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Elon Musk: Tesla German-built Model Y is going to be ‘a revolution in auto body engineering’

Elon Musk is hyping up the upcoming German-built Tesla Model Y, which he claims is going to be “a revolution in automotive body engineering.” As we explained this morning in our post about Volvo importing a Model Y in Europe to reverse engineer it, the electric SUV is Tesla’s first vehicle that will only launch… Continue reading Elon Musk: Tesla German-built Model Y is going to be ‘a revolution in auto body engineering’

69% of Autos Sold in Norway in 2020 Have a Plug

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Published on July 9th, 2020 |

by Zachary Shahan

69% of Autos Sold in Norway in 2020 Have a Plug

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July 9th, 2020 by Zachary Shahan

Norway continues to be a shining star in the electric vehicle world. In the first half of the year, 48% of automobiles sold in the country were fully electric, a global record for EV market share. Plug-in vehicles represented 69% of auto sales, another global record.

Due to its high level of maturation and the fact that almost every automaker that wants to sell cars in Norway tries to sell plug-ins, the sales split is particularly interesting between the various models.

As it turns out, Volkswagen Group has become king of Norway. (Whoops, Norway actually has a king, King Harald V, so maybe I shouldn’t use that metaphor.) The top selling Audi e-tron holds a whopping 9% of the auto market, showing that while the electric SUV from Germany may not be a favorite of Tesla fans, it is much loved in Norway. (Though, keep the e-tron in mind, because we’ll come back to it.)

The e-tron’s rather elderly cousin, the Volkswagen e-Golf, has a strong command of the #2 spot thanks to its 6% of the market in the first half of the year.

Korea’s Hyundai Kona EV, 2019 CleanTechnica Car of the Year, and Japan’s Nissan LEAF continue the popularity of cheaper, low-frills models for the next two spots, each with 4% auto market share. It’s not until you get to #5 that you hit your first automobile model that isn’t fully electric, with the evergreen Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV holding onto a top spot a bit longer.

The two most popular plug-in models in Europe, the Tesla Model 3 and Renault Zoe, round out the top 7 before you run into your first plug-less vehicle, the Skoda Octavia.

José Pontes of EV Volumes and CleanTechnica notes that the Skoda Octavia PHEV is coming, which one would assume to have very good sales in the country. Pontes also notes that fully electric vehicles saw their sales drop 32% in June 2020 versus June 2019 but plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) had sales increase 77%. A highly unusual phenomenon in this covid era.

June actually looked very different from the first half of the year as a whole. The top 5 is completely different. The Volkswagen e-Golf and Hyundai Kona EV each climbed one rung of the ladder to take gold and silver, respectively, while the Tesla Model 3 jumped to #3 (thanks to its usual end-of-quarter bump that comes from Tesla’s unusual delivery schedule). A much bigger jump, the Volvo XC40 PHEV jumps from outside the top 20 (year-to-date sales) to #4 in June! It’s not clear if there was a big fleet deal, a fire sale on the XC40 PHEV, or something else spurred on this surprise jump.

Where is the Audi e-tron in that top 5? Good question. We’ll see if it can recover to hold onto its enormous 2020 lead or if something happened that has turned the tide in Norway.

Getting back to the yearly ranking, Chinese automaker SAIC’s MG ZS EV rose into a top 20 spot (#18) and the Volvo S/V60 PHEV barely climbed to 20. However, Pontes points out that hot sibling XC40 PHEV is bound to boot the S/V60 duo off the list soon, as it is now in the #21 position.

Regarding overall brand market share, Pontes says, “Looking at the overall manufacturers ranking, Volkswagen (13%, up 1%) is now alone in the leadership, with Audi (10%, down 2%) dropping share, with the #3 Toyota (9%) in third.”

Expect Norway’s EV market to continue maturing and plug-in models to continue growing their market share as new plug-in models go on sale this year. Given how hard it is to sell a non-electric vehicle in the country, automakers have gotten the message and prioritize their electric models as much as they can.

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About the Author

Zachary Shahan is tryin' to help society help itself one word at a time. He spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as its director, chief editor, and CEO. Zach is recognized globally as an electric vehicle, solar energy, and energy storage expert. He has presented about cleantech at conferences in India, the UAE, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, the USA, Canada, and Curaçao.

Zach has long-term investments in Tesla [TSLA] — after years of covering solar and EVs, he simply has a lot of faith in this company and feels like it is a good cleantech company to invest in. But he does not offer (explicitly or implicitly) investment advice of any sort on Tesla or any other company.

