+++ Europe (and beyond), particularly in the car industry, is facing a new crisis, namely that of ALUMINIUM . Although the impact and consequences will be decidedly less severe than those caused by the pandemic and chip shortage, the lack of this metal is already putting several manufacturers to the test. The Jaguar-Land Rover Group is among the most exposed, but Porsche, BMW, Mercedes and Audi have also suffered a more or less major setback to their production. First of all, however, what caused the aluminium crisis? The torrential rain in Switzerland in the first weeks of July and the partial flooding of the Rhone forced Novelis and Constellium (2 of the largest aluminium mining companies) to close their plants in Sierre and Chippis. It is not clear when production will resume at full speed, but the situation is already having the first consequences on the production of various brands. As mentioned, the one reporting the greatest ‘damage’ seems to be Jaguar-Land Rover, which imports around 180.000 tonnes of aluminium per year from these companies to make its models. The problem was highlighted by Richard Molyneux (Group Finance Director) during a meeting with investors. According to Molyneux, the situation in Switzerland will lead to a “reduction in production in the current quarter and part of next quarter”, but at the same time “alternative suppliers are being sought”. Things are not much better for Porsche, even though the German manufacturer says it does not have Constellium among its direct suppliers. In any case, the Zuffenhausen-based brand could ‘lose’ 17.400 models in the second half of the year (around 11 per cent of deliveries in the first 6 months of 2024) due to aluminium supply problems, at least according to analysts at investment research firm Bernstein. German customer brands affected by the aluminium crisis include BMW, Mercedes and Audi, although several of these have already managed to find alternative suppliers and minimise the impact on production. +++
+++ If you’ve ever wondered whether an electric car would effortlessly slot into your lifestyle, BMW ’s latest smartphone app might give you an answer. As part of an update for BMW’s smartphone app, it can now tell you what proportion of your journeys could be completed in an EV without the need to stop and charge. Dubbed ‘Electric Vehicle Analysis’ (EVA), the My BMW App’s latest feature can scrutinise data from your vehicle, such as how far and efficiently you’re driving to evaluate whether the brand’s electric equivalent would suit your ‘personal driving profile’. To enable the simulation, drivers will need a car equipped with BMW OS7 or later, and will need to consent to the usage of their data for analysis. After pre-selecting one of BMW’s several electric models, it will take around 2.000 km to compile the necessary data. When the threshold is reached, drivers can see how many of their journeys could be completed on a single charge if driving the EV in question, with BMW pledging to “expand the reach of the analysis” in the future. BMW’s senior vice president of Strategy, Dirk Wiedmann, explained how the EVA feature is designed to “help our customers make an informed judgement in their choice of drive system”. He continued, explaining that EVs can “already be incorporated perfectly into the daily routine of many customers, it’s just that the majority of them haven’t tried it yet”. While the more cynical among us might see this as nothing more than a marketing ploy to shift more electric vehicle sales, it’s worth noting that BMW, unlike some brands, is well on its way to meeting the UK’s tough ZEV mandate quota. Thanks in part to its heavily electrified Mini brand, the Munich-based firm says 1 in 4 models is fully electric. Of course, the new EVA feature is not the only new addition to My BMW; owners can now store several EV charging memberships in a single Charging Wallet, while optimised route planning on the sat-nav will enable users to add in charging stops via their phone, which will be automatically synced with the vehicle. +++
+++ Chinese car manufacturer BYD is aiming to be seen as the leading tech brand of the car industry and considered alongside the major brands within half a decade, according to senior vice president Stella Li. “5 years from now we would like consumers to view BYD as like one of the European brands, and when they think about BYD they think about it as more like the Apple of the automotive industry”, she told. “We want people to feel like we are a European company and an established manufacturer here”. Part of the brand building exercise will be a continuation of the likes of the huge Goodwood Festival of Speed stand, and sponsorship of the Euro 2024 football tournament. “More and more we will be part of any cultural event”, Li continued. “The more we participate and the more people that are driving our cars, maybe in less than five years we can achieve that”. BYD is about to open its new UK headquarters, with one floor dedicated to an engineering team tasked with ensuring the cars drive well on UK roads, a move being replicated in France, Germany, Italy and Spain. “We are focused on what the consumer is looking for, what is the experience”, continued Li. “Chinese consumers have certain requirements and we develop the car for them, but the British consumer has different needs, and they are different to the French consumer and different from the Italian consumer”. The local development is on top of a European manufacturing and R&D engineering base in Budapest, Hungary, that will begin mass production of BYD models by the end of 2025. “We will build all the mainstream cars we sell in Europe, so at that point BYD has become really European”, said Li. She denied that the threat of EU tariffs on Chinese-built cars was a part of the decision to manufacture in Hungary. “BYD is a global company and our strategy is to localise in different regions, so even without a tariff BYD had decided to build in Europe”. +++
