News: PowerTALK

2021-02-22

NA Electric Motorcycle Segment Growing

Michael Aistrup
Michael Aistrup

Motorcycling in America is changing as industry leaders and new technology competitors are trying to attract newer/younger riders who want something different from Harley-Davidson’s big cruisers or screaming Japanese and European performance bikes.

The changes are in response to younger riders who are attracted to the efficiency and fun of two-wheel travel associated with e-motorcycles, while older riders are losing interest, or simply becoming unable to ride any longer.

At present, e-motorcycles remain a niche market. Riders are typically city dwellers in their early 40s–slightly younger than the average age of a U.S. motorcycle rider, which is 47, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council’s U.S. Motorcycle Owner Survey — and uses the bike to commute.

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Truck News: Ask The Expert

Chris Fisher
Chris Fisher

What changes do you see in the PSR Truck Production Index in the fourth quarter compared to the third quarter of 2020?

Overall, we are seeing stronger momentum for commercial truck orders and sales which bode well for production in Q1 2021.

Supply chain issues will impact short term production as companies are still having difficulty with staffing numbers and various virus protocols that disrupt production. These problems are expected to continue throughout at least the first half of the year.

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2021-01-25

UAZ To Sell its Patriot SUV in USA Under the Brand Name “Bremach Taos”

Maxim Sakov
Maxim Sakov

UAZ plans to sell is Patriot SUV under the Bremach Taos brand in the US. It will be sold by a branch of Italian Company Bremach, which specializes in AWD special cars. Patriot is being upgraded to meet the standards required on US public roads.

Assembly is planned to be performed in California. The base cost of the SUV is expected to be about US$ 26,000. US modifications of the car will include an automatic transmission and 4-cylinder of 2.7 liter and 150hp. It will have 5-year general warranty and 10-year warranty on engine.

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Russian Auto Production Catching Up with Demand

The Russian automotive sector is expanding and has a good chance to meet existing payable demand, reports industry minister Mr. Manturov. He said the domestic market has taken fourth place in Europe by volume for the first time.

Car sales have  been growing the last three months, and dealers are talking about a shortage of inventory. If the production does not recover until Spring, the market will be short, they say. But the minister said OEMs will handle this challenge easily.

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Semiconductor Shortage Forces Automobile Production Cuts

Aditya Kondejkar

Officials at Volkswagen, Ford, Fiat Chrysler, Toyota and Nissan all say they have been hit by the shortage and have been forced to delay production of some models in order to keep other factories running.

A widening global shortage of semiconductors for auto parts is forcing major auto companies to halt or slow vehicle production just as they were recovering from pandemic-related factory shutdowns.

“This is absolutely an industry issue,” Toyota spokesman Scott Vazin said in an email. “We are evaluating the supply constraint of semiconductors and developing countermeasures to minimize the impact to production.”

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Komatsu to Sell Electric Construction Equipment in Europe

Akihiro Komuro
Akihiro Komuro

Komatsu plans to release a battery-powered compact excavator that emits no exhaust gas in Europe in 2022. The company will also promote the quietness of the product and expects to use it in residential areas. Hitachi Construction Machinery will also double orders for electric excavators in fiscal 2021 compared to the previous year. Following the trend in the automobile industry, competition in the field of electric construction machinery is now in full swing.

The compact excavator to be launched by Komatsu will use lithium-ion batteries that are lightweight and can operate for a long time. It uses a motor instead of an engine, making less noise and emitting no exhaust gas. The company will first market the product in Europe, where environmental regulations are strict, and then consider launching it in Japan. Komatsu began renting several small excavators powered by lead-acid batteries on a trial basis in Japan in April 2020.

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Hyundai and Apple in Talks To Develop Self-Driving EVs

Hyundai Motor and Apple are negotiating a partnership in the field of self-driving EVs, reports the Korean newspaper Korea IT News. Other media reported that Hyundai and Apple are aiming to launch a self-driving EV in 2027. Soon after this report, Hyundai announced that it was in early stage talks with Apple. (The above is excerpted from Newsweek)

Hyundai is playing a central role in the Apollo Project, the self-driving EV strategy of Chinese IT giant Baidu and is also actively mass-producing EVs.

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Weichai Takes 60% Stake in Agricultural Equipment Maker

Qin Fen
Qin Fen

Weichai Holding Group Co., Ltd., a leading Chinese powertrain manufacturer, has acquired a controlling stake in Lovol, one of the country’s major agricultural equipment makers.

Source: Xinhua News Agency    Read The Article

PSR Analysis: People look up to leading companies in industry because often times they are not just leading the trend, they are also setting an example of weathering the storm during crisis.

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Italy’s CNH and China’s FAW in Talks Over Truck Maker Iveco

CNH Industrial is in talks with China’s FAW over the future of truck maker Iveco, the Italian-American group said recently after sources told Reuters it had revived previously aborted negotiations.

Source: Reuters    Read The Article

PSR Analysis: Another positive development in the industry during such a gloomy crisis, FAW fits the merger success story I just mentioned about the few surviving companies.  There are for sure many challenges ahead with the acquisition, particularly after the take-over, but there are so much to celebrate if the deal can be finalized.

Both Europe and China are investing in each other’s market, Scania, MAN, Daimler and Volvo are all setting up new factories or strengthening ties with current partners in China. 

And now we see FAW is putting their focus in the European market by engaging with Iveco.  Both sides have seen potential growth on one another’s market.  European truck makers will bring along new concept and technology to China’s market and likes of FAW will bring along cost saving and localization practices for its European counterparts

This is another sign that Chinese companies are moving more and more of their focus on the overseas markets, we will only see more of this coming in the future.  PSR

Qin Fen is Business Development Manager-China for Power Systems Research