+++ Nio has outlined plans for the establishment of 2 new EV brands. Speaking to the media ahead of the Chinese firm’s annual Nio Day presentation (set to take place on 24 December), CEO William Li confirmed Nio had progressed a second “family car” brand to the point that construction of validation prototypes of its first model was taking place. Known internally under the ALPS codename, it’s among 2 additional brands planned by Nio as part of an expansion strategy aimed at taking it deeper into global volume markets, including Europe. “It has been over a month since the Alps car was completed”, said Li. “It’s focused on the family market, which means product definition will be easier and clearer than with the Nio brand. In contrast, high-end brands need to offer some emotional elements. “Starting next year, you will see a different Nio as it introduces a second brand. The family market is distinct from the high-end market. We’re using our latecomer advantage. In the past, we would quickly start production. But this time, we will wait a bit, and in the end, we will come in and disrupt the game”. Li revealed that the Alps brand will launch 3 models in its initial phase, with retail activities planned to take place through an internet-based direct sales channel. Asked about the lines of delineation between Alps and Nio, he said: “You won’t see a Nio model priced below the ET5”. Prices for that saloon start at €62.700 in the Netherlands. The Nio and Alps brands will be supported by a third brand, known under the codename Firefly. Confirmed by Li in January 2023, it’s planned to compete at a lower price point than Nio and Alps with a range of affordable electric cars engineered specifically for European markets and planned to compete against rivals from the likes of Volkswagen, Renault and Ford. As well as outlining its volume market aspirations, Li confirmed that Nio is working on a “high-end model” aimed at further establishing the 9-year-old Chinese firm as a reputable competitor to the likes of Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche. “We must conquer the executive market, otherwise both profits and brand recognition will be limited”, he said. “We understand that this market isn’t large, with an annual volume of around 100.000 units. However, the profit from selling one Mercedes-Benz S-Class is equivalent to selling several dozen A-Classes”. Set to rival to the likes of the Audi e-Tron GT, BMW i7, Mercedes-Benz EQS and Porsche Taycan, the new flagship saloon will act as showcase for Nio’s technological capabilities with relatively low volumes and high pricing, he said. “The mass market will be handled by our second brand. The Nio brand will pursue breakthroughs and innovations in technology. Being technologically advanced is essential to create a high-end brand. The volume of this model won’t be as high as everyone expects”, said Li. “The definition of an executive flagship varies, but fundamentally, it’s about being a technological flagship”. Nio has trademarked 4 possible model designations for its new range-topping model: ET9, ES9, EE9 and EF9. Li also revealed that Nio is developing a MPV, although he said it will “take a while” before it goes on sale. He also confirmed that it’s based on Nio’s upcoming NT 3.0 electric car platform. Nio has developed different batteries for each of its planned brands, all of which support battery swapping. It also said it had licensed its battery swapping technology to another partner but didn’t disclose its identity. +++
+++ The barrage of electric cars from CADILLAC continues with a first look at the Vistiq. It will join the lineup as an all-electric 3-row SUV and slot in between the already-on-sale Lyriq and soon-to-come Escalade IQ. And for those counting, this is the third Cadillac EV to be revealed this year, with the most recent being the entry-level Optiq just last month. Unfortunately, the ‘reveal’ is just 2 photos with no supporting specs or details. However, one quick look at the Vistiq makes it clear that this electric SUV is similar to the XT6 in scope and use case. And all Cadillac has to say about its size is that it’s “a distinctive and innovative luxury 3-row SUV, designed for the modern family”.
