Author: yoann besnard

New Hinda Freed to be unveiled next week
Honda has confirmed it will unveil next week the Freed model which is a minivan version of the Civic compact car.
The Freed will share its underpinnings with the Civic. Lengthened and widened, it will be able to carry up to eight passengers. The Freed will likely replace the weird Mobilio which is available as five or seven seater in Japan.
The compact MPV will be powered by the 118bhp 1.5-litre unit seen on the Jazz/Fit.
Will the Freed be imported to Europe? The answer is likely to be a firm no. However with a growing small MPV market, Honda might be convinced to bring the Freed on our shores.
May 23, 2008
Next-generation BMW 5-Series might get hatchback version
This is probably the most astonishing rumour, but BMW is seriously considering building a hatchback variant of the next-generation 5-Series.
Like the new Skoda Superb, the German carmaker wants to make a two-in-one 5-Series combining the advantage of a hatchback and a saloon. The rumoured boot would be designed to act like a conventional boot or hatchback. Why would BMW decide to release a hatchback 5-Series? In the family car segment, a hatchback is a quite common body, but in the executive segments, the only carmakers to sell hatchback models are the French clique which don’t record big sales. If customers want practicality, they generally ten to buy the estate version which is much sexier than a hatchback model, except for the Citroen C6.
The hatchback body would be sold along with the saloon and estate models. How will BMW explain the new body to its usual customers? Maybe an emerging market favours hatchback models and BMW is betting that the specific costs will be then covered. Future will say.
May 23, 2008
Fiat to consider launching a new brand
Fiat is considering launching a low cost brand that would sell budget models like Renault did with Dacia.
The Italian carmaker is studying the opportunity to launch a new brand devoted to budget models. A final decision will be made has announced Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne at a congress in Turin. Launching a low cost brand after other carmakers will be a difficult move. So, Fiat is considering launching a famous model under the future brand. According to the rumour, the Italian group would be ready to launch a modern ‘Topolino” whose price tag would be around £4,800.
Secrecy surrounds the future model although some observers believe that the Topolino might share its inner-structure with Punto platform. Shortened, the Topolino would be powered by petrol engine delivering less than 100bhp. Production would be done in Serbia where Fiat recently acquired Zastava.
May 23, 2008
Toyota Camry to take over the F-150?
This might be the worst nightmare for the American carmaker. Will the Camry take over the F-150?
This is pure speculation as the F-150 still outsells by far the Toyota saloon. For the first time, the Camry took the second place in April just in front the Chevrolet Silverado which has been the second best-seller in the US for years. Toyota sold 40,016 Camrys, while Chevrolet sold 37,231 Silverados. The Chevrolet Silverado recorded a 24.7% decrease over the previous month. However, it still remains the number two on the market since the beginning of the year.
If gas prices hiked again, the Silverado would record another blow. The Ford F-150 wouldn’t be immune to higher gas prices too. Maybe one day, the Camry will end the 31 years of the F-150 as the best-selling vehicle in the US?
May 20, 2008
Chrysler wants to cut costs by 25%
Chrysler has announced it will reduce costs by 25 per cent over the next three years by changing the production process and improving the number shared pars between models.
Chrysler executives continue making significant changes to Chrysler. After the will to reduce the number of models, the carmaker has announced it will change its way of working with suppliers. First, it will reduce the number of parts in order to cut cost. It will also extend its production schedule from one week to thirty days allowing suppliers to plan production in a more efficient way than today. In the meantime, the carmaker asks suppliers located in North America to match prices of companies in low-cost countries such as China and India.
Every year, Chrysler is buying for £20 billion of supplies, mainly in the US. The carmaker believes that it will boost its chance of surviving on the global market if it outsources its parts production to poorer countries. However, the decision to move production abroad is always badly felt by consumers. In the meantime, outsourcing in China or India might become a disadvantage to react quickly to the market. By pressuring its American suppliers, Chrysler tries to get the best of the two worlds: cheap prices, while keeping a good brand image.
May 20, 2008
Jaguar increases its sales
For years, Jaguar has recorded decreasing sales which brought Ford to sell it. As soon as the British carmaker became Indian, the sales started rising again.
The XF might be the car that will save the British marque according to the latest sales results in Europe. Indeed, Jaguar’s European sales were up 69.6 percent in April, totaling 4,047 units. This is the first sales increase since July 2006. Since the beginning of the year, the company sales have risen by 0.4 per cent.