+++ There’s no denying it: FORD has discontinued important models such as the Fiesta and Mondeo in Europe, followed by the Focus in 2025. At the same time, its market share in Germany is falling steadily, as figures from the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) show: 4.1 per cent in 2023. The most popular models were the Focus, Kuga and Puma. The Fiesta achieved 13.825 new registrations in its last (albeit not full) year. In July, the following picture emerges: market share in 2024 to date only 3.5 per cent. Focus ahead of Kuga and Puma. Dacia, for example, is at 2.6 per cent and has no commercial vehicle series. But it’s by no means the case that we don’t like Ford. The Focus performed very well in the test a few months ago. Colleagues still fondly remember various Focus RS or the Fiesta ST. Many people in German-speaking countries like to reminisce about the past: their grandfather with the Granada, their childhood in the Taunus or Sierra, the Escort or Fiesta as their first car, childhood sins with the Capri. Or even little fun cars like the first Puma and the Streetka. So it is all the more disappointing to see the Capri name on a 2-tonne electric SUV. And how does the Group itself see things? Ford Europe has spoken out via Romania (the home of our author Adrian Padeanu). The comments literally read: “While we understand that you are focussing on the mainstream segments, we would just like to highlight a few points as to why Ford is no longer present in all segments, and how well Puma and Kuga are doing in their respective segments: The deliberate shift from “mainstream” segments to more profitable crossover, SUV and speciality segments is part of Ford’s long-term strategy for Europe. The Puma is the best-selling car in the United Kingdom this year with 99.200 vehicles sold; up 6.2% year-on-year. The Kuga has been Europe’s best-selling plug-in hybrid for 3 consecutive years (2021-2023). Total sales of the Kuga this year after 7 months are 65.700; more than any other vehicle in the mid-size segment. Order intake for Ford’s new electric Explorer and Capri is on track to support customers’ transition to electrification. With Puma, Kuga, Mustang, Bronco (and Mach-E, Explorer and Capri) Ford offers a compelling range of vehicles that no other manufacturer can match”. +++
+++ HYUNDAI and KIA have been accused of collecting driving data from their owners and selling it to insurance companies in the United States without consent. The 2 car manufacturers are now the subject of a class action lawsuit filed in California federal court. The class action, filed by plaintiff Mark Will, claims that Hyundai and Kia have violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act with their connected car services, including UVO Connect, Kia Connect, Bluelink and Bluelink+. These systems allow vehicle owners to remotely locate, start, and lock their vehicles while also providing vehicle diagnostics, roadside assistance, and helping with the recovery of stolen cars. While that all sounds great, the lawsuit alleges Hyundai and Kia also collect vast troves of data with the systems, including trip reports and “hard braking” events. Will believes this data is being sold to data broker Verisk Analytics, which performs a risk analysis of each driver and proceeds to sell this info to auto insurance companies. Will owns a 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe with a Bluelink subscription. He says that a Verisk report reveals Hyundai shared his driving behavior between December 2023 and April 2024 and claims this triggered a $250 increase in his insurance premium. As the class action has only recently been filed, Will still needs to secure certification for the class action and is seeking to represent all individuals who own Hyundai and Kia vehicles that share driving information. This is not the first time a car company has been accused of selling driving data without the consent of owners. In May, a class action lawsuit filed in the United States District Court in Georgia alleged that General Motors has been collecting private driving data through its OnStar service and sharing it with LexisNexis and Verisk Analytics. These firms then reportedly sell the information to insurance companies that proceed to jack up premiums. +++
+++ The performance car game never stops, and with the advent of electric cars, it can reach heights unthinkable just a few years ago, with the power of a hypercar at the service of everyday models. All you need is a healthy bank account. The ever-expanding group will be joined in 2026 by a MERCEDES-AMG super SUV that will challenge the likes of the Lotus Eletre, BMW XM, Porsche K1 (not the definitive name) and the production version of the Lamborghini Lanzador, to name but a few. It will be a fully electric SUV, based on the dedicated AMG.EV platform, on which the German manufacturer’s next battery-powered saloon is also based. What shape should a sporty SUV take? It certainly needs to be elegant, both to express its sportiness from the outset and to be as aerodynamically efficient as possible; a key theme when it comes to electric cars. The next AMG SUV will therefore offer coupe-like lines, with a rear window that is not too steeply raked. As is the case with the various Mercedes GLC and GLE coupes. What will be completely new, however, is the front end. Inspired by that of the AMG Vision Concept, an electric sports car prototype unveiled in 