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BMW to lay off 10,000 contract workers: source

The logo of German car manufacturer BMW is seen at the company headquarters in Munich, Germany, May 14, 2020. REUTERS/Andreas Gebert MUNICH (Reuters) – BMW (BMWG.DE) will not extend the contracts of 10,000 contract workers, a company source told Reuters on Friday, as the German luxury carmaker seeks to reduce its capacity due to the… Continue reading BMW to lay off 10,000 contract workers: source

(LEAD) SsangYong partners with Chinese firm for exports

(ATTN: ADDS ongoing effort to find new investor in last 5 paras) SEOUL, June 19 (Yonhap) — SsangYong Motor Co. said Friday it has signed an initial agreement with Chinese carmaker Songuo Motors Co. to export its Tivoli sport utility vehicle. Under the basic agreement, SsangYong Motor will deliver the Tivoli SUV in the form… Continue reading (LEAD) SsangYong partners with Chinese firm for exports

Hyundai Motor, LG to expand EV biz partnership

SEOUL, June 19 (Yonhap) — The heads of Hyundai Motor Group and LG Group, South Korea’s two major conglomerates, will meet next week to discuss expanded cooperation in the electric vehicle business, a person familiar with the matter said Friday. Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice Chairman Chung Euisun is set to discuss an expanded EV… Continue reading Hyundai Motor, LG to expand EV biz partnership

Savings program: BMW decides to cut 6,000 jobs

BMW production It is the first job cuts that the automaker has been doing since the 2008 financial crisis. (Photo: dpa) Munich The tapes have been running since mid-May BMW again, but the factories are not busy. The Short-time work For the approximately 34,000 employees it is largely canceled, but there is a lack of… Continue reading Savings program: BMW decides to cut 6,000 jobs

Tesla Model 3 gets a solar roof thanks to Lightyear

A Tesla Model 3 has been modified with a solar roof as part of Lightyear’s solar car development program. We have been reporting on Lightyear for a few years now. The startup first caught our attention because it spun out of Solar Team Eindhoven, a group of engineering students from the Technical University of Eindhoven (Netherlands)… Continue reading Tesla Model 3 gets a solar roof thanks to Lightyear

Tesla releases new solar panel, slashes prices

Tesla has released a new more powerful solar panel and slashed the price of its solar installations as it attempts to ramp up its energy division. Over the last few years, Tesla has revamped its solar business. After purchasing SolarCity, they slowed down installations and restructured the company as they integrated the operations into their… Continue reading Tesla releases new solar panel, slashes prices

S Korea’s SsangYong Motor picks manager to sell Mahindra’s stake in India

South Korea’s SsangYong Motor has picked a manager to sell a stake held by India’s Mahindra and Mahindra, a spokesman at SsangYong said on Friday. SsangYong is looking for a new investor and has picked Samsung Securities, which is working with its global strategic partner Rothschild, to tap the market for interest, South Korean media reported earlier on Friday. The spokesman declined to name the adviser. Samsung Securities declined… Continue reading S Korea’s SsangYong Motor picks manager to sell Mahindra’s stake in India

Press Lordstown Motors shows off Endurance electric pickup’s interior

Lordstown Motors Slowly but surely, Lordstown Motors is closing in on its big reveal for the Endurance electric pickup truck. While we’ve seen numerous shots of the prototype in various sketches and renderings, we never knew what lurked inside. Until now, that is. On Wednesday, LM published a handful of interior sketches that detail the… Continue reading Press Lordstown Motors shows off Endurance electric pickup’s interior

Nissan cuts more shifts at Japan car plants due to low demand

TOKYO (Reuters) – Nissan Motor Co (7201.T) on Friday said it will cut more shifts at its three assembly plants in Japan due to falling demand, as the automaker struggles to recover from a drop in sales triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. FILE PHOTO: A Nissan logo is pictured at Brussels Motor Show, Belgium, January… Continue reading Nissan cuts more shifts at Japan car plants due to low demand

Audi Shines In Transition Month In Germany — Charts

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Published on June 18th, 2020 |

by Jose Pontes

Audi Shines In Transition Month In Germany — Charts

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June 18th, 2020 by Jose Pontes

With the German auto market slowly recovering from the pandemic-related lockdown, dropping just 50% year over year (YoY) in May, the local plugin market stepped up the growth pace last month, having registered 12,333 units, up 56% YoY. The growth was mostly thanks to PHEVs, which jumped an amazing 107%(!). Last month’s plugin share reached 7.3% (3.3% full electric vehicles/BEVs), keeping the yearly tally at 7.6% (3.7% BEV).

