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Citroen C4 Hatchback Going Out Of Production, Replacement Coming In 2020/2021

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More on this:1 2018 Citroen C4 Cactus Gets Progressive Hydraulic Cushion Suspension System2 2018 Peugeot Partner Test Car Blows Smoke Like a Chainsmoker3 Peugeot/Citroen Comeback on U.S. Market Inevitable4 New Citroen C5 Confirmed For European Market, Coming In 20205 2018 Citroen C3 Aircross Makes MPVs Look Obsolete At Frankfurt
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Citroen C4 Hatchback Going Out Of Production, Replacement Coming In 2020/2021

27 Oct 2017, 14:36 UTC · by Mircea Panait
/ Home / News / Car Profile

The introduction of the C4 Cactus facelift is a two-sided matter for Citroen. The compact-ish crossover effectively replaces the C4 hatchback, which is one of the least exciting cars in the segment, as well as one of the oldest.
11 photosNot accounting for the first generation (2004 to 2010), the C4 hatchback has been with us since 2010. Also offered as a sedan and in Aircross flavor, the C4 also brought forth the DS 4, which happens to suffer from peculiar flaws.
Listed on the French and British configurators from €18,950 and £21,310, respectively, you know the C4 hatchback doesn’t have a winning chance against the likes of the cheaper and funkier C4 Cactus. So what did Citroen’s higher-ups decide given this dire situation? Phase it out, of course!
The confirmation comes from Xavier Peugeot, senior vice president of product planning at Citroen. “The current C4 is a seven-year-old design and we had to make a decision. We will stop production and the C4 Cactus will take its place,” he told the peeps at Autocar, and that settles the deal. But what will happen with the void left by the C4 hatchback? After all, the compact segment is hugely popular in Europe, and Citroen cannot afford to misstep.
As it happens, the French automaker is developing a C-segment hatchback for launch in 2020, 2021 at the latest. An all-new model from the ground up, the all-new C4 hatchback is expected to ride on the EMP2 platform, which underpins many cars in the PSA lineup, from the Peugeot 308 to the DS 7 Crossback, as well as light commercial vehicles such as the Toyota Proace.
Needless to highlight, the 2020/2021 Citroen C4 hatchback will borrow the Progressive Hydraulic Cushion suspension system from the C4 Cactus and C5 Aircross. According to Citroen head honcho Linda Jackson, “we are talking here about 21st-century comfort in suspension and seats.”

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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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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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Toyota-Mazda Shared Plant To Crop Up In Alabama Or North Carolina

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Toyota-Mazda Shared Plant To Crop Up In Alabama Or North Carolina

15 Nov 2017, 14:32 UTC · by Mircea Panait
/ Home / News / Industry

Building and selling cars is big business. And in addition to big, it’s complicated business for one too many reasons, chief among which is legislation. In the U.S., for example, it’s easier for foreign automakers to build cars locally because the state will offer incentives. This, in turn, creates jobs, and the pricing advantage over imports is nothing to scoff at.
9 photos Toyota and Mazda find themselves in this situation, with the two announcing that they’re planning on spending $1.6 billion on a plant in the United States that will create 4,000 jobs. The factory would be operational by 2021, but there’s a catch with this promise. And that catch is, Toyota and Mazda have refused to spell out the location where the plant will be.
The background story originates with Donald Trump, who attacked Toyota with a “big border tax” over the automaker’s plan to construct a factory in Guanajuato, Mexico. There, Toyota would’ve produced the Corolla, but once President Trump got in on the action, the Japanese automaker decided that it would be better to build the Tacoma in Mexico.
Trump’s attack wasn’t in vain, for the POTUS convinced Toyota to relegate Corolla production to the United States, at the factory this story is about. Mazda joined Toyota in its ambitious plan, with Mazda announcing that it'll build “new crossover vehicles” at the yet-to-be-constructed plant.
According to Bloomberg, the search for a location for the Toyota-Mazda plant has been narrowed to two states: Alabama and North Carolina. All that’s left to do now is for state officials to sweeten the deal, with Toyota-Mazda expected to take the better offer as far as incentives are concerned.
Whichever state wins, the shared factory is actually a victory for the Trump administration. After all, it is “the first new auto assembly plant to be announced during the tenure of President Donald Trump,” and that’s good news considering Ford will source the next-generation Focus from China.
Editor's note:

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This Is The Welding Line Where The U.S.-spec 2019 Ford Ranger Will Be Made

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This Is The Welding Line Where The U.S.-spec 2019 Ford Ranger Will Be Made