It looks a little like a Lyriq that’s been de-flattened with cargo space and third-row comfort given priority over style. That said, the Vistiq still has plenty of style as it borrows its lightning elements from the electric Cadillac family look. Massive 22-inch wheels fill the arches, and it appears to be wearing Michelin Pilot Sport All Season tires. Its rear badging reads “600 E4”. The E4 bit refers to it being all-wheel drive, while the number 600 refers to approximate torque in newton meters on new Cadillacs: 600 Nm. If this model uses similar running gear as the dual-motor Lyriq, then we can also expect it to match or better that model’s 500 horsepower. +++
+++ The automobile market in CHINA continued its robust performance in November, with a reported sale of 2.08 million new cars, as the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) indicated. This figure reflects a 2.3% increase compared to the previous month and a substantial year-on-year growth of 26.1%. It’s noteworthy that the New Energy Vehicle (NEV) sector played a significant role, with 552.000 full electric vehicles (EVs) and 289.000 plug-in hybrid cars (PHEVs) finding buyers, constituting 40.4% of total vehicle sales. The impressive growth in November can be attributed to 2 primary factors. Firstly, the significant impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in China during the same period last year resulted in lower-than-usual automobile production and sales. Secondly, the current market dynamics are influenced by deep discounts offered by internal combustion engine (ICE) companies to stimulate sales in response to the growing prominence of EVs.
BYD, the Chinese automaker, secured its position as the top-performing auto brand in China for the month, selling 250.115 vehicles, marking an impressive 17.2% year-on-year increase and claiming a notable 12.02% market share. This marks BYD’s 10th consecutive month at the forefront of the Chinese automotive market. While BYD has maintained its dominance, Volkswagen displayed a significant rebound in sales, maintaining its second-place position by selling 207.423 cars, reflecting a robust 31.2% year-on-year growth and securing a 9.97% market share. Holding strong in third position, Toyota sold 141.746 vehicles, representing a 17.1% year-on-year increase and capturing a 6.81% market share. Geely and Honda rounded off the top-5, selling 107.557 and 106.377 vehicles, respectively. Geely’s sales surged by 40.5%, securing a 5.17% market share, while Honda achieved a 5.11% market share. BYD demonstrated a commanding presence in the Chinese NEV segment, excelling in both the EV and PHEV categories. BYD secured an impressive 25% market share within the Chinese EV market. Notably, the brand showcased an even more significant dominance in the PHEV category, claiming a remarkable 42% market share for the month. In the pure electric vehicle market, BYD maintained its leadership, selling 133.785 vehicles and securing a notable 27.03% market share. Tesla followed with sales reaching 65.504 vehicles, placing it second. Tesla’s updated Model 3 contributed significantly to its sales, exceeding 15.000 units. The third, fourth and fifth positions in the EV sales list were claimed by Wuling, Aion and Volkswagen, respectively. The top-3 vehicles in the Chinese market for November 2023 were: 1) Tesla Model Y with 49.877 sales, 2) BYD Seagull with 40.594 units sold and 3) Nissan Sylphy with 39.105 vehicles sold. +++
+++ The CITY CAR segment has been shrinking for years as manufacturers have struggled to make decent profits from vehicles that are regulated just the same as a Range Rover or BMW 7 Series. The problem has been compounded by the move to electrification because the cost of the battery is even harder to mask in something sub-4.0 meter long. You could reduce the size of the battery, but buyers might not accept the paucity of range. Look, for instance, what happened to the Honda E city car: pulled from Europe after just 3 years on sale because not enough people were happy to pay €36.160 or €40.615 euro for a car with a range of just 200 km. However, European car makers think they’ve hit on the solution: introduce a new electric category similar to Japan’s diminutive kei class that restricts aspects such as size, weight and power but unlocks certain benefits not available to larger cars. +++
