Auto Makers Move From Limbo To Normality, Avoiding Traps. “A decline of this magnitude will create structural change in the industry all along the automotive value chain” The automotive industry is suspended in a kind of coronavirus phoney war. Factories, silent for weeks, are now gearing up for production again. People in Europe and North […]
Archive | May, 2020
Coronavirus Generates Gloom/Glory Scenarios
Coronavirus Generates Gloom/Glory Scenarios. “Most expect a “V” shaped recovery. A “U” shaped upturn is expected by some, a bathtub by pessimists. Green agitators dream of “L” shapes” Automotive industry chaos in Europe induced by the coronavirus shutdown has environmental extremists dreaming of the end of the private car and a public transport heyday, while […]
Western Europe Auto Sales Could Be Down 30%
Western Europe Auto Sales Could Be Down 30%. “What happens next will depend heavily on the extent of government support” Sales of cars and SUVs in Western Europe will plummet 30% in 2020 because of coronavirus lockdown repercussions, and that is likely to remain a firm prediction for maybe a week or so as forecasters […]
Ferrari Profit Eases, As Mainstream Autos Skid Off The Track
Ferrari Profit Eases, As Mainstream Autos Skid Off The Track. “Our negativity is more related to future orders than 2020 disruption” Things must be really bad in the coronavirus-weakened world economy. The super-rich are apparently hesitating for a second or two before deciding to splurge between $180,000 and $450,000 on a new Ferrari. That’s the […]
Auto Sales In Britain Close To Zero In April
Auto Sales In Britain Close To Zero In April. “Manufacturers are trying to start operations safely. But it will be slow and production will be ramped up very slowly” Sales of cars and SUVs in the U.K. were almost zero in April, probably no surprise given the entire manufacturing industry had shut down, dealerships were […]
Fuel Cells Losing To Battery Power, But It’s Only Lap 1
Fuel Cells Losing To Battery Power, But It’s Only Lap 1. “Our view is FCEV will start to emerge in earnest from around 2035” Battery-electric cars have won the short-term race for green ascendancy, but the case for hydrogen fuel cells refuses to go away, even though its start date is receding into the distance, […]
Lada Percentage Winner For April, But Tesla Outperforms
Lada Percentage Winner For April, But Tesla Outperforms. Tesla was helped by its online ordering”marketing system, Surveying the debris of the Western European car market for April, the star performer was an unlikely Lada, according to official data from ACEA, but in fact the biggest winner was Tesla, which doesn’t appear in these statistics. Lada, […]
Car Sales Dive 80% in April, Negative Forecasts Race Past 25%
Car Sales Dive 80% in April, Negative Forecasts Race Past 25%. “As lockdowns ease, April will be the low point, though there remain many difficult months ahead” As car and SUV sales in Western Europe plummeted an almost unbelievable 80% in April, automotive forecasters seem to be leapfrogging each as they figure just how harsh […]
BMW Cuts Profit Forecast Again, And Warns About Uncertainty
BMW Cuts Profit Forecast Again, And Warns About Uncertainty. “delivery volumes will not return to normal within a few weeks” BMW cut its automotive profit margin forecast for 2020 to between zero and 3% because of the coronavirus epidemic, and warned that this second profit warning this year might not be its last. In a […]
Could Hydrogen Fuel Cells Revive, Threaten Batteries?
Could Hydrogen Fuel Cells Revive, Threaten Batteries? “Fool’s Cells not Fuel Cells” and “mind-bogglingly stupid” Autos with hydrogen fuel cells could eventually accelerate past battery powered ones because of their ability to provide environmentally friendly transport with almost unlimited green energy, zealots for the technology say, but there are some huge hurdles to jump over […]