New car registrations in the UK rose slightly year-on-year in September, but car industry bosses have warned that ongoing political uncertainty over Brexit is stunting market growth. A total of 343,255 new cars were registered last month, a modest rise of 4421 units, or 1.3%, from September 2018, according to Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) figures. The rise had been expected, because registrations that month were badly hit by delays in car production due to the introduction of the new WLTP emissions testing regulations, falling 20.5%. But the year-on-year increase in the UK last month was significantly smaller than in other European Union (EU) countries that were also affected by the new test rules, and the domestic market continues to struggle. In the first nine months of 2019, a total of 1,862,271 cars have been registered here, a year-on-year decline of 2.5%. SMMT boss Mike Hawes attributed the continued struggles to ongoing political uncertainty, saying: “We expected to see a more significant increase in September, similar to those seen in France, Germany, Italy and Spain, given the negative effect WLTP had on all European markets last year. “Instead, consumer confidence is being undermined by political and economic uncertainty. We need to restore stability to the market, which means avoiding a ‘no deal’ Brexit and, moreover, agreeing a future relationship with the EU that avoids tariffs and barriers that could increase prices and reduce buyer choice.” The September new car registration figures did show some positive trends, however. Sales of electric cars continued to rise, with the 7704 registered a 236.4% year-on-year increase. Plug-in hybrid sales also rose year-on-year for the first time in six months, with the 5179 units registered up 1.5% from September 2018., Notably, the outgoing Vauxhall Corsa was the best-selling car in the UK last month, with 12,921 examples registered. The perennially popular Ford Fiesta was second in the sales chart, with 11,643 sold, and remains the best-selling car of 2019 so far, with a total of 64,564 registrations. The Corsa is second in the yearly charts, with a total of 47,547 registrations. The Mercedes-Benz A-Class was the third most popular car in September, ahead of the Mini hatchback, Nissan Qashqai and Ford Focus. The Tesla Model 3 was the third best-selling car in the UK in August but didn’t feature in September’s top
Origin: UK car market posts marginal growth in September
market?
EVs take record market share in August
EVs take record market share in August SMMT figures show new records for both pure EVs and overall EV market August’s electric vehicle registrations have set a new record, with plug-in models making up 4.4% of the UK’s market share, and pure-electric models making up 3.4% of registrations. The latest set of figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that more than 3,000 pure-electric models and over 900 plug-in hybrid cars were registered in August. That’s ahead of the new registration plate that arrived on 1st September, and includes pre-registered models rather than outright sales. With more than 4,000 electric vehicles registered in the month, the plug-in car market performed well as the overall UK car market fell. Registration figures ended at -1.6% for August compared to the previous year. That contrasts with the 377.5% increase for pure-EVs over last year’s monthly total, more than offsetting PHEV’s performance of -71.8% in August. As such, pure-electric models took a 3.4% market share for the month, and PHEVs made up 1% of new registrations in August. Those figures are almost exactly mirrored from 2018’s results, where more than 3,200 PHEVs were registered at a market share of 3.4%, and pure-EV registrations were just over 650 units, at 0.7% market share. The latest figures reinforce the overall trends for2019 to date. The UK car market continues to fall, with uncertainty over Brexit often cited by industry leaders. PHEV registrations are also falling, with a few factors likely influencing the powertrain’s decline. Improved pure-EV range, the removal of the Plug-in Car Grant for PHEVs, and outright stock available to customers are all likely playing a part. For the year to the end of August, pure-EV and PHEV registrations are effectively tied. This has seen a significant increase in pure-EV registrations over PHEVs in recent months, with the first eight months of the year seeing 17,393 and 17,594 units registered for EVs and PHEVs respectively. Combined, they make up 2.3% of the market share for 2019 to the end of August.