+++ LEVC , the maker of the London taxi, has revealed an electric 8-seat MPV as the first in a range of new “mobility solutions” it will launch in the coming years. It’s called the L380 in reference to the Airbus A380, the world’s largest airliner. It has already been confirmed to go on sale in markets outside of China, where it will be built, after it’s launched there in 2024. The L380 is based on LEVC’s new Space Oriented Architecture (SOA), which was detailed in an event at the firm’s Coventry factory in May. Capable of hosting EVs ranging between 4.86 and 5.95 meter in length, it’s designed to optimize interior space, ease of access, rolling refinement and range, and will underpin a range of large commercial and passenger vehicles separate from the British-built TX taxi and VN5 van. Details published by Chinese media suggest the L380 measures 5.316 mm long, 1.998 mm wide and 1.940mm tall, and weighs 2.805 kg. Its 8 seats are arranged across 4 rows of 2, with the rearmost able to be folded and stowed and the third row able to slide back and forth to boost leg room. A more luxurious 6-seater, no doubt with the requisite equipment and functionality to rival the new Lexus LM, will also be offered. LEVC will confirm full technical details next year, but early reports suggest the L380 will be offered with the same 272 hp front-mounted motor as the technically related EM90 from sibling brand Volvo and a choice of either a 73 kWh or 120 kWh battery for a maximum range of 700 km. LEVC has confirmed that the SOA platform will underpin EVs with more than 544 hp from a dual-motor, 4-wheel-drive powertrain, but it hasn’t yet said whether the L380 will offer a choice of outputs. +++
+++ The name of the NIO ’s most expensive car will be called ET9. The company would reveal it on Nio Day 2023 on December 23. The Nio ET9 is a 1 million yuan (€190.000) high-end sedan aimed at Mercedes-Benz Maybach S-Class. It will become the first model that stands on the NT3 platform. The name of the ET9 accidentally leaked online in the Nio App. It was temporarily displayed in the list of available models. App users had made screenshots before it was removed from the page. It seems that Nio unintentionally revealed the name of its flagship model during the preparations for Nio Day 2023. According to Chinese sources, the Nio ET9‘s design is frozen. It is the first model underpinned by the NT3 platform. On board, the ET9 will have an autonomous chip developed by Nio. This chip adopts the 7nm technology. Samsung will take care of its manufacturing. The chip will promote better integration of the car with the Nio Phone. The ET9 will have a wheelbase of 3.3 meters. And it will support the third-generation battery swap tech. It will most likely feature a 408 hp motor unveiled in August. There are no spy shots of the ET9. Chinese sources report that the new saloon will stay close to the Nio EVE concept car (photo) revealed in 2017 regarding positioning and features. Previously, Nio couldn’t make the production version of this vehicle due to a lack of technologies. But now they are ready to shake the luxury car segment. The Nio ET9 will make its public debut on December 23. It will enter the market in 2025. According to Nio CEO and co-founder William Li, it will be the year when the high-end EV industry will have huge opportunities. +++
+++ RANGE ROVER thefts in the United Kingdom have caused insurance premiums to skyrocket. As a result, the SUV’s resale value has been tumbling. Range Rover prices fell 2.8% in November alone, the steepest drop since insurance costs spiked. +++
+++ The RENAULT ZOE has been removed from sale after 11 years, with production of the small electric car set to end for good in March 2024. The final version of the Zoe will be built in France on 30 March. Production of the Smart Forfour-related electric Twingo will end at the same time. A Renault spokesperson told that production of the Zoe was coming to an end to effectively make way for the new Renault 5 E-Tech, which will be revealed in production form at the Geneva motor show in February. It was confirmed last year that the Zoe wouldn’t be replaced, despite its position as the best-selling EV in its home country. The Zoe remained technically competitive against its rivals well into its production run, offering a 52 kWh battery and a range of 390 km on a single charge. Incidentally, the new 5 will also be equipped with a 52 kWh battery, offering 400 km of range. More than 380.000 units of the Zoe were sold in Europe. It was the top-selling EV in Europe for 2 years, topping the sales charts in 2015 and 2016. More than 100.000 sales were in France alone. In 2021, the updated Zoe made headlines for becoming just the third car in history to be handed a zero-star Euro NCAP safety rating, following a 5-star verdict for the original car in 2013. Renault product performance boss Bruno Vanel recently told it would be expensive to update the Zoe to comply with the EU’s new GSR2 safety standards. The manufacturer is now focused on a mix of hybrid and electric cars, which will co-exist for the foreseeable future. The Zoe was Renault’s only dedicated EV for several years, but it now sells the Mégane E-Tech and the Scenic E-Tech, and will add the 5 E-Tech hatchback and 4 E-Tech crossover. +++
