fusion, the Mondeo will therefore disappear in spring 2021. This model was produced these last years in Spain (Valencia), after having been produced in Belgium (Genk) since 1993.
- Why is Ford removing the Mondeo from its manufacturing program? The model sales had declined a lot in recent years, due both to the decline sedans category in Europe and the United States to the benefit of SUVs, and the size of this model over the years, which was eventually became a top-of-the-range model, as a Renault Talisman or a Volkswagen Arteon, with the disadvantage of a high price even compared to Premium models from Audi, BMW or Mercedes. The Opel Insignia is experiencing the same kind of problem today and it is not sure that Stellantis wants to replace this model which has declined significantly over the past two years.
- Except for SUVs, Ford will therefore only market two hatchback in Europe, the Fiesta and the Focus. The carmaker now wants to focus on its SUVs, the Puma and Kuga made in Europe, but also the Explorer produced in the United States. It is not clear, however, that Ford's US strategy to phase out all sedans is relevant for Europe. The next step will be the launch of electric cars based on the Volkswagen ID3 and ID4.
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The US SUV market by carmaker in Q1-2021
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The US SUV market by carmaker in Q1-2021
- SUVs represent 53.5% of the US market in the first quarter of 2021, to 2,092,401 units, which has been growing steadily for twenty years.
- Who are the best sellers of SUVs in the US market today? The Japanese carmaker Toyota is already overtaking Chevrolet and Ford in the sedan category, and this superiority in sales figures will only increase with the planned or effective end of the Big Three sedans. Against all expectations, Toyota also surpasses Chevrolet and Ford in the SUV category, and quite easily as the Japanese carmaker produced 50 000 units more than its two American competitors, in the first quarter of 2021, or 200,000 units on an annual basis. Toyota could sell one million SUVs in the United States over the whole of 2021.
- Chevrolet and Ford are therefore now supplanting Toyota only in the pick-up category, where Japanese carmakers still have some difficulty to impose their products.
- Chevrolet and Ford hold second and third place in the US SUV market. Jeep (a subsidiary of the Stellantis group) is in fourth position, as their entire range of models is made up of SUVs. Three Japanese carmakers are placed in the following three places: Honda, Nissan and Subaru. Then follow the two Korean carmakers Hyundai and Kia.
- The last places are occupied by Mazda, Volkswagen, GMC and then by Premium brands, such as Lexus, Buick, Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Cadillac, Tesla, Acura, Lincoln, Land-Rover, Volvo, Infiniti and Porsche.
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Suzuki increases production capacity in India
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Suzuki increases production capacity in India
- Suzuki has completed the construction of its new plant in India, located in Gujarat, with a capacity of 250,000 vehicles per year. This new site will bring Suzuki's total capacity in Gujarat to 750,000 units per year. The carmaker has two other plants in this state, with a capacity of 250,000 units per year each. In total, with this third plant in Gujarat, Suzuki's production capacity in India will increase from 2 million to 2.25 million units per year, which he believes will meet the demand of the domestic market, but also of the foreign markets.
- Indeed, despite the Indian market decline recorded in 2019 and 2020, the Japanese carmaker believes in its strong potential and in a rapid recovery of sales in the country. The peak of the Indian market was reached in 2018, with a volume of 4.4 million registrations (PCs + LUVs) and Suzuki expects this level to be reached again in the next two years. Given that Suzuki's market share in India is around 50%, the carmaker calculated that to represent 50% of a market equal to 4.4 million units, it needed a production capacity 2.2 million vehicles per year.
- According to Inovev, Suzuki's bet is quite risky as there is no indication that the Indian market will reach a new high in 2022 or 2023. There is also nothing to say that Suzuki will achieve a 50% market share in this country. In 2018, in a market of 4.4 million vehicles, Suzuki produced only 1.875 million. Finally, Suzuki is no longer in tune with global demand (SUVs, hybrid and electric cars) explaining the difficulties of the parent company. Its exports are therefore likely to suffer.
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The US MPV market by carmaker in Q1-2021
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The US MPV market by carmaker in Q1-2021
- MPVs represent 2.3% of the US market in the first quarter of 2021, to 91,695 units, steadily declining for twenty years. It is to remind that in the 90s, the MPV category accounted for up to 1.3 million sales per year in the United States, with a major leader: the Chrysler group with the Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth brands. With the increasing success of SUVs, the MPV market has continued to drop the United States, and this trend has been seen in Europe, Russia and China.
- Who are the best sellers of MPVs in the US market today? The Stellantis group has managed to maintain the leading position of the FCA group, thanks to the Chrysler Pacifica, also available for a few months under a simplified version named Chrysler Voyager. This model was previously produced under the Plymouth brand which reigned in the MPV market for about fifteen years, then under the Chrysler brand, after the discontinuation of the Plymouth brand, and which was marketed for more than twenty years in Europe.
- In the first quarter of 2021, less than 35,000 units of MPVs were sold in the USA by Stellantis, which still represents 38% of this small MPV market. GM and Ford having exit this market for a long time, only the Japanese carmakers Toyota (with the Sienna model) and Honda (with the Odyssey) remain, which occupy second and third place in this market. Nissan also exit this market after the Quest was discontinued. A final series of the Dodge Caravan still exists today but this brand will stop marketing MPVs before the end of this year. Finally, Kia is trying to enter this market modestly.
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Peugeot 208 became the best-selling car in Europe in the first quarter of 2021
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Peugeot 208 became the best-selling car in Europe in the first quarter of 2021
- The Volkswagen Golf remained for several decades the best-selling car in Europe and the most produced in Europe. Over the past fifteen years, it has only given up its position as European market leader once, in 2006, in favor of the Renault Clio, a new generation of which had just appeared in autumn 2005.
- Over the past two years, the Golf had significantly reduced its lead over its followers, in particular the Renault Clio, in part due to the increase in sales of the Volkswagen Tiguan and T-Roc, SUVs derived from the Golf, but also more recently due to of the increase in sales of the other C-segment model of the Volkswagen brand, the ID3. But while the ID3 recorded 56,500 sales in 2020 (compared to 0 in 2019), the Golf lost 105,000 sales in 2020 compared to 2019.
- In the first three months of 2021, the Volkswagen Golf loses its leadership position. It is no longer the best-selling car in Europe (55,000 sales). It was overtaken not by the Renault Clio (52,000 sales) but by the Peugeot 208 (64,000 sales) which thus took the lead for the first time in its history. The volume of electric versions represents 15% of Peugeot 208 sales.
- What is quite spectacular is that the Peugeot 208 sales are not cannibalized by the Peugeot 2008 (SUV derived from the 208). The Peugeot 2008 (52,000 sales) is in fact in fifth position in the first quarter of 2021, in sharply increase compared to 2020. It remains to be seen whether this will continue throughout 2021 or whether the VW Golf will take over shares from the 208.
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