On January 22, the 2018 Corvette will stop production at the Bowling Green plant in Kentucky. That, in turn, translates to four months of production, making the 2018 model year one of the shortest lived. More to the point, 2018 MY production will total 9,700, which is sensibly less compared to the 32,782 examples built in model year 2017. And a… (continue reading >>)
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New Ford Fusion And Mondeo Production Won’t Move To China In 2020
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New Ford Fusion And Mondeo Production Won’t Move To China In 2020
14 Dec 2017, 15:06 UTC · by Mircea Panait
/ Home / News / Industry
The Fusion in its second generation was introduced in 2012, and over in Europe, the Ford Motor Company calls the mid-size sedan Mondeo. Manufactured in Mexico and Spain, the Fusion/Mondeo was rumored to change its stomping ground to China from 2020 as a means to consolidate global production. But in the end, it turned out that the rumors were false.
10 photosA statement released by Ford goes along these lines, as reported by Automotive News: “We have no plans to export the next-generation Fusion/Mondeo from China to North America and Europe.” The Michigan-based automaker will release more information on what’ll happen from 2020 onwards, when the all-new model will be launched in both North America, Europe, as well as China.
The rumors were started by unnamed sources reportedly close to the Ford Motor Company. In the first instance, the Blue Oval could’ve gone with the change considering that most variants of the next-generation Focus for the North American market will be supplied from the People’s Republic.
Another detail that spelled trouble for the Fusion’s future is sales, with U.S. volume down 22 percent through November 2017. Over in Europe, the Mondeo lost 21 percent. To make matters worse, the mid-size sedan segment is on the downward spiral in almost every corner of the globe.
The biggest reason Ford and other automakers are shifting from sedans is increasing demand for utility vehicles. Crossovers, SUVs, and body-on-frame behemoths, just about everything goes with today’s buyers as long as the driving position is adequately high.
Regarding the Fusion and Mondeo’s current plants, the one located in Valencia, Spain gears up for a 750-million euros investment in preparation for the next-generation Kuga (a.k.a. Escape in North America). As for the factory in Hermosillo, Mexico, it’s unclear what the Ford Motor Company has in the pipeline for this place. In related news, Ford’s Cuautitlan plant in Mexico is confirmed to manufacture an electric crossover from 2020, a high-riding EV with an estimated driving range of 300 miles.
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Australian Car Production Stops With The Last Holden VF II Commodore
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Australian Car Production Stops With The Last Holden VF II Commodore
20 Oct 2017, 15:54 UTC · by Mircea Panait
/ Home / News / Industry
The very first Holden to roll off the line is the 48-215 at Fishermans Bend on November 29, 1948. On October 20, 2017, the story concludes with the final VF II Commodore built at the Elizabeth plant, a Redline model which marks the end of the General Motors RWD Zeta platform and Australian car production.
8 photos“It’s the very last ‘true’ Holden, isn’t it?” Rightly so, and its replacement is a badge-engineered Opel Insignia marketed as the ZB Commodore. Front-wheel-drive by nature and capable of accommodating a V6 in the engine bay, there’s no denying the ZB isn’t the replacement the VF Commodore deserves.
Ford pulled out of Australia, and so did Toyota, leaving the sovereign country dependent on imports. All is not lost, however, as Holden prepares to welcome the Chevrolet Camaro as its new flagship in 2018. Converted to right-hand drive, of course, with the help of HSV. Oh, and by the way, HSV is expected to change its name into Walkinshaw. Because why not?
“The passion and dedication of the team here is second to none, it has been an honor to work alongside them. In the final years of production, we have been building categorically the best-quality cars to ever roll out of this plant, and our last car was our best,” declared Richard Phillips, Holden’s executive director of manufacturing. So, what happens to Elizabeth’s workers?
Up to this point, the transition program has resulted in approximately 85 percent of the workers finding new jobs. What’s more, 1,000 people will be retained as direct staff in Melbourne and across national zone offices. The 200-strong dealer network, meanwhile, consists of 6,000 employees.
Scheduled to go on sale in early 2018, the Holden ZB Commodore will be available with an assortment of four- and six-cylinder engines. The range-topping VXR will rely on a 3.6-liter V6 with a 9-speed automatic transmission and an all-wheel-drive system. In regard to output, 235 kW and 381 Nm of torque is not nearly enough compared to the LS3 V8 of the VF II Commodore, but then again, that’s how the cookie crumbles for Holden these days.
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BMW M8 Confirmed For Debut In 2018, EV Offensive Goes Crazy
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BMW M8 Confirmed For Debut In 2018, EV Offensive Goes Crazy
6 Dec 2017, 15:18 UTC · by Mircea Panait
/ Home / News / Car Profile
When BMW took the veils off the Concept 8 Series, a few jaws dropped for at least two reasons. One of them is the return of the 8 Series, and the other is the get-up-and-go the M8 promises from the 4.4-liter V8 engine.