Origin: EVs take record market share in August
Mercedes-Benz first to get its foot in the door of electric van market
Der neue Mercedes-Benz EQV – Exterieur, Bergkristallweiß metallic, Black Panel-Kühlergrill mit Chromlamellen;Stromverbrauch kombiniert: 27,0 kWh/100 km; CO2-Emissionen kombiniert: 0 g/km*, Angaben vorläufig The new Mercedes-Benz EQV – Exterior, Mountain crystal white metallic, black panel radiator grille with chrome fins;Combined power consumption: 27.0 kWh/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 0 g/km*, provisional figures While everybody else was fretting over how best to build an electric pickup truck, Mercedes-Benz decided to skip all that and release the industrys first all-electric van.The concept for the 2020 EQV van was shown a short time ago, but it looks like its now almost ready for people to buy.Underneath the vans body sits the battery, a 90-kWh power pack that can offer 405 km on a single charge.Using a standard 110-kW public DC rapid-charger, the battery of the EQV can be charged from 10 to 80 per cent in just 45 minutes. Only the front wheels are driven by a single electric motor, and the power works out to the equivalent of about 204 horsepower and 267 lb.-ft. of torque.Inside, the van looks totally normal with interior styling borrowed from Mercedes crossovers.With EVs were usually talking about some silly mode that you can push on the dash to make your jowls touch your ears, but not in the EQV. The top speed is only 160 km/h, but you probably werent going to show up to a drag race with this, anyway. No, this is meant to carry a raft of people comfortably and silently.Speaking of that raft, it can hold seven people with the rear seat captains chairs installed, but an available bench seat option bumps that number up to eight people.So far, plans are for the 2020 EQV to be made available in Europe only, but were hoping the idea catches on enough that it makes its way around the
Origin: Mercedes-Benz first to get its foot in the door of electric van market
Winners and losers in the 2019 UK car market so far
The first half of 2019 has been unusually turbulent for the world’s car makers, and coming off the back of a solid 2018, the reverse into financial losses for some firms has been a surprise. Weak sales in China can be blamed for some of the trouble, but concerns over global trade wars, Brexit, Dieselgate and anti-trust legal action in Germany are also factors. Of the eight firms we looked at, five – BMW, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Ford, Nissan and PSA – made a profit in the second quarter or half year. But six of the eight recorded reduced profits, in some cases by a dramatic margin, such as Ford, Mercedes and Nissan. It is worth noting that the April to June trading period for Japanese companies is called Q1, because their financial year ends in March, making their Q1 the equivalent of Q2 in the US and Europe. Aston Martin’s woes are outlined here, but here’s our rundown of a selection of winners and losers. BMW Profit £1.86bn (-28.4%) | Revenue £23.4bn (+2.9%) | Sales 647,504 (+1.5%) (Second quarter figures) Provisions for Dieselgate-related ‘anti-trust’ legal costs put a significant drag on profits at BMW, despite production hitting a record. The company also highlighted increased competition, launch costs for new models and higher RD expenditure on electrification and autonomous driving. BMW still produced a significant profit in the quarter, but it “dropped sharply” in the company’s own words, and its margin reduced to 6.5% – lower than volume car maker PSA. BMW delivered 566k units (up 2.7%), Mini 89k (down 5.8%) and Rolls-Royce 1328 (up 36%). Although most car makers struggled in China, BMW Group sales increased 24% there. Europe remains difficult, though, with sales down 4%. PSA Profit £3.01bn (+10.6%) | Revenue £34.9bn (-0.7%) | Sales 1.903m (-12.8%) (First-half figures) PSA is a bright light for the industry, having increased first-half profit, boosted by new model launches and a contribution from Opel-Vauxhall, and despite a drop in global sales volume. PSA’s operating margin is now 8.7% – impressive for a volume car maker. PSA says cost saving from platform-sharing with Opel-Vauxhall boosted profitability, offsetting £275m of extra costs in China. The group’s best-seller remained the Peugeot 208. Jaguar Land Rover Loss £395m (+49%) | Revenue £5.07bn (-2.8%) Sales | 128,615 (-11.6%) (Second quarter figures) JLR returned to loss-making trading in the second quarter, having made a welcome profit in the first quarter. The loss was blamed on a global sales slump. UK sales were actually up, and sales in China recovered in June, an encouraging indicator for the rest of the year. Plant shutdowns and delays in WLTP certification were also blamed. Looking ahead, JLR says a £2.5bn cost-saving programme is on track and delivered £400m of benefits in the quarter. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Profit £722m (+14%) | Revenue £24.3bn (-3%) | Sales 1.157m (-11%) (Second quarter figures) FCA is having one of its better years, with its profit increasing solidly. Strong US performances by Ram and Jeep are the highlights, with the highly profitable Ram 1500 and Super Duty boosting its pick-up market share to 28%, up 7% on last year. Meanwhile, demand is strong for the newly launched Jeep Gladiator pick-up, which is already hitting its forecast full-production run rate. On the downside, Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Maserati are all struggling and sales in China are weak. In response, Maserati is planning a “significant inventory reduction” in the second half of 2019 in readiness for new models in 2020. Always look on the bright side: watch out for bargains in Maserati dealers this autumn. Nissan Profit £12m (-98%) | Revenue £17.9bn (-12.7%) | Sales 1.23m (-6.0%) (First quarter figures) Nissan just about scraped a profit in its first quarter, blaming the near-wipe-out of its profits compared with Q1 2018 on fewer sales, higher raw material costs, exchange rate fluctuations and investment costs to meet new emissions rules. Europe dragged down the sales figures, with a 16.3% drop to 135k units, as did Japan (-2.6%) and the rest of the world (-13%), although sales in China were up (by 2.3%). In response, Nissan is cutting around 12k jobs globally, pruning some compact cars from its model range and reducing annual production capacity to 6.6m by 2022, a cut of 600k. Mercedes-Benz Cars Loss £612m (-135%) | Revenue £20.3bn (-1%) | Sales 575,639 (-3%) (Second quarter figures) Mercedes parent Daimler – the car, truck and van business – has issued four profit warnings in 2019, largely because it is setting aside £1.5bn to cover a fine expected to be levied after Mercedes transgressed diesel emission regulations. A further £0.9bn has been allocated for a Takata airbag recall in the US. Sales, meanwhile, have been hit by the global trade war between the US and China and the diesel backlash in Europe. Most affected were SUV sales, which dropped to 181k units (-13%), although the
Origin: Winners and losers in the 2019 UK car market so far
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV stretches UK electric vehicle market lead
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV stretches UK electric vehicle market lead The popular SUV leads both the outright sales chart and Q1 2019 figures Mitsubishi’s Outlander PHEV remains the best-selling electric vehicle in the UK, and tops the 2019 figures too despite being pushed hard by BMW’s 530e. According to the latest figures from the Department for Transport (DfT), Q1 2019 saw 1,602 Outlander PHEVs registered, compared to 1,550 BMW 530e registrations in the first three months of the year. In third place was BMW’s i3 – the combined figure for pure-electric, REX, i3, & i3s – with almost 1,000 units sold in Q1 2019. Three pure-electric models in the shape of the Jaguar I-Pace, Nissan Leaf, and Renault Zoe took positions 4-6 in the table, followed by PHEVs from the Mini Countryman Cooper S E, Range Rover Sport P400e, and Range Rover P400e rounding out the top 10. Looking at total sales, the 40,590 Outlander PHEVs on the road continues the SUVs long-running reign as the best-selling plug-in model in the UK. It’s a run that has stretched back four years to Q1 2015, the first set of figures from the DfT showing the Mitsubishi had overtaken the previous incumbent – Nissan’s Leaf. The Leaf continues in second spot overall, and the best-selling pure-electric model in the list, with 25,491 registrations by the end of March 2019. The DfT’s figures are always published a quarter behind where we are currently, so remain the latest set of figures open to evaluation. BMW’s 330e remains in third spot with more than 13,700 units, ahead of the i3 on almost 13,000 registrations, and the Mercedes Benz C 350e with more than 10,000 on the road. Fast movers in the sales table include the BMW 530e, which having only started seeing sales registered in Q1 2017, is now positioned in 7th spot outright just two years later on almost 9,750 units. Mini’s Countryman Cooper S E has also climbed quickly, in 11th place in the table with more than 3,800 units, despite no figures for it from the DfT until Q2 2017. Jaguar’s I-Pace has sold almost 1,700 units by the end of Q1 2019, despite only seeing three models registered in Q1 2018 – its first appearance on the table. JLR stablemate, the Range Rover P400e has identical sales figures, having only been on sale from Q4 2017. The identically powered Range Rover Sport is less than 20 units behind its larger Land Rover sibling, having gone on sale at the same time, with the two PHEVs split only by the VW e-Golf, which is one unit behind the I-Pace and Range Rover P400e on 1,679. It has been on sale since Q3 2014 though. The range-extended LEVC TX black cab continues to perform