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Russia To Suspend Support of Domestic Auto Industry
The Russian auto market’s increased demand for new passenger cars has caused inventory shortages, and these shortages have caused Russian authorities to suspend State programs of industry support.
In May, for example, the number of the cars sold increased by 2.3 times, compared to same period in 2020. This growth is partly the result of pandemic restrictions last year. A total of 663,000 new cars have been delivered to the customers this year, up 39% from a year ago.
Another reason for the shortage of cars in Russia is a shortage of semiconductor chips.
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Strong Post-pandemic Growth Expected into 2022-23 for North America
Yosyf Sheremeta SUMMARY. After the GDP declined 3.5% last year, the worst performance in almost 75 years, the US economy is set for a strong comeback. There are many reasons to be optimistic about the economy for the next few years, including strong readings of macro-economic factors combined with the economic cycle reset backed by government initiatives and policies.
Our positive outlook is based on the reviews of key economic indicators, including GDP, unemployment, and inflation.
During H1 2021, we witnessed a strong level of activities and a rebound for many industries. As local governments eased lockdown restrictions, service-oriented industries gained traction and that translated to an overall increase of economic activities across many industries.
We expect this level of rebound to continue and we now expect even stronger overall growth for 2021. The US economy is on track to reach or even surpass the growth level of 1984 – the highest one since 1950s. In the near term, consumer spending will help drive demand and support the strong growth trend.
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Rosatom Eyes Battery Production for Electric Cars in 2025
Maxim Sakov OOO Renera, subsidiary of Rosatom, has purchased Enertech International, a South Korean company.
According to the signed agreement, Li-Ion accumulator batteries and related power systems will be produced in Russia. It’s expected that production will be started in 2025, and in 2030 the plant capacity will be increased to minimum 2 GWt*hr
The batteries will be installed in trucks, buses and special machines.
PSR Analysis: It’s important to notice that there are no passenger…
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China-led Proton Is Revitalized
Akihiro Komuro Sales of Malaysia’s national carmaker Proton are booming, with its market share in the country reaching 27.3 % in February, hot on the heels of another national carmaker, Produa’s 38.8 %. This is not a single month irregularity; for the full year 2020, the rate is 20.5%. For the full year 2020, the share is 20.5%, almost doubling in just two years from a record low of 10.8% in 2018. This is the first time in seven years that the market share has recovered to the 20% level.
The turning point of the turnaround offensive was a capital/business alliance with a Chinese manufacturer: in September 2017, the company accepted a 49.9% stake from Geely Automobile’s parent company and began importing the right-hand drive version of the X70 SUV, which it produces and sells in China, at the end of 2018. As soon as this became a hit, the company switched to domestic assembly in Malaysia at the end of 2019, and introduced an additional small SUV, the X50, in September 2020.
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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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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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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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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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Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme Might Draw Investors
Aditya Kondejkar The Union Cabinet has approved an expansion of the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to include 10 more labor-intensive industry segments. The PLI outlay for automobiles and auto components is the highest at Rs 57,042 crore over five years, roughly Rs 10,000 crore a year.
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Sollers-Ford Restarts Engine Plant in Elabuga
Maxim Sakov JV Sollers-Ford will resume production at its engine plant in Elabuga; the plant was closed in the summer of 2019 after Ford has left the Russian Passenger Car market. The engine plant in Elabuga is again owned by JV. Total investment in new project is expected to exceed US$ 8 million (627 million rubles).
The plant will produce diesel engines for LCV Ford Transit units. Mass production is planned for 2023, and production capacity will be 25,000 engines per year.
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