17 photosExpected to develop more suck-squeeze-bang-blow than the 600-horsepower S63B44T4 in the F90 M5, the twin-turbo eight-cylinder plant will give the German automaker’s flagship the performance one would expect from a luxurious grand tourer with sporting credentials.
So when will we get to see the M8 doing its best to fend off the Mercedes-AMG S63 Coupe (and Cabriolet)? According to Harald Kruger, the chairman of the board of management at BMW, sometime next year production of the all-new 8 Series Coupe and M8 will kick off at the automaker’s Dingolfing plant in Germany.
Kruger also confirmed the X7 for 2018, the company's largest sport utility vehicle to date. “These are our goals for the luxury class,” further added the official, referring to “a higher segment share. A significant increase in sales and revenues.”
BMW also has big plans for the i brand, with the iX3 already confirmed on a previous occasion. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Here’s Kruger again: “We have not only secured the naming rights for BMW i – from i1 to i9. We also hold the rights for BMW X – from iX1 to iX9.”
If that sounds like overkill, it probably is. But when you think about it, securing your intellectual property is the safest thing to do as an automaker, even if some of those models are far off from production reality. The i9, iX8, iX9, all three of them serve as perfect cases in point.
The strategic focus for the BMW Group is electrification, with the Bavarian automaker expecting to deliver its 100,000th electrified vehicle before Christmas, adding to a figure that totals close to 200,000 cars. By 2025, BMW will offer 25 electrified models, of which 12 are all-electric vehicles.
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Sluggish Sales Equal Production Slowdown For Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Jeep, Fiat
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Sluggish Sales Equal Production Slowdown For Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Jeep, Fiat
19 Oct 2017, 14:42 UTC · by Mircea Panait
/ Home / News / Industry
Bad news, fans of Fiat Chrysler’s most Italian of brands! Both Alfa Romeo and Maserati are not doing great regarding sales, the reason why FCA decided to cut production for both automakers. And the reason for this slump in demand? Apparently, new Chinese import rules have hit Fiat Chrysler hard, especially the two brands.
36 photosAlthough China faced criticism in the past for being too lenient on emissions and pollution, the People’s Republic is working hard on addressing these issues. Collateral damage comes in the form of increased restrictions for automakers, mostly because China follows the model set by France and the UK, countries that will ban the sale of fossil fuel cars and SUVs by 2040.
By August 2017, China had reached its 2020 target for solar energy installation, which makes the People’s Republic the largest producer of solar energy in the world. Large-scale carbon capture plants are also on the way, with the first of a planned eight currently being built. The bottom line is, China’s government is very focused on reducing the carbon footprint.
And as a result of these policies, imported automobiles are not exactly welcome in the Middle Kingdom unless they’re hybridized or electric. Alfa Romeo and Maserati don’t have such vehicles in their lineup, and that’s the gist of it. According to Automotive News, FCA declined to comment on the matter, but the cited publication has the numbers to back up its claims.
The Levante plant in Mirafiori will shut down for two weeks between October and November, with sales in China now averaging 350 examples per month compared to more than 800 units per month in the first half of the year. Over at Alfa Romeo, the Cassino plant in Italy now builds 265 vehicles per shift instead of 300. This decision follows four Fridays that were hampered down by production stops, totaling a loss of 2,000-plus Giulias and Stelvios.
From 2,666 Stelvio units delivered in China in July, Alfa Romeo slumped to 227 examples in August. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the Fiat 500X and Jeep Renegade have both seen production reductions at the Melfi plant in Italy. From the report: “Workers at the plant have been temporarily laid off for 21 days this year, including 11 days in the third quarter. As a result, production of the two models was down 25 percent in the quarter.”
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U.S.-spec 2018 Nissan Leaf Starts Production In Smyrna, Tennessee
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U.S.-spec 2018 Nissan Leaf Starts Production In Smyrna, Tennessee
6 Dec 2017, 0:13 UTC · by Mircea Panait
/ Home / News / Industry
Also assembled in Japan and the United Kingdom, the Nissan Leaf has re-started production at the Smyrna, Tennessee plant in the United States. The cars assembled there which will serve the U.S. public in the market for an affordable electric vehicle.
13 photos”We're committed to vehicle electrification and manufacturing in the United States,” commented Jeff Younginer, the vice president of manufacturing at Smyrna Vehicle Assembly Plant. “With the Leaf's low starting price and latest suite of Nissan Intelligent Mobility features, we're excited to ramp up production and bring the Leaf to market next month.”