+++ Elon Musk’s Scandinavian union headache keeps getting worse. TESLA is now facing the unpleasant prospect of overflowing trash cans after Sweden’s Transport Workers Union said it would stop collecting trash from the company’s workshops in solidarity with striking workers. The move marks a further escalation of the US automaker’s ongoing battle with Swedish unions. At the end of October, mechanics in the Swedish union IF Metall walked out to secure a collective labor agreement. This is a common arrangement in Scandinavian countries that would allow unions to negotiate with Tesla over wages and working conditions. Other industries have joined the strike in support, with dockworkers refusing to unload the company’s electric cars and electricians stopping maintenance work on Tesla charging stations. The Transport Workers Union is just the latest to throw its weight behind the strike, with union officials saying workers will stop collecting the company’s waste on December 24 unless Tesla signs a collective bargaining agreement. “This type of sympathy action is very rare. We are using it now to protect the Swedish collective agreements and the safety of the Swedish labor market model”, Tommy Wreeth, head of the transport union, told. Tesla faces growing strike action across Scandinavia, with unions in Denmark, Norway and Finland backing the strike and pledging not to unload or transport Teslas bound for the Swedish market. The strike has also seen postal workers in Sweden refuse to deliver Tesla license plates; a move Elon Musk called “insane” in a post on X. Tesla sued the Swedish Transport Agency to try and restart deliveries, but a Swedish court rejected the company’s suit in a decision last week. The escalating wave of union action is a serious headache for Musk, who has been a longtime critic of organized labor. The billionaire told that he disagreed with the idea of unions, saying they create a “lords and peasants” atmosphere that pits workers against their companies. Tesla has firmly opposed any attempts by its US workers to unionize, with the National Labour Board ruling in 2021 that the company had repeatedly violated labor laws by preventing employees from organizing. +++
+++ Electric vehicle inventories on dealer lots in the UNITED STATES reached a new high in December. With a 114-day supply, the bloated inventory of EVs is up from a 53-day supply a year ago and compares to 71-days worth of inventory for the overall auto industry. US consumers are apparently growing wary of EVs, balking at high prices and still-spotty charging infrastructure. +++
+++ VOLKSWAGEN GROUP ’s embattled Cariad software unit has agreed to cut development costs in order to avoid mass lay-offs, according to reports. Cariad boss and former Bentley production head Peter Bosch had wanted to cut up to 20% of the unit’s 6.500-strong workforce. However, the new agreement between management and labor unions will enable Cariad to cut 20% of its costs annually by 2028, a Cariad spokesperson said. Cariad has struggled in its mission to deliver a unified software platform for use across all Volkswagen Group brands as part of the group’s mission to digitize vehicles. +++
+++ ZEEKR has unveiled its first in-house-developed battery, a lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) unit that features in the Chinese EV firm’s new 007 saloon. Called the Golden Battery, it’s billed as the world’s first mass-produced 800 Volt LFP battery to offer ultra-fast charging capability. It can accept rates of up to 500 kW. Zeekr claimed the Golden Battery, which is also planned to be used by other Geely-owned brands (including Geometry, Polestar, Proton, Smart, Volvo and possibly Lotus) can be charged from 10-80% in 15 minutes. In the 007, this equates to a range of up to 500 km. Zeekr also said its new battery sets new standards in volume utilisation, owing to what it calls “sandwich structure” construction with thin separators between each of the cell modules and an integrated tray design. With a claimed volume utilisation rate of 83.7%, it surpasses the 72.0% of leading Chinese battery manufacturer CATL’s nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) Qilin battery. The new battery is also claimed to possess a high level of safety; Zeekr said its cells are extremely fire-resistant and don’t explode when subjected to extreme pressures. In testing, the Golden Battery didn’t catch fire or explode after 240 seconds of sustained fire in a 700 degree Celsius test. This is significantly higher than the Chinese national standard of 130 seconds, according to Zeekr. The development of the Golden Battery is among the measures being pursued by Zeekr and its parent company Geely to lower manufacturing costs and dependence on outside suppliers. It will be produced at Geely’s battery factory in Quzhou, Zhejiang. Both the Zeekr 001 and 009 are available in China with CATL’s Qilin battery. The Zeekr X also uses a CATL-developed NMC battery. Compared with these batteries, the Golden Battery is said to offer manufacturing cost savings of up 14.8%. The 007 is planned to go on sale in China on 27 December before deliveries begin on 1 January. +++