The new XF is mainly responsible for the sales rise as the new saloon recorded a strong demand in the US but also in Europe. The saloon has received more than 18,000 orders since its launch.
This is good news for the British brand. However, the aging competition might have helped Jaguar to achieve those good results. The next-generation Mercedes E-Class will be launched next year, while the next BMW 5-Series will be unveiled within two years. How will the Jaguar XF compare in term of sales with the two successful German models? Jaguar has won the first set, but the path remains long before the company can claim the XF saved it.
May 20, 2008
Next-generation Saab 9-5 to be built in Germany next year
Will the next 9-5 be unveiled at Paris or at Frankfurt? Latest report suggests Frankfurt with a production moved to Germany.
In its latest edition, Automotive News reveals that the next-generation 9-5 will be unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Surprisingly, the news contradicts earlier reports claiming that Saab will launch its new flagship at the Paris Motor Show. Perhaps Saab will unveil a concept car previewing the next model like it did with the 9-4X at the Detroit Motor Show?
According to the magazine, the next-generation will feature the in-house XWD all-wheel drive transmission and will be available with a range of flex-fuel petrol engines and a new V6 diesel engine. The diesel unit will likely be the new 265bhp 2.9-litre unit that GM is currently developing for the Cadillac CTS. The topping-engine is rumoured to deliver a power output of 350bhp.
For the first time, the next 9-5 won’t be built in Sweden but in Germany in an attempt for the American group to rationalize production and cut cost. Indeed, the future 9-5 shares its underpinnings with the new Opel Insignia. Dubbed Epsilon II, the platform will be customized for the 9-5 with stiffer suspension set-up and a new steering rack.
May 20, 2008
Next Europran Focus, C-Max and Kuga in the US
After the Fiesta, Ford has plan to sell other European vehicles in the US. The next-generation Mondeo was previously reported to come to the US. Closer to us, the next Focus will be developed in the US and sold in the US.
Ford executives seem to understand that global platform sharing might be its savior as Mark Fields said in an interview with automotive News that the carmaker will bring the next-generation Focus in the US. The current American Focus is still based on the former model platform which makes impossible for the carmaker to bring derived models to the US.
With the next-generation platform intended to be built in the US, Ford will be able to choose and adapt the American range to the economic environment.
The Fiesta will be the first European model to be sold in the US in 2010. In the past Ford imported the Ford Scorpio sold under the Merkur badge, but the European hatchback didn’t generate the expected sales. Ford also developed the Ford Contour on the first generation Ford Mondeo which didn’t convince the American market either.
May 20, 2008
Kia to bring a new model to the British Motor Show
Kia has announced it will unveil a new model at the next British motor show.
In an attempt to impress British customers, more open than Continental Europeans to Asian models, Kia will bring its past concept cars to the British motor show. it will include the Soul Burner, Soul Diva, Soul Searcher, the four-seat Kee coupe and rag-top ex_cee’d. Some observers might say that the company has nothing new to unveil at the motor show, but the carmaker also announced a surprise.
Kia has chosen London to make a very special announcement about a forthcoming product, due on sale in the UK in 2009. Will it be the production version of the Kee coupé?
May 20, 2008
PSA Peugeot Citroen and Mitsubishi set up a joint venture in Russia
PSA Peugeot Citroen and Mitsubishi have signed a joint venture agreement to produce vehicles for 3 brands, Peugeot, Citroën and Mitsubishi in Russia.
The assembly plant will be located on the site of Kaluga, 180 km South-West of Moscow. It will produce mid-range SUVs for Mitsubishi, Peugeot and Citroën brands as well as medium size Peugeot and Citroen vehicles, with an overall installed capacity of 160,000 vehicles. The foundation stone of this future plant will be laid on June 10th 2008 in Kaluga. Production is currently planned for 2011 start-up.
The joint venture agreement marks the deepening of relations between the two carmakers for whom Russia constitutes a priority growth region. PSA Peugeot Citroen continues signing partnerships to cut cost and expand its current lineup, which is a smart move. For the two carmakers, the new factory enables them to debut on a growing market without bearing all the costs alone.
In comparison, Renault has bought a stake in a local carmaker, AvtoVaz. Future will say which way is the best. Partnership or alliance?
May 20, 2008