2022, it will feature a wedge-shaped nose, specially designed to split the air in the best possible way. Naturally, there will be no grille under the bonnet, no engine to ‘breathe’ through, and the light signature will be unprecedented. On the sides, luminous segments will form the shape of a star (the Mercedes logo), joined by a thin strip of light that will run along the entire front. Generally speaking, I expect the styling to be both sporty and elegant, with no sharp edges but flowing, smooth shapes. Length is expected to be just over 5 metres, with a wheelbase of 3 metres. In terms of powertrain, the AMG super SUV will be based, as we said, on the AMG.EV platform, ready to make its debut in 2025 with the GT, which has been anticipated for some time by official photos. The platform is designed specifically for electric cars with an emphasis on performance achieved through weight reduction. As for the powertrain, according to the company itself, it will be made up of axial-flow electric motors powered by a new 800-volt battery pack characterised by higher levels of electrical voltage, chemistry and energy density than those of current batteries. Power output is expected to reach 1.000 PS, ready to be increased on even more powerful versions. Arrival is scheduled for 2026. +++
+++ These are not good times for small cars. More and more regulations at European level on data protection, assistance systems and emissions are making small cars so much more expensive that many manufacturers are taking them out of the programme. The latest victim is the MITSUBISHI SPACE STAR . As confirmed to me, it will be withdrawn from the programme at the end of 2024/beginning of 2025. The Space Star can still be ordered in The Netherlands. The basic version currently starts at €17.490. However, this does not include airconditioning, which is only available on the Space Star Connect+ from €19.490. According to the press spokesperson, there are still enough existing and stock vehicles to supply interested parties. The Space Star has been on the market since 2012, with the last facelift taking place in 2021. The death blow for the old warhorse: From July 2024, all new cars must be equipped with a large number of assistance systems in accordance with EU regulations and the UN rules on cyber security and software updates for networked vehicles introduced at the same time. Implementing this would make the small Mitsubishi much more expensive. This can be clearly seen in the recently revised Hyundai i10, which starts at €20.295. For just €2.200 more, the larger Mitsubishi Colt, based on the Renault Clio, is available in the basic version with 91 hp, including airconditioning and wireless Android Auto/Apple CarPlay. This model therefore takes the place of the Space Star. What other compact cars are there below the Polo small car class? The Up has been gone for some time now, as has the Renault Twingo. It is set to return in 2026 as an affordable retro-style electric car. Until then, Fiat will continue to build the Panda with a combustion engine, which currently starts at €19.470. The 500 with a combustion engine is dead, but the electrified 500 with a mild hybrid is due to arrive in 2025. The Fiat Grande Panda is coming soon with a 100 hp petrol engine, it could start at around €20.000 to €21.000 like its technical brother Citroën C3. Suzuki will bury the Ignis and Jimny by the end of 2024. Kia still offers the Picanto, which costs €18.995. +++
+++ My spy photographers caught a prototype of the facelifted OPEL Mokka with minimum camouflage, revealing subtle styling updates for the upcoming facelift. The Mokka was the first production model to introduce Opel’s latest styling language in 2020. 4 years later, it’s time for a mid-lifecycle update to stay fresh in Europe’s ultra-competitive subcompact SUV (B-SUV) segment. Spy shots reveal that Opel designers didn’t change that much on the sharp exterior, with the updates being hard to spot. At the front, the bumper intakes have been redesigned, with the small patches of camouflage trying to hide them. The uncovered area sports a “smiling” upper intake, and a more prominent body-colored splitter under the slimmer lower intake. While not visible at first glance, the LED graphics of the headlights and taillights received new horizontal slits, while retaining a similar lighting signature, part of the “Opel Compass” design theme. At the back, the updated Opel emblem and the Mokka lettering are covered, while the rear bumper appears to be carried over. Moving inside, the highlight is the redesigned flat-bottom steering wheel, bringing the Mokka on par with the all-new Frontera and Grandland models. The rest of the dashboard looks pretty much unchanged, as with the digital cockpit housed within a curved panel. I don’t expect Opel to change a lot under the skin, as the subcompact SUV already inherited Stellantis’ mild-hybrid 1.2-liter 3-cylinder engine with 136 hp from the ICE and another 29 hp from a single electric motor mounted in the 6-speed dual-clutch automatic. Opel engineers could also refresh the suspension setup of the subcompact SUV, taking inspiration from the closely related Fiat 600, Jeep Avenger, and Alfa Romeo Junior triplets. The facelifted Opel Mokka is expected to debut in Europe early next year. Based on the existing range, the Mokka will remain more expensive than the family-oriented Frontera, despite being smaller in size. +++