23 Dec 2017, 17:00 UTC · by Mircea Panait
/ Home / News / Industry

Miss the Ranger? The Ford Motor Company is bringing it back to North America for the 2019 model year, and as the Blue Oval previously confirmed, it will be made in Wayne at the Michigan Assembly Plant. And what you see in the following video is the welding line where the all-new Ranger will be assembled, including the no-nonsense Ranger Raptor off-road sports truck.
86 photosWayne is the place where the body-on-frame Bronco will also be made, following an investment of $850 million in the facility. Production of the Ranger, meanwhile, is confirmed to start in late 2018, with the first pickups expected to arrive in dealership showrooms by the end of the year.
The industrial robots on the Ranger’s welding line are developed by FANUC, an automation products and services company that’s regarded as the best in the world in terms of industrial robots. As for how the U.S.-spec Ranger will differ from the one on sale right now in other countries, Ford will definitely modify the mid-size pickup’s chassis. A stronger frame is utmost important if the Ranger wants to comply with the safety protocol enforced in North America, which recently saw the Dodge Viper go the way of the dodo.
Based on spy photos of pre-production models, the real deal will be a mix of the F-150’s design and the proportions of the T6 Ranger. Think Chevrolet Colorado-sized, which is perfectly-sized even for the most urban of areas. Towing and payload capacities should also be comparable to the Colorado, although the European version of the Ranger is of better reference.
When specified with the 3.2-liter TDCi inline-five with 200 metric horsepower and 4×4, the European Ranger’s maximum towable mass is rated at 3,500 kilograms (7,716 pounds). As for payload, the most capable variant available is the 2.2-liter TDCi 160 PS 4×4, boasting 1,269 kilograms (2,798 pounds).
It remains to be seen if the U.S.-spec Ranger will be offered with a diesel option, which would make sense considering the optional Duramax of the Colorado and Power Stroke V6 of the F-150. As for the dune-bashing Raptor, the most likely powerplant to expect is the 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6.
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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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2019 BMW X5 (G05) Coming Next Summer, Launching In Q3 2018

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2019 BMW X5 (G05) Coming Next Summer, Launching In Q3 2018

14 Nov 2017, 10:11 UTC · by Mircea Panait
/ Home / News / Car Profile

The X5 is one of the most successful members of the BMW lineup, with the mid-size sport utility vehicle being popular in Europe and the United States alike. Now in its third generation, the X5 prepares to make way for the fourth-generation model in the guise of the G05 X5. According to the latest reports, the newcomer should be presented in the summer of 2018.
31 photosWhat that means is, the F15 X5 won’t live to see the Life Cycle Impulse. And in turn, what that means is that the F15 X5 boasts one of the fastest turnarounds in recent memory for the BMW Group. But then again, it’d be foolish for the Bavarian automaker to milk out the current model as the X3 got overhauled from the ground up and the X7 is right around the corner. The question is, what is there to expect from the G05 X5?
First things first, the modular platform BMW calls CLAR serves as the backbone of the mid-size SUV. Wider and longer than the F15, the G05 will drop a few pounds compared to its predecessor, thus helping with both gas mileage and handling. Engine-wise, nothing much will change from the current model when it comes to the number of cylinders and number of gears in the ZF-sourced transmission. From a four-cylinder turbo displacing 2.0 liters in the xDrive40e plug-in hybrid to the 4.4L twin-turbo V8 in the X5 M, diversity is the name of the game.
From a design standpoint, the G05 X5 borrows styling from the latest-generation X3 and the Concept X7 iPerformance. The upright fascia is complemented by larger kidney grilles, while the roofline and quarter panels at the rear give the next-gen X5 a more hunkered-down stance.
BMW is already testing pre-production prototypes of the G05 at the Nurburgring and on the public roads, so here’s hope the newcomer touches down in the summer of 2018. According to BMW Blog, the current-generation X5 is scheduled to end production at the Spartanburg plant “in July 2018.”

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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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Volvo XC40 Starts Production, T5 Twin Engine PHEV And EV Coming In 2018 And 2019

The smallest utility vehicle Volvo ever made is now production reality. The XC40 started rolling off the assembly line in Ghent, Belgium today, and the first customer-bound crossovers are en route to Volvo dealers.

To date, Volvo received more than 13,000 orders for the newcomer of the XC family… (continue reading >>)

Ford Ramps Up Fiesta Production To Meet Strong Demand In Europe

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Glossary of automotive terms

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Ford Ramps Up Fiesta Production To Meet Strong Demand In Europe

21 Dec 2017, 16:49 UTC · by Mircea Panait
/ Home / News / Industry

The seventh-generation or Mk8 Fiesta, whatever you want to call it, went official in November 2016. And if you were wondering if Ford made the all-new Fiesta an even better car than the previous model, your answer comes in the guise of a production boost at the European Fiesta’s plant.
30 photosLocated in Cologne, Germany, the factory where the Euro-spec Fiesta is made benefits from extended shifts and new Saturday shifts to increase daily production to 1,500 cars. Otherwise put, an extra 100 vehicles are now rolling off the assembly line in Cologne on a daily basis. Increasing demand is what made Ford take this decision, and that’s good news considering subcompact hatchbacks are not as popular as they once were.
“The previous Fiesta was already a much-loved car, and if you add to that the many improvements offered with the new model, including our unique pedestrian detection system, this success is not altogether a surprise,” declared Roelant de Waard, vice president of marketing, sales & service at Ford of Europe. Considering the crossover-inspired Fiesta Active is planned to start production in 2018, demand is certain to increase even more.
Ford highlights that the Fiesta was the best-selling car in the United Kingdom in November 2017 (6,434 registrations) and the best-selling small car in Germany (4,660 registrations). Don’t know about you, but that’s saying a lot about how the Fiesta stacks up against the Volkswagen Polo and other bona fide rivals in the European subcompact hatchback segment.
Available with a choice of three- and four-cylinder engines, the Fiesta boasts 5 stars for safety from the Euro NCAP. Designated best supermini of the year by BBC Top Gear Magazine, the Fiesta lineup will soon welcome the ST.
In stark comparison to the preceding ST, the newcomer is equipped with the most powerful three-cylinder engine ever offered by Ford, packing 200 PS and 290 Nm (197 horsepower and 214 pound-feet from just 1.5 liters.

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