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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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BMW In Talks With Great Wall To Manufacture MINI Vehicles In China

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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Consumer new car finance volumes down 8%

6 October 2017
New figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that new business volumes in the point of sale (POS) consumer new car finance market fell by 8% in August, compared with the same month in 2016, while the value of new business was up by 2% over the same period.
The percentage of private new car sales financed by FLA members through the POS held steady at 86.0% in the twelve months to August.
The POS consumer used car finance market reported new business in August up 8% by value and 2% by volume, compared with the same month last year.
Commenting on the figures, Geraldine Kilkelly, Head of Research and Chief Economist at the FLA, said:
“The August figures reported by the POS consumer new car finance market are in line with wider trends in private new car sales. These trends are not unexpected given the strength of the market in recent years and subdued consumer confidence about the general economic outlook.
“New business volumes in the POS consumer car finance market overall were stable in the first eight months of 2017 compared with the same period in 2016.”
Table 1: Cars bought on finance by consumers through dealerships
New business
Aug 2017
% change on prev. year
3 months to Aug 2017
% change on prev. year
12 months to Aug 2017
% change on prev. year
New cars
Value of advances (£m)
817
+2
3,561
+2
18,356
+4
Number of cars
45,728
-8
191,258
-7
1,002,368
-3
Used cars
Value of advances (£m)
1,284
+8
3,855
+12
14,568
+10
Number of cars
113,221
+2
339,625
+6
1,301,475
+5
Table 2: Cars bought on finance by businesses
New business
Aug 2017
% change on prev. year
3 months to Aug 2017
% change on prev. year
12 months to Aug 2017
% change on prev. year
New cars
Number of cars
30,146
+3
132,405
+5
513,616
0
Used cars
Number of cars
5,293
+51
17,534
+54
58,848
+35
Note to editors:
In 2016, FLA members provided £118 billion of new finance to UK businesses and households. £88 billion of this was in the form of consumer credit, over a third of total new consumer credit written in the UK in 2016. £41 billion of it supported the purchase of new and used cars, including over 86% of private new car registrations.2. For media enquiries, please contact the FLA press office on 020 7420 9656.

Second charge mortgage market growth continues in August

6 October 2017
Commenting on the August 2017 new business figures for the second charge mortgage market, Fiona Hoyle, Head of Consumer and Mortgage Finance at the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA), said:
“The second charge mortgage market reported another strong month in August, with new business continuing to grow from a low base.
“A second charge mortgage provides a useful alternative where homeowners want to raise additional funds but do not want to change their existing first charge mortgage.”
Table 1: New second charge mortgage lending
Aug 2017
% change on prev. year
3 months to Aug 2017
% change on prev. year
12 months to Aug 2017
% change on prev. year
Value of new business (£m)
91
+25
274
+27
974
+10
Number of new agreements (No.)
1,905
+11
5,852
+18
20,910
+4
Note to editors:
FLA members in the consumer finance sector include banks, credit card providers, store card providers, second-charge mortgage lenders, motor finance providers, personal loan and instalment credit providers.In 2016, FLA members provided £118 billion of new finance to UK businesses and households. £88 billion of this was in the form of consumer credit, representing over a third of total new consumer credit written in the UK in 2016.For media enquiries, please contact the FLA press office on 020 7420 9656.

Consumer finance up 4% in August

6 October 2017
New figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that consumer finance new business in August grew by 4% compared with the same month last year.
Credit card and personal loan new business together grew by 4% compared with August 2016, while retail store and online credit new business increased by 7%. Second charge mortgage new business increased 25% by value and 11% by volume over the same period.
Commenting on the figures, Geraldine Kilkelly, Head of Research and Chief Economist at the FLA, said:
“The modest growth in consumer finance new business overall in August reflects subdued consumer confidence about the general economic outlook.
“New business grew by 6% in the first eight months of this year, which is in line with single-digit growth expectations for UK new consumer credit in 2017 as a whole.”
Table 1: New consumer credit lending
Aug 2017
% change on prev. year
3 months to Aug 2017
% change on prev. year
12 months to Aug 2017
% change on prev. year
Total FLA consumer finance (£m)
7,155
+4
22,470
+8
91,582
+6
Data extracts:
Retail store and online credit (£m)
501
+7
1,589
+7
6,668
+2
Credit cards & personal loans (£m)
4,038
+4
11,997
+10
46,872
+7
Second charge mortgages (£m)
91
+25
274
+27
974
+10
Car finance (£m)
2,101
+6
7,416
+7
32,924
+7
Note to editors:
FLA members in the consumer finance sector include banks, credit card providers, store card providers, second-charge mortgage lenders, motor finance providers, personal loan and instalment credit providers.In 2016, FLA members provided £118 billion of new finance to UK businesses and households. £88 billion of this was in the form of consumer credit representing over a third of total new consumer credit written in the UK in 2016.For media enquiries, please contact the FLA press office on 020 7420 9656.

Continued growth in asset finance

6 October 2017
New figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that asset finance new business (primarily leasing and hire purchase) grew by 3% in August, compared with the same month last year.
The plant and machinery finance sector reported new business up in August by 4% compared with the same month in 2016, while new finance for business equipment was up by 8% over the same period.
Commenting on the figures, Geraldine Kilkelly, Head of Research and Chief Economist at the FLA, said:
“The asset finance industry has reported solid new business growth so far in 2017. Growth in asset finance provided to manufacturers has been particularly robust, with new business for production and processing plant up by more than 40% in the first eight months of 2017.”
Aug 2017
% change on prev. year
3 months to Aug
2017
% change on prev. year
12 months to Aug
2017
% change on prev. year
Total FLA asset finance (£m)
2,204
+3
7,957
+6
31,803
+6
Total excluding high value (£m)
2,163
+4
7,726
+10
30,643
+7
Data Extracts:
By asset:
Plant and machinery finance (£m)
502
+4
1,773
+21
6,546
+14
Commercial vehicle finance (£m)
513
-7
1,771
+1
7,479
+2
IT equipment finance (£m)
171
-3
595
+3
2,224
-2
Business equipment finance (£m)
187
+8
694
+10
2,567
+14
Car finance (£m)
613
+10
2,452
+9
9,842
+7
Aircraft, ships and rolling stock finance (£m)
7
-76
27
-82
611
+12
By channel:
Direct finance (£m)
1,108
+2
4,041
+9
15,571
+6
Broker-introduced finance (£m)
453
+7
1,385
+7
5,744
+16
Sales finance (£m)
602
+7
2,300
+12
9,327
+6
By product:
Finance leasing (£m)
272
0
989
+5
4,018
-2
Operating leasing (£m)
470
+4
1,687
+9
7,107
+8
Lease/Hire purchase (£m)
1,194
+3
4,201
+7
16,618
+9
Other finance (£m)
268
+4
1,080
0
4,059
+3
Note to editors:
In 2016, FLA members provided £118 billion of new finance to UK businesses and households. £30 billion of finance was provided to businesses and the public sector. FLA members financed more than a third of UK investment in machinery, equipment and purchased software in the UK in 2016.For media enquiries, please contact the FLA press office on 020 7420 9656.