strongly in a short space of time, with almost 1,550 registered since Q4 2017, and unsurprisingly, Hyundai’s Kona Electric has almost 450 registrations, having only seen its first units appear in Q3 2018’s figures. Looking forward, Audi’s e-tron pure-electric SUV sold 63 units in Q1 2019, despite not having been on sale for the whole three months, so it will be interesting to see how well that does in the next quarter’s figures. The Kia e-Niro will likely have a few units on its figures too, and the Kona Electric & I-Pace are expected to continue their rapid growth. At a manufacturer level, BMW leads the way, with almost 46,000 units, a combined total from a large number of vehicles – the 225xe, 330e, 530e, 740e, i3, i8, and X5 40e. By contrast, Mitsubishi is in second place with more than 40,500 units, predominantly thanks to the Outlander PHEV and a couple of hundred i-MiEVs. Third is Nissan, just shy of 29,000 units thanks mainly to the Leaf, though with almost 3,500 e-NV200’s supporting that figure. VW is in fourth with a mixture of models – e-Golf, e-up!, Golf GTE, and Passat GTE – followed by Tesla’s all-electric line-up of Model S and Model X – plus a few Roadsters for good measure. It’s worth remembering that Tesla’s Model 3 has only just arrived in the UK, and therefore won’t appear in any significant number until Q3 2019’s figures. Looking at manufacturing groups, the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance is dominant in the UK market in terms of electric cars, with more than 79,500 units built up primarily from the Outlander PHEV, Leaf, and Renault Zoe. The BMW Group is second on a little under 50,000 units, with Mini’s Countryman Cooper S E added to those sales from BMW, and the VW Group is third on over 20,000 units, adding in Audi and Porsche figures to VW’s sales. In total, there are just over 200,000 electric vehicles on the DfT’s Q1 2019 figures, of which 68% are PHEVs and 32% pure-EVs. Almost 120 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are included in the total.
Origin: Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV stretches UK electric vehicle market lead
News Roundup: Schwarzenegger masquerades as a used-car salesman, Chevy (maybe) cancels the Camaro, and Genesis takes on the EV market
Welcome to our weekly round-up of the biggest breaking stories on Driving.ca from this past week. Get caught up and ready to get on with the weekend, because it’s hard keeping pace in a digital traffic jam.Here’s what you missed while you were away.Watch Schwarzenegger annoy customers as a used-car salesmanIn film, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s characters usually use bicep strength or Gatling guns to impose their will. But in a new YouTube video, the former Governator relies upon his skills of annoyance to push customers at a used car lot toward electric vehicles. The bit, which appeared on the Austrian-American star’s YouTube page, was a plug for ElectricForAll.org, featuring Arnold as used car salesman overly keen for the gas-guzzling ways of old. Karma, baby! Vancouver driver gets new McLaren impounded minutes after driving it off the lotAh, don’t you just love stories like this, where the idiot driver gets his comeuppance almost immediately? A Vancouver driver recently took possession of a brand-new quarter-million-dollar McLaren 600LT and decided to test its limits on the drive home, accelerating to 161 km/h in a 90-km/h zone before being stopped by police. The $368 ticket probably won’t be such a problem for the obviously wealthy driver, but at least the reckless dummy won’t have his new ride for a week. J.D. Power ranks the best and worst car brands of the yearMarketing information services company J.D. Power has released its Initial Quality Study for 2019, which ranks car brands based on the number of issues experienced by new owners. At the bottom of the pile were British brands Jaguar and Land Rover, which managed to improve their scores from last year but not enough to inch past Mitsubishi, which was ranked third-worse. The top of the list, on the other hand, was dominated by South Korean marques, with Genesis, Kia and Hyundai taking the top three spots, respectively. The highest-ranking North American brand was Ford, which clinched fourth position despite slipping by a couple points from last year. Chevrolet might halt Camaro production after sixth gen Will the sixth-generation Camaro be the last? Rumours of the impending cancellation of the Chevrolet Camaro that started with “multiple sources within GM” speaking to Muscle Cars Trucks suggest so, though later we heard from other sources that the next gen was just “delayed until further notice.” The news has some Camaro fans experiencing deja-vu as the popular muscle car was discontinued once already, back in 2002, only to be resurrected in 2009. GM has neither confirmed nor denied the rumours, telling Motor Authority, “While we will not engage in