With the recent incentive changes, it is expected that the German plugin market will return to warp speed soon. Although, much is expected to be due to increased sales of plugin hybrids that are already the majority of plugin vehicle (PEV) sales this year (48% BEV vs 52% PHEV). They should increase their lead throughout the summer, at least until a certain Volkswagen ID.3 lands in September … but more on that later.

PHEVs or not, the truth is that thanks to the incentives boost, we could reach the 10% milestone already this year, something that would make 2021 a very interesting year to follow. … (wink, wink, disruption, wink, wink)

Regarding last month’s best sellers, in May the Volkswagen e-Golf got the top spot again, with the German brand milking its hatchback to the last drop, thanks to generous discounts. It seems the veteran model is set to end its career on a high note.

Another veteran, the Audi A3 PHEV, is also benefitting from a second spring, managing to win its first podium position in years thanks to a surprising record of 732 registrations, an amazing feat for a model that is supposed to be in its last months. Talk about leaving with a bang!

In fact, Audi can celebrate its May performance overall, as it placed 3 models in the top 6 spots! The A3 PHEV was in 3rd, the e-tron BEV in 4th, and the Q5 PHEV in 5th, tied with the Mercedes E300e/de. Not bad, Audi, not bad at all.

Regarding the 2020 table, the podium positions remained the same, with each model consolidating its position, and they should stay the same until September, when a certain VW ID.3 delivers some 8,000 units (wild guess) at once, landing immediately on (or close to) the podium. It should kick its predecessor off the throne during the following months. Also in September, the Tesla Model 3 should benefit from its usual end-of-quarter peak to try to displace the Renault Zoe from the podium, stealing at the same time the Best Selling Foreigner title from the French hatchback.

The PHEV race will also be interesting. We’ll see if last year’s leader, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, is the winner again. The Japanese SUV has been losing gas charge and now has the #5 VW Passat GTE just 14 units behind, but the Volkswagen midsizer might not enjoy the plugin hybrid throne for long, as the rising Audi A3 PHEV that was up 3 spots last month, to #7, is currently outpacing the competition. Although, one wonders for how long, as the Audi hatchback is on the last legs of its 6-year career.

With all of this, even the #8 Mercedes E300e/de family might have a shot at winning the PHEV category, especially now that, thanks to the new incentives, the PHEV versions will become even more price-competitive compared to their fossil fuel siblings. Mercedes better find an extra supply of batteries for the E300, because they will surely be in demand.

Speaking of the big Mercedes, in the luxury category, the Audi e-tron surpassed it, reaching the 6th position and becoming the new top dog in this high-end race. And the good news for Audi doesn’t stop there, as its Q5 PHEV SUV was up also, in this case one position, to #12.

But it wasn’t only Audi models that shined, because the 371 registrations of the #14 Hyundai Kona EV, a new year best, also deserve a mention, while the Smart Fortwo EV and the Volvo S/V60 PHEV twins each climbed a spot in the table, with the tiny two-seater now at #15 while the Swedes are at #16.

We have two new entries at the bottom of the table, both from BMW, which added its X3 PHEV (385 units in May, a new record) at #19 and the bigger X5 PHEV (280 units) at #20, putting four BMWs in the top 20.

Outside the top 20, a reference is due to the Ford Kuga PHEV, which had a record 422 registrations last month, a new record. That should help it reach a top 20 position soon, which would be a first for the Dearborn automaker, and a good omen for the future Mustang Mach-E.

In the brand ranking, Volkswagen (16%) leads the way, while Audi (11%, up 2 points) profited from its good performance in May to return to the runner-up spot, displacing BMW (10%), now in the last place of the podium.

Off the podium, the #4 Mercedes (8%) and #5 Renault (7%, down 1 point) are running behind.

Here are the same charts as above but with “Others” added:

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About the Author

Jose Pontes Always interested in the auto industry, particularly in electric cars, Jose has been overviewing the sales evolution of plug-ins through the EV Sales blog since 2012, allowing him to gain an expert view on where EVs are right now and where they are headed in the future. The EV Sales blog has become a go-to source for people interested in electric car sales around the world. Extending that work and expertise, Jose is now a partner in EV-Volumes and works with the European Alternative Fuels Observatory on EV sales matters.

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