The project of an Audi factory in the USA has been postponed
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The project of an Audi factory in the USA has been postponed
- Audi (a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group) has reportedly postponed its plan to build an assembly plant in the United States. This project, announced last year, was prompted by new tariffs imposed by the American administration on cars imported from Europe, Mexico, and Canada.
- Unlike BMW and Mercedes, which already have assembly plants in the United States to produce their locally sold SUVs (BMW X3, X4, X5, X6, X7, XM and Mercedes GLB, GLE, GLE Coupé, GLS), Audi has to sell its Q3, Q4, Q6, Q7, Q8 SUVs from the European continent and the Q5 from Mexico.
- It is clear that with the new customs duties imposed on vehicles imported from Europe or Mexico, Audi SUVs are no longer competitive in the USA compared to BMW and Mercedes SUVs which are not subject to customs duties since they are produced locally.
- To justify the postponement of its project, Audi cites the impossibility of financing this significant additional investment, given the carmaker's deteriorating situation in the United States, precisely because of the new customs duties which have reduced Audi's sales in the country and consequently its revenues and profits. But the instability of the measures taken by the American administration could also weigh on this factory project: Will the new tariffs remain in place (see court decisions that challenge them)? If so, at what level?
- In any case, the timing for building an Audi factory in the USA may not have been the best, as Volkswagen is currently building a two billion dollar assembly plant in South Carolina for its subsidiary Scout Motors.
GM will transfer production of the Buick Envision from China to the USA
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GM will transfer production of the Buick Envision from China to the USA
- Following GM's decision to transfer production of the Chevrolet Equinox and Chevrolet Blazer from Mexico to the United States (approximately 400,000 vehicles per year), GM has decided to transfer the production of the Buick Envision SUV from China to the United States.
- This model, intended for the Chinese and North American markets, has been produced in China since 2014 and has sold nearly 50,000 units in the United States each year since 2017.
- The carmaker announced that the production of the Envision in USA will start in 2028, that is to say at the time of the launch of the next generation of the model.
- The upcoming Buick Envision will be built on a shared platform with the future Chevrolet Equinox , which will begin production in 2027 at the same Fairfax plant in Kansas City, USA. GM has indicated that it will continue importing the Envision from China to the United States until 2028, even though US tariffs on imported Chinese vehicles remain very high. GM has not specified whether Buick Envision production at SAIC-GM's Yantai plant in Shandong province, China, will continue for Asian markets.
Top 25 global carmakers in 2025: Chinese carmakers are the most represented
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Top 25 global carmakers in 2025: Chinese carmakers are the most represented
- Global automotive production (passenger cars and light utility vehicles) increased by nearly 2% in 2025 compared to 2024, while global automotive sales (passenger cars and light utility vehicles) are expected to have risen by 4.7%. Passenger car sales have increased by 5.0%, and light utility vehicle by 2.9%.
- As previously mentioned, the largest carmakers in 2025 are Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai-Kia, General Motors, and Stellantis. This so-called "Western" ranking includes the production of non-Chinese models by Chinese carmakers in the figures for non-Chinese automakers. In this traditional ranking, nine Chinese carmakers are among the top 25 in 2025, but only two Chinese carmakers are among the top 10: BYD and Geely.
- If we now include the production of non-Chinese models by Chinese carmakers in the figures for Chinese carmakers, the ranking is significantly different. This time, nine Chinese carmakers are still among the Top 25 in 2025, but four Chinese carmakers are among the Top 10 in 2025. These are BYD and Geely , of course, but also SAIC and FAW, which assemble many non-Chinese cars under license, such as Volkswagen, Audi, Toyota, and GM.
- Since these figures were also deducted from the figures for non-Chinese carmakers in this second ranking, the Volkswagen Group is no longer the second-largest automaker in the world but the third, behind Toyota and Hyundai-Kia. And the GM Group is no longer the fourth-largest automaker in the world but the tenth, behind Ford and FAW. Stellantis, whose production is very limited in China, finds itself in fourth position, behind the Volkswagen Group. Similarly, Suzuki, whose production is also very limited in China, finds itself ahead of Honda.
New models produced in Europe (+Morocco and Turkey) launched on the European market in 2026
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New models produced in Europe (+Morocco and Turkey) launched on the European market in 2026
- What major new products will be launched and produced in Europe and Morocco in 2026?
- Spring 2026: Renault Clio VI (B-segment petrol and hybrid hatchback), Renault Twingo E-Tech (A-segment electric hatchback), DS N°7 (C-segment micro-hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric SUV), Kia EV2 (B-segment electric SUV), Volvo EX60 (D-segment electric SUV).
- Summer 2026: Mercedes GLA (C-segment micro-hybrid and electric SUV), Fiat Multipla (B-segment internal combustion and electric SUV), Lancia Gamma (D-segment electric sedan).
- Autumn 2026: BMW i3 (D-segment electric sedan), Volkswagen ID Polo (B-segment electric sedan), Volkswagen ID Cross (B-segment electric SUV), Mercedes C-Class EQ (D-segment electric sedan), Peugeot 208 III (B-segment petrol, mild hybrid and electric sedan), Renault Estafette (N1 electric van), Hyundai Ioniq 3 (B-segment electric SUV), Dacia Striker (C-segment petrol and hybrid estate car), Nissan Juke EV (B-segment electric SUV), Dacia "Twingo" (A-segment electric sedan), Porsche 718 (C-segment electric convertible coupe), Toyota Corolla (C-segment hybrid and electric sedan).
The Renault group sold 2.34 million vehicles in 2025
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The Renault group sold 2.34 million vehicles in 2025
- The Renault Group (Renault, Dacia, Alpine) sold 2,336,807 vehicles in 2025, compared to 2,264,815 in 2024, representing a 3.2% increase. Of this total, the Renault brand sold 1,628,030 vehicles (+3.2%), the Dacia brand 697,408 vehicles (+3.1%), and the Alpine brand 10,970 vehicles (+139.2%). This is the first time Alpine has exceeded 10,000 annual sales. As for Dacia, its Sandero hatchback remained the best-selling car in Europe in 2025, ahead of the Renault Clio.
- Nevertheless, it's clear that Renault's glory days are over :
1. The carmaker, which sold over 3 million vehicles annually between 2015 and 2020, will never again reach such sales levels.
2. Renault has divested itself of the Lada ( Avtovaz ), Samsung, Jinbei-Huasong , and Mobilize brands .
3. Renault has separated from Nissan in terms of ownership: the Renault-Nissan group, which had a presence on every continent, has ceased to exist.
4. Renault has therefore abandoned the US and Chinese markets, with the European market now representing nearly 70% of its global sales.
5. Renault has ended its partnership with Mercedes in the commercial vehicle sector.
6. A new partnership with the Chinese company Geely is developing but remains relatively unclear.
- However, there are some positive points: Renault is accelerating its push to electrify passenger vehicles in Europe , with 400,000 full hybrid vehicles sold (+35.1%) and 194,000 BEVs sold (+76.7%), representing 8.5% of its global sales. An agreement with Ford Europe provides for the production of new electric Ford vehicles in Renault plants.