Pricing information of the second-generation Leaf in U.S. specification has been announcedt, with the new kid on the block offering more than 150 miles of range for $29,990. The 2017 model, which is still available on dealer lots, starts from $30,680 and offers as many as 107 miles of range.
The world’s best-selling electric vehicle is more capable thanks to many improvements to the platform and battery, with the latter now offering a capacity of 40 kWh. Next year, Nissan will sweeten the deal with a 60 kWh battery, translating to a driving range of more than 225 miles according to executive VP of global sales and marketing Daniele Schillaci.
Nissan’s second-generation Leaf is off to a fantastic start, with the all-electric model accumulating more than 23,000 orders on a global level in its first month of availability. Japan was the first market to open the order books on October 2, and it’s responsible for 19k of all first-month orders.
As part of the Alliance 2022 business plan, the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi trio plans to launch no less than 12 electric vehicles that will utilize common platforms and components. In addition to this eco-friendly promise, Nissan and the gang will introduce 40 vehicles with autonomous drive technology, even though ProPilot is still far from Level 5 autonomy.
The Leaf hatchback and Rogue utility vehicle both offer ProPilot Assist, Nissan’s most advanced semi-autonomous driving system to date.
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2018 Lamborghini Urus Partially Revealed On The Assembly Line
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2018 Lamborghini Urus Partially Revealed On The Assembly Line
18 Oct 2017, 11:46 UTC · by Mircea Panait
/ Home / News / Car Profile
The House of the Raging Bull is proud of its ongoing strategic investment program, which sees the Sant’Agata Bolognese facility expand from 80,000 to 160,000 square meters. Without beating around the bush, most of the money was poured into an all-new factory, which will handle production of the Urus.
17 photosIn fact, pilot production is already underway, with the following video teasing many bits and bobs of the “Super SUV” that will likely take the Nurburgring record from the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio. And the bottom line is, Lamborghini intends to double its production output to 7,000 vehicles per year.
Other than the all-new assembly line, finishing department, and office building, the investment also brings worth an all-new test track with thirteen different surfaces specific to sport utility vehicles. Dubbed Manifattura Lamborghini, the Urus-building factory and its annexes were completed in 18 months. And as expected, the facility relies heavily on robots and automation.
The line that handles Urus production is called Industry 4.0 and is dedicated to the SUV that shares its underpinnings with the Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne, and Bentley Bentayga. From the video of the Manifattura Lamborghini, it’s easy to spot at least three unfinished Urus vehicles. The one on the assembly line features carbon ceramic brakes, which is a must in a hefty sport utility vehicle.
The clip further treats us to the design of the five-spoke alloy wheels and the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 developed by Porsche, as well as the side profile and front fascia of the Urus. It’s no LM002, but according to Lamborghini, the technology built into the Urus makes it properly capable in off-road scenarios.
Packing at least 650 horsepower and mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission, the Urus will be followed by a plug-in hybrid model in the near future. As a brief refresher, the Italian automaker will take the veils off the all-new SUV on December 4 at the Sant’Agata Bolognese site.
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BMW In Talks With Great Wall To Manufacture MINI Vehicles In China
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15 Oct 2017, 21:38 UTC · by Mircea Panait
/ Home / News / Industry
At the present moment, MINI operates a production plant in Cowley, UK, with a remainder of production attributed to VDL Nedcar in Born, Netherlands. In the coming years, however, the BMW-owned British automaker might expand outside of Europe thanks to the helping hand of Great Wall.
23 photosReports in the Chinese media suggest BMW is in early talks with Great Wall to create a joint stock company incorporated in the People’s Republic with limited liability. In a statement released on behalf by the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Great Wall has confirmed the talks, providing clarifications.
From the statement: “As of the date of this announcement, the Company and BMW have not entered into any legal documents for the establishment of a joint venture in China.” There’s no deal on the table just yet, but the offer is too good for BMW and Great Wall to take a step back. “Both parties entered into a confidential agreement on 18 April 2016 for the feasibility of research and development of battery electric vehicles and traditional power vehicles.”
Upon discussion, BMW and Great Wall signed an agreement on February 21, 2017, “for discussion and evaluation on the feasibility of cooperation for vehicles of MINI brand.” It’s extremely clear, then, that intentions are strong from both parties. But until the two automakers agree to create a joint venture in China, there’s still a whole lot of talk and feasibility evaluation to be done.
BMW is already present in China with the help of Brilliance, an alliance that started in 2003 and is responsible for the local production of the 1 Series, 2 Series Active Tourer, 3er, 5er, and X1. Great Wall, on the other hand, doesn’t have any joint venture to speak of at the present moment. The Haval sport utility vehicle brand sold better than the rest of the Great Wall lineup in 2016, but a joint venture has the potential to be a more lucrative business.
