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VW To Build $3 Billion EV Plant in East China
Jack Hao VW China has increased its share in the electric vehicle joint venture JAC Volkswagen to 75% and obtained joint venture management rights. At the same time, it has obtained a 26% stake in the EV battery maker Gotion High-Tech to support the future electrification of the group. The total investment of the above two projects is estimated to be about €2 billion.
The plant, which has an estimated investment of US$3.06 billion (20 billion yuan) from both Volkswagen and JAC Motors, will be finished by the end of 2022, and its first vehicle will roll off the assembly line in 2023.
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GM Resumes $2 Billion Investment Program in Brazil
After freezing all investment last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, GM is now resuming its investment program of 10 billion of Brazilian Reais, equivalent to US$ 2 billion. The program funds new vehicles, infotainment systems, as well as modernization of the plants in Sao Paulo state.
PSR Analysis: GM has kept and amplified their market leadership position in Brazil. In 2020, they moved into second place. Their continuous investment on new products and productivity has been recognized…
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NA Economic Outlook: Slower H1 2021, But Much Stronger H2 2021 Expected
Yosyf Sheremeta SUMMARY. In our previous forecasts, we have discussed some hope for a V-shaped recovery, it did not materialize. Our conclusion was based on several factors, such as the current economic cycle, overall strength of the economy, fiscal policy, political landscape in the US and globally, etc. After managing through the early stages of the pandemic in H1 2020, we saw good trends in H2 2020 and we had reasons to be optimistic for a quick recovery.
However, the recovery took a slight pause during the last few months. Unemployment continued to increase, and regional lockdowns prevented the necessary demand for a significant year-end growth. Now that the elections are over, we’ll have yet to see what the new administration will be able to achieve during the next two years. Specifically, if the long awaited infrastructure reform can be passed. However, fiscal policy with near zero interest rates, which government has promised to keep in place for the near future, will provide a good platform for the economic recovery and allow us to look optimistically into 2021-2022.
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Increased Utilization Fees for Vehicles Planned
Russian authorities plan to increase vehicle utilization fees in 2021, according to automotive sources.
Utilization fees could be increased by as much as 25-30% for all types of vehicles, including special machinery, according to industry sources. This measure would be accompanied by a comparable devaluation of the national currency, which would reduce trade barriers.
Utilization fees were implemented in 2012. It was always considered as a compensation of Custom’s tax reduce after Russia’s entry into…
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Kia Motors Targets Growth in Rural Markets
Aditya Kondejkar Kia Motors is expanding its network and targets to reach 300 touchpoints by the end of the year. Further, the company will now focus on expansion in tier-IV and upcountry markets, which will further penetrate the Indian market.
The company is identifying the nerves of Indian customers. It has rightly understood that one of the critical factors in purchasing a car is consumers’ proximity to the brand. Hence, even before the first product (Seltos) launch in the market, it had a wide-spread network in 160 cities with 265 touchpoints.
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Daimler India Adopts Aggressive Dealer Strategy
Daimler India, which recently set up 10 new touchpoints, plans to have at least 350 dealerships across India in the next two years as it looks to deepen market penetration.
In September, DICV announced plans to grow its BharatBenz dealer network by 10%, exceeding 250 outlets by the end of 2020. With the opening of these new touchpoints, the company moves a step closer to cutting the distance between dealerships from 160 km to 120 km. The company is expanding strategically. The touchpoints…
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Japan Sees Hydrogen as Main Fuel by 2030
Akihiro Komuro The government of Japan has set a target of 10 million tons of hydrogen to be used in Japan by 2030, enough to operate more than 30 nuclear power plants. This would be more than 10% of the total electricity capacity in Japan.
It will also hasten the practical application of hydrogen power generation and accelerate the spread of FCVs. The government will provide support through a newly established 2 trillion Yen fund and tax incentives for capital investment.
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Thailand Sets Incentives for EV investment
The Thai government has introduced a new investment incentive program to encourage domestic production of EVs. The new incentives will exempt the payment of corporate tax for eight years for those who invest more than 5 billion baht (about 17 billion yen) to produce an EV.
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Columbia Auto Market Maintains Growth Curve
The Colombian auto market has retained its growth curve in October by posting sales of 20,900 units, up 13.3% compared to September, a month which also grew 39% above August. Data source: Andemos
The Andemos said this recovery is due to the increase of procurement for “safe transportation” as well as reopening of the economy and ending of personal isolation.
According to Andemos, if no new measures requiring isolation are taken, then the reduction compared to 2019 will be around 30%
Source:…
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Russia To Start Making Diesel Engines for Passenger Cars
Maxim Sakov Today, there is no mass production of diesel engines for passenger cars in Russia. Production of the last such project, the turbodiesel ZMZ-514 for UAZ SUV, was halted several years ago.
But next year Russia will resume mass production of diesel engines for passenger cars. The PSMA Rus plant in Kaluga will make 1.6-liter diesels of the DV6 family, designed by French PSA. The production start is planned for mid-2021.
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