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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VW To Build $3 Billion EV Plant in East China

Jack Hao
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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Norway May Block Acquisition of Bergen Engines Plant

Maxim Sakov
Maxim Sakov

The Department of National Security of Norway may block the purchase of engine OEM Bergen Engines belonging to Rolls-Royce by Russian Transmash-Holding. According to Justice Minister of Norway Monica Melan, the acquisition may be a threat to national security. The deal is estimated at €150 million. According to the minister, it’s necessary to suspend a deal to collect information for making a final decision.

Bergen Engines was founded in 1946. Since then, the company delivered more than 7,000 engines, 5,000 of them still operating. Current personnel number is 900 people.

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Autotor Plant To Suspend Assembly of BMW Cars

Autotor’s Kaliningrad plant plans to suspend assembly of BMW cars from the middle of June to the beginning of July because of a components shortage. This is told by CEO of the plant Ruslan Sadykov.

Stephen Teichert, head of BMW Russia, claims Autotor production capacity has been reduced by about 70%; however, in July the OEM plans to increase production to pre-COVID-19 level.     Read The Article

PSR Analysis: The Autotor plant in Russia assembles passenger cars kits for BMW, Hyundai and Kia, and trucks for Hyundai, Daewoo, and Ford. Currently, the problems are claimed only for BMW components. The supply chain problems have been caused by COVID-19 lockdowns. PSR

Maxim Sakov Is Market Consultant, Russia, for Power Systems Research

Haval Starts Building Motor Plant in Russia

Maxim Sakov
Maxim Sakov

Construction of the new Haval plant is based on an investment contract. The new plant, which is scheduled to start production in 2022, Haval is expected to increase localization of its cars.

The plant is located in Tula region, and its production should be enough to produce engines for more than 90% of the Haval cars sold in Russia.

Investment in the project is estimated to be about US$ 55 million (4 billion Rubles). Planned annual production capacity is 80K engines.  

Read The Article

PSR Analysis: This event is an example of the strategy to develop relationships between the Russian government and large international OEMs. Large car makers are allowed to sell their product in Russian market while they bring production capacities (and technologies) into the country.    PSR

Maxim Sakov, Market Consultant – Russia Operations for Power Systems Research

PMI Electro To Set Up EV Manufacturing Plant in Maharashtra

INDIA REPORT 

Aditya Kondejkar

Electric bus maker PMI Electro announced the setting up of its largest EV manufacturing plant with annual production capacity of 2,500 vehicles at Chakan in Maharashtra.

Source: Economic Times       Read The Article

PSR Analysis: PMI operates a manufacturing facility in Delhi, India’s capital region, which has an annual production capacity of about 1,500 electric buses. With the planned facility in Pune, the total annual manufacturing capacity of PMI will grow to 4,000 electric CVs, the company said. The new plant will be capable of manufacturing electric CVs in multiple variants as well as electric trucks.

The company said it has received an order size of 1,000 electric CVs (Commercial Vehicles) under FAME-II (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles) scheme of the central government. PSR

Aditya Kondejkar is Research Analyst – South Asia Operations, for Power Systems Research

WEG Building Plant for EV Batteries in Brazil

Brazilian WEG has announced plans for a new 6,000 m2 plant in Jaraguá do Sul, Santa Catarina, Brazil, to produce battery packs for EVs. With the investment, the annual capacity will be 1 GWh in battery packs. WEG plans a highly automated plant, with 140 direct employees; WEG’s timeline calls for completion of the plant in 1H 2024.

Source: Automotive Business    Read The Article

PSR Analysis: WEG aims to supply EV production for OEMs located in Brazil. With strong background in drives and industrial electrical components, WEG could be a natural selection for many OEMs in Brazil.    PSR

Fabio Ferraresi is Director of Business Development-South America for Power Systems Research

China’s Changan Auto To Build EV Plant in Thailand

SOUTHEAST ASIA: THAI REPORT

Changan Automobile Group, a major Chinese automobile manufacturer, will establish a new plant for electric vehicles such as EVs in Thailand, according to the Board of Investment of Thailand (BOI). The investment will be US$ 284 million (9.8 billion baht or about 38 billion yen), and construction is expected to be completed within a few years. The initial production capacity will be 100,000 vehicles a year, and on-board batteries will also be manufactured. The Thai government has established an incentive program to encourage local production of EVs, and Chinese EV giants have been actively investing in the country.

In addition to EVs, the new plant will produce electric vehicles such as HVs and PHVs. The company plans to supply vehicles to Southeast Asian countries, Australia, South Africa, and other markets.

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Hyundai Motor Sells Chongqing Plant in China

SOUTH KOREA REPORT

The company sold the plant to Chongqing Liangjiang New Area Yufu Industrial Park Construction and Investment Group, which is owned by the city of Chongqing, and its affiliate will use the plant as a production base for electric vehicles.

Hyundai Motor Company has sold its finished car plant in Chongqing, China, to a Chongqing government-owned company for 1.62 billion yuan (about 33 billion yen, $222 million) in December 2023. Hyundai Motor is rushing to restructure its Chinese business, which has suffered from sluggish sales, and concentrate its management resources in the U.S. and Southeast Asia.

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Q2 2021 Truck Production Report

Chris Fisher, Senior Commercial Vehicle Analyst at Power Systems Research, discusses the Q2 2021 global production facts and related forecasts for medium and heavy trucks, as reported in the quarterly PSR Truck Production Index.

Transcript

Welcome to the PSR PowerTALK podcast produced by Power Systems Research.

00:06 Joe Delmont

From Power Systems Research, I’m Joe Delmont, editor of PSR PowerTALK.

Today we’ll discuss global truck production with Chris Fisher. Chris is Senior Commercial Vehicle Analyst at Power Systems Research.

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