+++ SMART ’s PR machine is trying to get us excited about the launch of the brand’s biggest car yet, the #5, by releasing teaser sketches of the SUV a week after publishing action shots of a disguised prototype. But unhelpfully for the automaker, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has already stripped away the camo and given us a proper look, well in advance of the official August 28 debut. The #5 is an important model for Smart because it’s aiming to steal sales away from the Tesla Model Y, the world’s most popular car in 2023. A 2-row, upright, all-electric SUV with similar proportions to a Mercedes GLB, the #5 rides on a 2.900 mm wheelbase according to MIIT data, meaning it’s as big as a BMW X3 or Model Y, and dwarfs its #3 little brother. Smart’s teaser campaign shows multiple sketches of the #5 in which the SUV looks very similar to the Concept #5 unveiled at the Beijing Auto Show back in April. Some of the images even show LED roof lights and pannier boxes on the C-pillar, and in every one the fat wheels are pushed right out to the very edge of the swollen fenders. As is often the case, the reality isn’t quite as exciting. But that’s not to say the #5 looks dull. We think its looks great, and having seen the finished article without any disguise and in multiple trim configurations courtesy of the MIIT, we feel confident saying that before the covers officially come off later this month. Neither the MIIT images, the teaser sketches or the shots of the prototypes gives us a look inside, but spy shots we ran in April revealed a massive digital screen that extended across to the passenger side, a setup also used on the concept. Smart tells us nothing about the powertrain mix in its latest release, but we can again refer back to the China drop and also what Smart said about the Concept #5 to help fill in the blanks. The MIIT says 4 motor options are on the menu, the first 2 offering 340 hp or 363 hp from a single, rear-mounted electric motor and drawing juice form an LFP battery. The remaining 2 options use NMC batteries and pair a 224 hp front-mounted electric motor with either a 363 hp or 422 hp rear unit. The top-spec #5 will crank out up to 646 hp and at the concept’s launch Smart mentioned a 549 km range and said 800 volt tech allows a 100 kWh battery to recharge from 10-80% in just 15 minutes. We don’t have long to wait now to find out the true range and how fast that 646 hp range-topper goes. The #5’s premiere is in Brisbane, Australia, on August 28. +++
+++ TESLA has a California problem: its residents aren’t buying as many of Elon Musk’s electric cars as they used to. Tesla’s new car registrations in the Golden State dropped for the third straight quarter, with a 24% fall between April and June, according to the California New Car Dealers Association. And California isn’t the only place where Tesla’s chokehold on the EV market is beginning to slip. The carmaker’s delivery numbers slumped for the second straight quarter in July and Tesla’s slice of the US EV market fell below 50% for the first time. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has attributed lackluster sales to high interest rates and economic uncertainty in the US. But, while Tesla’s sales are dropping, the EV market as a whole is expanding, including in California. Data from Cox Automotive shows that total EV sales climbed 23% from the previous quarter and more than 11% compared with the previous year. Similarly, data from CNCDA shows that EV sales in California hit their second-highest quarter on record in July. California governor Gavin Newsom made light of Tesla’s declining popularity and hyped up Rivian and Ford’s progress in the state this week. “Tesla is not the exclusive manufacturer any longer in this space”, Newsom said in comments. “You’re seeing a dramatic shift in competition across the sector. This is exactly what was predicted. This is exactly what we have been promoting: competition in the space”. California is the largest EV market in the US and accounts for nearly a third of electric car sales, according to data from Experian Automotive. Meanwhile, Musk has attempted to distance himself from the state. In July, Musk said on X that he planned to move SpaceX and X’s headquarters out of California. The billionaire has been critical of Newsom and cited a bill that was signed by the governor in July that prohibits “forced disclosure” rules in public K-12 schools as his reasoning for leaving the state. Musk has become increasingly vocal about politics in recent years and it’s unclear whether that may have had some sway on sales in California, a Democratic Party stronghold. Earlier this year, some Tesla owners even said they were considering ditching the brand after Musk made a problematic post on social media and some have taken to putting “I bought this before we knew Elon was crazy” bumper stickers on their Teslas. “For most people, Elon’s politics wouldn’t be an issue, but when people who have purchased are trying to disassociate that says something. Would that person really want to buy another one?” said Ivan Drury, an automotive analyst. “It could be the thing that pushes someone over the edge who’s a little on the fence”, he added. “Do they really want to get wrapped up in that when there’s competent competition?”. And Tesla might not be keeping up with the competition. “In California there’s always the question of ‘is this cool? is this the newest thing?’ And Tesla really hasn’t done much to keep up with that”, Auto Trader editor Brian Moody told. The carmaker hasn’t updated many of its vehicles in years and its Cybertruck isn’t exactly geared toward the average consumer. What’s more, California registration numbers are just another sign that traditional automakers are on Tesla’s heels, Moody said. “The companies that have had a century of experience manufacturing things in the real world, engineering things in the real world, marketing and distributing those things in real time, now they’re catching on”. +++