When rumors emerged of the MINI-Great Wall potential tie-up on Wednesday, October 11, shares of the Chinese automaker jumped 13 percent, then were suspended from trading on Thursday. Shares have resumed trading on Monday, 16 October.
Download attachment: MINI-Great Wall joint venture statement (PDF)
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Volkswagen I.D. Countdown: e-Hatchback Confirmed For Late-2019 Production Start
4 Dec 2017, 12:02 UTC · by Mircea Panait
/ Home / News / Industry
The Modularer Elektrobaukasten is a huge leap forward for the Volkswagen Group, probably bigger than the MQB is for the current crop of front-engine, front- and all-wheel-drive models. Shortened to MEB, the modular platform will enter production at the end of 2019 at the Zwickau plant in Germany, with the first electric vehicle of the I.D. family.
81 photosThe countdown started today at the MEB Supplier Summit, with Volkswagen confirming that more than 100 suppliers have been nominated within the framework of the electric offensive. Coincidence or not, 100 weeks are left until VW AG embraces e-mobility at full speed.
In addition to the I.D. hatchback, previewed by the Golf-sized concept of the same name, the Elektrobaukasten will be employed by an additional 31 models from Audi, Skoda, SEAT, and other group-owned brands. “Volkswagen brand alone will be offering more than 20 all-electric models by 2022 and will be investing about €6 billion in e-mobility over the next five years,” declared head honcho Herbert Diess.
Following the I.D. hatchback, the MEB-based Volkswagen lineup will welcome the I.D. Buzz (electric Microbus) and I.D. Crozz (electric crossover). The Wolfsburg-based automaker expects to have built more than 100,000 MEB vehicles by the closure of 2020. The secret to this output is the reduced complexity of the platform and the modularity, with Elektrobaukasten capable of front-, rear-, and all-wheel-drive applications.
“We intend to work together [with our suppliers] to ensure that Europe is ahead in the global race to the lead in e-mobility,” added Diess, a strategy that “will enable us to write a new chapter in the history of the automobile.” Reading between the lines, this claim is a subtle middle finger salute to Elon Musk’s endless boasting and Tesla’s failure to ramp up Model 3 production.
As part of today’s announcement, Volkswagen confirmed that MEB electric vehicles will make their way to the United States and China from 2020 onwards.
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Volkswagen Pulls The Plug On The Scirocco, Mk4 Reportedly In The Offing As An EV
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Volkswagen Pulls The Plug On The Scirocco, Mk4 Reportedly In The Offing As An EV
15 Oct 2017, 8:34 UTC · by Mircea Panait
/ Home / News / Car Profile
Previewed by the IROC Concept in 2006, the Scirocco is officially dead. Produced in Portugal since 2008, the sports compact hatchback had it coming for a long time now. So what gives?
25 photosWell, bear in mind the Scirocco shares the Volkswagen Group A5 (PQ35) platform with the fifth-generation Golf. And as a brief refresher, the Golf Mk5 entered production in 2004, so yeah, the underpinnings are obviously old. But that’s not all there is to the downfall of the Scirocco Mk3. Far from it, in fact.
The Scirocco R may be the crowning achievement of the range, but in comparison to the Golf R, the go-faster model didn’t feature 4Motion all-wheel-drive. With 276 hp (280 PS) and 258 lb-ft (350 Nm) sent to the front wheels, you can bet your sweet bippy it’s hard to push the R to its limits.
Volkswagen didn’t offer a formal announcement about the Scirocco’s demise, though confirmation comes from the German configurator of the 3-door hatchback. “The Scirocco can no longer be ordered with individual equipment. However, finished vehicles are available for you,” and that’s basically that.
Volkswagen offers the remaining Scirocco inventory in three trim levels, with prices starting at 24,950 euros for the entry-level specification. Der Scirocco “Sound” is 28,250 euros, while the range-topping Scirocco GTS is 31,825 euros. That’s right, ladies and gents, the most powerful Scirocco currently on sale has 220 ponies to play with, which is 10 less than the Golf GTI offers.
To make matters worse, the Golf GTI is €2k cheaper than the Scirocco GTS. Particularly in an SUV-driven market, the Scirocco didn’t make sense anymore from a commercial standpoint, especially if you consider how capable the Golf 7.5 is in GTI and R specifications. And on that sad, sad note, all is not lost.
Reports in the motoring media suggest Volkswagen might be interested in bringing back the Scirocco at some point in the future, riding on the MEB platform. With an all-electric powertrain, the Scirocco Mk4 is expected to be offered in two configurations. The entry-level model will reportedly make use of a 170-PS electric motor, while the Scirocco R is supposed to get a twin-motor powertrain rated at 300 PS. Word has it the Scirocco EV will offer 200 miles at the least (322 kilometers), 375 miles tops (604 kilometers).
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