The boss of new Chinese EV firm WM Motor believes the challenge of establishing a brand means that premium start-up firms will struggle to survive – which is why his firm will focus on the mainstream market. Originally known as Weltmeister, WM Motor was founded in 2015 and last year launched the electric EX5 SUV in the Chinese market, where it sells for between £22,000 and £34,000. The firm has long-term plans to expand internationally. Chinese regulations to encourage electric car sales have made it the world’s largest market for such cars, with a number of Chinese start-ups attempting to establish themselves. These include well-funded firms such as Nio and Xpeng, both of which are pitching themselves as premium brands to rival the likes of Tesla. But speaking at the Financial Times Future of the Car Summit in London, WM Motor boss Freeman Shen, who previously headed Volvo’s Chinese division, questioned whether a premium-focused start-up could survive. “We have aimed for the mass market, as history shows independent premium brands don’t tend to survive,” said Shen. “Look at Lincoln, Cadillac, Porsche and more – they tried, but in the end they have been absorbed. Good luck to Tesla, we’ll see. “In China, the new generation of car buyers are looking for new brands with new technology at an affordable price; that’s where we sit. The change is such that I don’t need to spend 30 years building a premium brand to then move it mainstream. The same is true in the US, where there’s not so much choice in the mainstream below Tesla.” While Shen admitted that WM Motor was “not profitable today”, he added that “we are one of the first that can be”, although he declined to give a timescale for that to
Origin: Chinese EV start-up boss: new premium firms won’t survive
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Ferrari won’t supply engines to Maserati after 2022
2018 Maserati GranTurismo MCMaserati Maserati has had the proverbial rug pulled out from under it, with Ferrari announcing it would no longer supply engines to its Italian cousin. Ferrari CEO Louis Camilleri broke the news during his Q1 earnings call; the entire transcript is available through The Motley Fool. Eventually, we will no longer supply engines to Maserati, which from our perspective is actually a good thing, both from a margin perspective, but also the fact that we can transfer a lot of the labor that’s been focused on the engines to the car side of the business, Camilleri said. He added it would officially stop supplying Maserati with engines by 2021 or 2022. Arguably, the best reason to buy a Maserati was because of the Ferrari engine, which the company has been using since 2002 when it was in the same bed with Ferrari under Fiat’s roof. Ferrari was spun off from FCA in 2015 but continued to supply its 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8; 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6; and 4.7-litre naturally aspirated V8 engines to Maserati. Maserati was depending on the inclusion of Ferrari engines to help it revitalize its products, which haven’t been selling so well lately. As Maserati prepares for an advertising assault and an onslaught of new products, it will have to find a better selling point than the Ferrari engine. Perhaps Germany’s Mercedes-AMG, an engine supplier to many brands, would like to swoop in and take Ferrari’s place? More likely, Maserati will reach into the FCA parts bin for its engines, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We would do filthy things with a Hellcat-powered Grand Sport, you can bet on
Origin: Ferrari won’t supply engines to Maserati after 2022
Maserati just wants to build race cars again, won’t go full-EV
A Maserati 6C 34 at the Panini Motor Museum.David Booth Maserati will have a totally new lineup by 2022, complete with a full suite of hybrid, PHEV and electric vehicles, but if you thought the marque was looking forward to a fully battery-driven future, well, North American head Al Gardner has a different plan. According to Gardner, Maserati needs to go back to its roots, which of course means racing cars. The Maserati brothers founded the company in 1914 and produced some great motorsports-focused machines, but never quite managed to keep up with the likes of Alfa Romeo and Bugatti. All that Maserati seems focused on these days is crossovers and electric vehicles, but Gardner says the brand will never go fully electric. This is a brand that needs combustion engines, he suggested. It needs that raw emotion. So Maser won’t lose the brand’s core values, even if it’s using engines from one of its oldest competitors, Ferrari. FCA CEO Mike Manley says there’s no problem with Maserati’s products, it’s a problem of awareness, Motor Trend reports. That’s why Maserati will receive some additional support from FCA in the sales and marketing department to help boost sales. The brand struggled with its first quarter 2019; shipments were down 41 percent and net revenue fell 38 percent. That’s not exactly stellar. Manley said the brand is gaining momentum again, though, after slowing sales in China, and the onslaught of new products that will be released, including performance versions of its Levante SUV, should help,
Origin: Maserati just wants to build race cars again, won’t go full-EV
Lexus will replace the entry-level CT 200h, but we still won’t get it
The 2019 Lexus UX.Handout Lexus has confirmed that it is developing a new subcompact vehicle to slot in under the UX subcompact crossover in size and under the CT 200h in price. Entry-level, in other words. Autocar spoke with Head of Lexus Europe Pascal Ruch at the 2019 Geneva motor show, confirming that the company is planning an all-new vehicle to replace the CT 200h as the entry-level model for the brand. Sorry, let me clarify: to replace the CT 200h as the entry-level model for markets outside North America. Because Lexus pulled the CT 200h from its North American distribution a couple years ago, meaning the 2017 model year was the last that was sold new in Canada and the U.S. In other markets, the CT 200h will likely remain available through 2021, a full ten years after its 2011 introduction. Which is also when its replacement will probably arrive, in 2021, probably riding on Toyota’s TNGA platform. It’s yet unknown if the new Lexus will retain the hatchback shape of the CT 200h, or go with something more crossover-inspired. Either way, we’re jealous, because, again, we’re not getting it. At least, Lexus hasn’t said we’re getting it, and last we checked we were off the list. Lexus, if you’re listening, we’d love to be proved wrong.
Origin: Lexus will replace the entry-level CT 200h, but we still won’t get it
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