speculation, we will remind you of our recently announced updates coming to the Camaro lineup this fall.” So we wait…Opinion: The “carpocalypse” is pure BS! Motor Mouth David Booth touched a nerve this week by asking a simple question: “When did we get so f-ing stupid?” OK, so it’s not so difficult to see why some might be offended. In this week’s editorial, our unabashed columnist takes on the idea of the “carpocalypse,” which predicts the forthcoming demise of the auto industry. Despite increased messaging from car sharing companies like Lyft and Car2Go claiming drivership is down – as well plenty of anecdotal evidence suggesting Millennials aren’t buying the same way their parents did – Booth insists it’s all a bunch of hogwash. Do you agree? Join the conversation by commenting on his latest Motor Mouth column. Will another 400 Series Highway improve Toronto traffic conditions? The powers that be in the GTA are studying the idea of connecting Highway 400 in Vaughan to Highway 407 in Milton with another major route in order to reduce congestion. Demand to improve commute times, which rose 8 per cent since 2013, is strong, but as Driving’s Steven Bochenek points out, adding more roads doesn’t necessarily lead to less traffic. In fact, according to a well-researched concept called “induced demand,” more roads often simply lead to more drivers. Well, there’s always the GO Train, I guess. Genesis sets sights on the electric market with announcement of upcoming EVNew kid on the block Genesis has been making waves for a few years now, with its internationally acclaimed vehicles displacing demand for the luxury marquees that have dominated the industry for what seems like forever. BMW and Mercedes-Benz have felt the Genesis pinch, and soon, according to reports from Australia’s Drive, so will Tesla. The publication says the South Korean automaker will release its first fully electric offerings in 2021, in the form of a sedan and an SUV. Genesis claims to be “moving very fast on this,” so expect to hear more (official) news on this
Origin: News Roundup: Schwarzenegger masquerades as a used-car salesman, Chevy (maybe) cancels the Camaro, and Genesis takes on the EV market
EV sales growth bucks UK new car market trend
EV sales growth bucks UK new car market trend Pure electric models increased against an overall market drop Pure-electric car registrations are bucking the current UK market trend, with continued growth in May 2019 seeing almost 2,000 units sold, an increase of 81% compared to last year. That’s against a backdrop where the total UK new car market dropped 4.6% compared to last year. Although pure-EVs are showing sustained growth – the last dip in sales compared to the previous year happened in March 2018 – PHEV registrations have dipped for the third month on the trot. More than 2,300 PHEVs were registered in May 2019, a drop of 41% compared to 2018’s figure, which sees a combined UK plug-in car total – EV & PHEV – of 4,352 units registered during the month. Despite current strength in pure-electric market growth, the sector still only made up 1.1% of total UK new car registrations last month, and PHEVs accounted for just 1.3%. The combined plug-in car market share for May 2019 is 2.4%, while the current share for 2019 is 2.1% and the 12-month rolling share is 2.6%. The continued growth for pure-EVs and drop in PHEV registrations sees the market split balance out, with the past three months seeing a share of around 45:55 for pure-EVs compared to PHEVs. For a long time, the total market split has been around a ratio of 35:65, and by the end of last year, the split was as great as almost 25:75. There is discussion as to what is affecting the UK plug-in car market most, with the effective removal of the Plug-in Car Grant for PHEVs no doubt a factor in the dip in sales performance. Likely to be far more significant though is likely to be supply issues from manufacturers for new plug-in cars. A number of popular models – both pure-EV and PHEV – have long waiting lists, and even suspended order books. Table courtesy of SMMT There doesn’t seem to be a lack of demand from buyers, but there is certainly a lack of supply. With new EVs due in the second half of 2019 and early 2020, it is hoped that increased choice will help mitigate any supply issues for what remains an important electric vehicle market in Europe. The backdrop for the electric vehicle market is the UK new car market as a whole, which sees diesel continue its decline. Sales dropped 18% compared to last year, and the market share is only 28% of total new car registrations in May 2019, down from last year’s 32% – itself a figure that was far lower than the year before’s 45%. Market share for petrol models is now at two-thirds, and alternatively fuelled vehicles – which bundle together the likes of pure-electric, PHEVs, and conventional hybrids – sit at 6% market share, with growth of 14% compared to last year.
