TSMC Plans Plant in Japan, Operation Set for 2024

FAR EAST: JAPAN REPORT

TSMC, the world’s largest semiconductor foundry, has announced that it will build a new plant in Japan, with plans to begin construction in 2022 and mass production in 2024. The Sony Group and Denso Corporation are expected to participate in the construction of the new plant.

The new plant will produce logic semiconductors with a circuit line width of 22 to 28 nanometers. They are generally used in signal processing that requires large amounts of data, and in high-performance microcomputers used in car control. TSMC envisions the site adjacent to the Sony Group’s image sensor plant in Kumamoto Prefecture as the planned construction site.

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Kia Plans Customer Specific EVs

FAR EAST: SOUTH KOREA REPORT

Kia is pursuing its own EV strategy centered on specific applications such as delivery vehicles and cabs. The company is jointly developing delivery vehicles with Korea’s largest online retailer, Coupang, and customer specific EVs will account for 1 million of the 1.6 million EV sales target for 2030. A dedicated plant will also be built in the suburbs of Seoul.

The company and Coupang will develop vehicles with increased cargo capacity and refrigerated and frozen interior equipment, with the assumption that only one driver will be on board. Coupang will have its own distribution center and delivery vehicles for high-speed delivery and will hire drivers directly. Coupang has indicated that it plans to operate 10,000 EV delivery vehicles in the future.

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Mahindra Plans To Double Tractor Exports

INDIA REPORT
Aditya Kondejkar

“Our aim is that with the launch of Oja (platform), we will double our export in the next three years,” says Hemant Sikka, president of Mahindra’s farm equipment sector. “So, we want to increase exports from 18,000 to 36,000 in about three years.”

In collaboration with Mitsubishi Mahindra Agriculture Machinery, Japan, and an investment of INR 1200 crore, the new Oja platform could help Mahindra win 25% of the worldwide tractor demand. This includes tapping into new markets such as Europe and ASEAN, as well as strengthening its presence in sectors like horticulture.

Source: Economic Times    Read The Article

PSR Analysis: The launch of Mahindra Tractors’ new Oja platform underscores a strategic move with several critical business implications. First, the entry into the 80,000 unit ASEAN market represents an expansion initiative, targeting countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines. This move aligns with the company’s global growth strategy, capitalizing on the increasing demand for tractors in these emerging markets.

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Maruti Suzuki Plans India Market Expansion

INDIA REPORT
Aditya Kondejkar

Under Maruti’s 3.0 Strategy, the company proposes to expand annual capacity by 2 million units within nine years, and it plans to feature 28 distinct models by 2031. The automaker aims to reach an annual production volume of more than 4 million vehicles by 2031. Of this total, approximately 15% (about 600,000 units) will be electric vehicles (EVs), and about 1 million will be hybrid units.

This represents a substantial 75% surge from the current production capacity of 2.25 million units.

Foreseeing a threefold increase in export volume to 750,000 units by FY31, Maruti intends to allocate 3.2 million units for the domestic market. The company envisions hybrids and EVs comprising approximately 40% of this portion, translating to over 1.2 million units.

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MG Motors Plans To Make India An Export Hub

Aditya Kondejkar

MG Motor India is considering the possibility of exporting shipments from India to markets such as South Africa and the UK along with tapping other right-hand-drive markets across the globe. Despite the current semiconductor shortage, MG motors plans to prepare for a long-term vision of increasing its exports from India. The start  of the company’s South Africa operations has been delayed due to Covid-19.

MG motors has started exporting their vehicles to Nepal, and the company is preparing for the long term to make India an export hub for the neighboring markets. The carmaker has already dispatched its first batch of Hector SUVs to Nepal and plans to add Astor and ZS EV to the lineup in the Himalayan country next year.

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Q4 2021 Power Systems Research Truck Production Index (PSR-TPI) Loses 37%

St. Paul, MN (January 25, 2022)— The Power Systems Research Truck Production Index (PSR-TPI) increased from 116 to 120, or 3.4%, for the three-month period ended December 31, 2021, from Q3 2021. The year-over-year (Q4 2020 to Q4 2021) loss for the PSR-TPI was, 190 to 120, or -37%.

The PSR-TPI measures truck production globally and across six regions: North America, China, Europe, South America, Japan and Korea and Emerging Markets.

This data comes from OE Link™, the proprietary database maintained by Power Systems Research.

Global Index: We expect global production volumes in 2022 to gain 3.7% vs 2021, with a positive trend in all regions, except for China, where we expect production volumes to be down -3.6% in 2022 vs 2021.  China experienced a surge in demand during 2020 due to the change in emissions regulations, so 2021 was down significantly, about 20%. 

All Regions: Global demand for Medium and Heavy Commercial Vehicles (MHV) rebounded in 2021 but overall growth in the segment was flat.  Going forward, we expect the growth to accelerate in 2022 and 2023.   The exceptions to this rebound trend are in China and India, which continue to decline and sharply drive overall global production numbers into negative territory. 

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Chris Fisher Truck News – February 2021

In this episode of the PSR PowerTALK Podcast Chris Fisher, Power Systems’ Senior Commercial Vehicle Analyst, discusses the Q4 2020 global production facts and related forecasts for medium and heavy trucks.

Transcript

Welcome to PowerTALK Truck podcast February 2021. Produced by Power Systems Research, the leading supplier of global production data and forecasts to the engine power products and Components industries. Here’s today’s host, Emiliano Marzoli, Manager of Power Systems Research, European Operations.

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Nikola Plans To Develop Hydrogen Fuel Network

The lack of a refueling infrastructure is one of the largest challenges facing H2 development, so Nikola plans to start building a hydrogen fuel network. The network would make it possible for H2-powered vehicles to refuel conveniently, particularly when those vehicles are the company’s own trucks.

The company has already started the construction of H2 plants in order to produce the H2 necessary to supply the hydrogen fuel network. Once those are in place and the refueling stations are built, it will become feasible for companies to begin including H2-powered trucks in their fleets.

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Hyundai Doosan Infracore Plans Hydrogen Engine

FAR EAST: SOUTH KOREA REPORT

Hyundai Doosan Infracore announced that it has been selected as the lead company for the national project “Development of Hydrogen Engine System and Storage and Supply System for Construction Machinery and Commercial Vehicles” by the Industrial Technology Evaluation and Management Agency.

Through this project, the company plans to develop a 300kW, 11-liter class hydrogen engine and hydrogen tank system with zero carbon emissions, which will be installed in commercial vehicles such as trucks and large buses, and construction equipment such as excavators by 2024. After verification, the company aims to begin full-scale mass production in 2025.

“Although hydrogen engines have high energy density, they are expensive and require technological maturity to ensure durability under adverse operating conditions,” said a company official. “For this reason, the engine system is more suitable for construction machinery and medium- to large-sized commercial vehicles than for passenger cars.”

Source: Wow! Korea

PSR Analysis: Hydrogen products in Korea are still far from practical at this point. Hydrogen can be classified as green, blue, or gray depending on the cleanliness of the production process, and the hydrogen fuel cell power plant in Korea that began operating in June emits 10 tons of carbon for every ton of hydrogen it produces. At this point, Korea’s hydrogen industry is still in the gray stage, but I do not think it is time to discuss whether the technology is good or bad, as it will take time for the technology to become more advanced.

The idea that hydrogen is better suited for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles than for passenger cars makes a lot of sense. However, mass production of a commercial model by 2024 is certainly a very high goal. With the lithium-ion battery industry currently thriving in South Korea, I will keep a close eye on the future development of hydrogen in the country. PSR