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TMS Group finalises acquisition of Leicester Kia dealership

TMS Motor Group finalised its acquisition of Sandicliffe Leicester Kia dealership for an undisclosed sum. The move takes its representation with the Korean brand up to two sites. The group is keeping on all existing staff at the dealership as part of the acquisition. TMS Motor Group has already operated the Hinckley Kia dealership for… Continue reading TMS Group finalises acquisition of Leicester Kia dealership

@Geely-Volvo: Volvo on Call smartphone app now gives plug-in drivers insight into electric driving patterns

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@Geely-Volvo: Volvo Cars Tech Fund invests in blockchain technology firm Circulor

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Balance sheet check: Daimler’s structural weaknesses take revenge in the corona crisis

Daimler headquarters in Stuttgart The brand’s wholesale sales slumped by more than a fifth in the first five months of 2020. (Photo: Imago) Munich Daimler is not that Lufthansa. Neither does the carmaker foreseeably fly out of the Leading index Dax, As a result of the corona pandemic, the Swabians still urgently need help from… Continue reading Balance sheet check: Daimler’s structural weaknesses take revenge in the corona crisis

My Interview With Peter Mertens, Former Board Member of Audi, Volkswagen Group, Volvo, & Jaguar Land Rover

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Published on July 4th, 2020 |

by Alex Voigt

My Interview With Peter Mertens, Former Board Member of Audi, Volkswagen Group, Volvo, & Jaguar Land Rover

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After my article “There Will Be Blood” was published here on CleanTechnica, Peter Mertens, the former Head of R&D at Audi and former Board Member of Audi, Volkswagen, Volvo, and Jaguar Land Rover, and now Board Member of Faurecia, Recogni and Chairman of the Advisory Board of Valens, reached out to me and asked if I am interested in an interview with him.

Peter Mertens. Image courtesy of Thomas Pirot, copyrighted.

When Peter left Audi in 2018 for health-related reasons, Herbert Diess, the CEO of Volkswagen Group, asked Peter to come back after recovery and offered more than his role as Head of R&D — which, in my personal interpretation, was the path to become a CEO within the Group. Peter decided against it, and instead in favor of the most important thing we have, our health.

I believe that all automotive managers have a story to tell about their version of the truth, and I want to give them a platform to do that. Not all are as free as Peter is, but many certainly would like to be. If you want to hear the truth, you need to go to the source and listen well. Peter is one of those sources who is now telling his truth, and I recorded this interview with him — uncut — to give you all the opportunity to hear it all.

A lot is written in the mainstream media and social media about how the entire industry could keep sleeping with literally open eyes while Tesla overtakes them, hands down. With a production target of just 500,000 vehicles in 2020, which is 5% of that of the Volkswagen Group, Tesla is valued now above $200 billion, and by market capitalization is today the largest automotive company in the world, having more than twice the market cap of Volkswagen.

I never thought anybody would be interested in my modest thoughts, and without having been asked for them, I would never have written a single article. The same is true for interviews in which I am now invited by senior automotive executives, which is a true honor for me.

Despite my articles in which I express my own and often strong opinion, my interviews are different. They are not about painting a positive or negative picture about someone or something by collecting available information, but about making a step from “painting as I imagine reality” to a photo that is nearer to reality.

My interviews are an attempt to search for answers you will not find anywhere else.

Decide yourself if they are useful. Here is my interview with Peter Mertens:

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About the Author

Alex Voigt Alex Voigt has been a supporter of the mission to transform the world to sustainable carbon free energy for 40 years. As an engineer, he is fascinated with the ability of humankind to develop a better future via the use of technology. With 30 years of experience in the stock market, he is invested in Tesla [TSLA], as well as some other tech companies, for the long term.

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@Geely-Volvo: Volvo Cars reports global sales of 61,483 cars in June, returns to growth in US

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@Geely-Volvo: Volvo Cars and Veoneer complete divide of Zenuity

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Veoneer and Volvo Cars Finalize Split of Software Joint Venture Zenuity

STOCKHOLM, July 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — The automotive technology company, Veoneer, Inc. (NYSE: VNE and SSE: VNE SDB), has finalized the split of Zenuity, its software and ADAS joint venture with Volvo Cars. As part of the split, Veoneer received IP licenses and strengthened its software and systems team with around 200 software engineers joining… Continue reading Veoneer and Volvo Cars Finalize Split of Software Joint Venture Zenuity