Origin: EV sales growth bucks UK new car market trend
UK pureEV sales on the up despite overall market decline
UK pure-EV sales on the up despite overall market decline Sales of pure-electric vehicles continued to rise in April 2019, despite the UK car market as a whole down 4% on the previous year. Pure-EVs were up more than 63%, with 1,517 registrations in April, though plug-in hybrid vehicles didn’t fare as well. PHEV registrations were down more than a third compared to 2018, with almost 2,000 units sold. The downward trend for PHEV registrations has been going on since the start of 2019 – barring a slight lift in February. With the effective removal of the Plug-in Car Grant for PHEVs from October 2018, it looks as though the support may have been withdrawn too soon for the market. Although hoped that the PHEV market was performing strongly and capable of standing up despite the withdrawal of the grant, a combination of an uncertain UK car market in general, plus no company car BIK rates beyond the next financial year, look to have made the sector a little shaky. The corresponding upturn in EV sales is to be welcomed, and the past two month’s figures have seen the EV/PHEV market split at around 44% against 56% respectively. To compare, in August last year, the split was 17:83. The combined electric vehicle market was down 11% compared to last year, unusually worse off than the overall UK car market. Registration of EVs have usually bucked the trend in recent months, with growth despite an overall dip in sales. Table courtesy of SMMT One of the key choke-points in electric vehicles hitting UK roads is not the lack of demand, if feedback to NGC is anything to go by, rather it is a lack of vehicles. The demand far outstrips supply for a number of the best EVs available, so the future is not bleak as manufacturers up the number of plug-in models leaving the production line. Likewise, new models are coming along all the time, with the Kia e-Niro going on sale for last month’s registration figures, the Audi e-tron set to be included in the next set of results, plus new mass-market models from the likes of VW, Kia, Mini, and Honda all due within the 9-12 months. Diesel sales continue to perform poorly, down to less than 30% of market share, and -9% against an already troublesome 2018 figure. Petrol sales continue to rise and are approaching 65% of market share, while alternatively fuelled vehicles – which bundle together EVs, PHEVs, and hybrids – increased to 6.4% market share for April 2019.
Origin: UK pureEV sales on the up despite overall market decline
Is Volkswagen finally ready to challenge Tacoma and Ranger in the small pickup market?
What is it? Not a full-size truck and not an SUV either, the Volkswagen Tarok Concept is VW dipping its toe in the small-truck waters to see if should dive in and swim. Clearly envious of the stampede of sales going to full-size trucks amid an equally coveted resurgence of midsize trucks, VW is presenting the Tarok at the NY Auto Show as way to gauge interest for the vehicle in North America, even though VW already intends to build the truck for South America. Why does it matter? With a reconfigurable cargo bed capable of carrying six-foot objects, thanks to a folding waterproof panel behind the rear seat, the Tarok boasts a cargo-carrying capacity of 1,030 kg (2,270 pounds) — more than the Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger or Jeep Gladiator — so perhaps take that with a grain of salt, given that a solid rear axle is unlikely and the engine is the same as that in a Golf, a 147-hp turbocharged 1.4-liter four cylinder. A digital instrument cluster, 9.2-inch infotainment touchscreen, and a removable Bluetooth speaker in the centre console also add character, as does the concept’s large glass roof. When is it coming? That’s entirely up to the public’s reaction. VW previously showed a small pickup in NY, the Atlas Tanoak, a pickup with considerable appeal and strong interest, yet the Tanoak hasn’t moved much down the production line as far as we know. Should you buy it? If a full-size truck is too big, and the midsize offerings from Chevrolet, Toyota and Jeep are just too truckish, the Tarok would no longer leave some buyers between a rock and a hard
Origin: Is Volkswagen finally ready to challenge Tacoma and Ranger in the small pickup market?
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