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Honda Forced To Reduce Car Features
FAR EAST: JAPAN REPORT
Akihiro Komuro Honda will sell some of its new vehicles without a function that detects vehicles in the blind spot and warns the driver, saying the dedicated semiconductors required for this function have been in short supply.
To solve the situation where it takes about a year from order receipt to delivery, Honda will sell the new models with the function reduced so that they can be delivered in about six months.
Sales of the new SUV model “ZR-V” began with a specification that eliminates “Blind Spot Information (BSI),” which alerts the driver by detecting vehicles diagonally behind the vehicle and displaying them in the door mirror. Since the procurement of the necessary in-vehicle semiconductors was not completed in time and the delivery period was expected to be prolonged, the company decided to sell the car without this BSI function. Although it varies by store and model, the time from order to delivery can be reduced by half, from about one year to about six months.
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VI B Emissions Seen Boosting China’s Auto Industry
CHINA REPORT
Jack Hao The new national standard for automotive emissions, scheduled to be implemented July 1, 2023, could boost China’s auto industry, say industry insiders.
The Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and other departments recently issued a joint notice proposing that the National VI Emission Standards for automobiles (National VI B) be implemented nationwide July 1, 2023.
Industry insiders believe that the implementation of the new regulations will drive car companies to accelerate technological upgrading, thereby achieving green and low-carbon development of the automotive industry.
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OEMs Target India’s Premium MC Segment
INDIA REPORT
Aditya Kondejkar The dominance of Royal Enfield in the mid-segment of the premium motorcycle market (300cc-500cc) could be facing challenges from upcoming products. The Triumph Speed 400, a result of a joint development effort between Triumph and Bajaj Auto, and the Harley-Davidson X440, developed through a collaboration between Hero MotoCorp and Harley Davidson, are set to compete in this market segment.
In response, Royal Enfield plans to introduce three new models in the 350-450cc range within the next year.
The Indian motorcycle market has witnessed a favorable trend towards high-end bikes. The phenomenon of premiumization has gained momentum due to increasing income levels, a growing young population, shifting preferences, and a surge in product launches.
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Alternative Power Report, June 2023
Download PDFThere’s plenty of news about global EV battery activities in the June issue of the Alternative Power Report produced by Power Systems Research. Read about the battery recycling operation planned for Europe, the controversy over energy use between advocates of Hydrogen and batteries and much more.
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Suzuki Moves Aggressively To Regain India Market Share
INDIA REPORT
Aditya Kondejkar A key portion of Maruti Suzuki’s mid-term goal to achieve 50% overall PV (passenger vehicle) market share by becoming the number one SUV seller in the country. This is important for Maruti Suzuki because even though the automaker’s market share in the non-SUV segments is more than 65%, its SUV share was only 10.5% in 2022.
Source: The Times of India Read The Article
Capacity Expansion.
The company is planning to invest Rs 18,000 crore for the Kharkhoda facility in Haryana. This will increase the capacity by one million units. Further, by the end of the decade, Maruti Suzuki plans to invest over 45,000 crore to quadruple production capacity to four million vehicles in order to meet domestic consumer demand and increase exports from India.
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Cummins Accelera Delivers Hydrogen Fuel Cell Truck
CHINA REPORT
Jack Hao Accelera and Shaanxi Auto’s Dechuang Future have jointly developed a 31-ton Hydrogen fuel battery residue vehicle. Sixty Cummins Accelera Hydrogen fuel cell driven muck trucks were delivered and put into operation in Shanghai.
It is reported that this vehicle is matched with Cummins 125kW Hydrogen fuel battery engine system and 127kWh Lithium iron phosphate power battery, and uses the 410kW drive motor and AMT automatic transmission with ultra-low system energy consumption independently developed by Dechuang in the future to form a “new energy power chain,” so that the vehicle’s power performance indicators such as maximum speed, hill starting ability, climbing ability, loading capacity, etc. are higher than the industry average.
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Indonesia Plans To Become Major Player in Car Industry
SOUTHEAST ASIA: INDONESIA REPORT
Amid the global shift to EVs, Indonesia is vying to become the new leader in this segment.
Indonesia has already surpassed Thailand in passenger car production and has begun full-scale EV production ahead of Thailand. Thailand has begun to defend its position as the auto manufacturing hub of Southeast Asia by offering preferential policies for EVs, including subsidies for both domestic production and sales.
Indonesia’s greatest strength is its abundance of nickel, which is used in car batteries. It is said to have the largest nickel reserves in the world, and investment in this resource is growing rapidly. In April, the Indonesian government announced that it was considering investing in a nickel production venture involving Ford of the United States and that VW of Germany was also considering participation.
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Hino Motors and Mitsubishi Fuso To Merge
FAR EAST: JAPAN REPORT
The announced reorganization of several commercial vehicles companies came suddenly and was one that few in the industry expected.
On May 30, Toyota Motor Corporation and Daimler Trucks of Germany announced a business merger between Toyota-owned Hino Motors and Daimler-owned Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation. The merger is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.
The four companies have reached a basic agreement that calls for Toyota and Daimler to establish a holding company by the end of 2024 with the aim of going public. Hino Motors and Mitsubishi Fuso will become part of the holding company. Toyota and Daimler will hold the same percentage of shares in the holding company, and Hino Motors will cease to be a consolidated subsidiary of Toyota after the merger.
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XCMG To Produce EV Trucks in Brazil in Two years
Fabio Ferraresi XCMG announced plans to produce battery electric trucks in Brazil at Pouso Alegre (MG) plant in two years. Until then, the company expects to build a local network of suppliers and wait for new industrial policies that are expected for the electric vehicle segment.
The current plan consists of starting with the assembly of chassis and cabins at the Minas Gerais plant with components produced by local suppliers. Batteries and other components of the electric powertrain will be imported from China.
This first stage fits the company’s electric trucks within the scope of Finame, the BNDES credit line that finances the acquisition of machinery and equipment. To access this line, the product to be financed must have a certain percentage of parts and components produced in the country.
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Brazil Announces Incentives for MHV and LV
BRAZIL/SOUTH AMERICA REPORT
The Brazilian Federal Government this month has announced a package of incentives for the automotive sector during a press conference held in Brasilia (DF). The program intends to bail out the country’s automakers at a time of weak demand for new vehicles.
The final text includes passenger cars, Minivans and SUVs, Trucks and Buses through discounts granted to the consumer, and not by tax reduction to automakers, as was expected.
Total spending of Federal Government is US$ 300 Million (R$ 1.5 Billion). Funds are expected to come from the return of taxes on diesel sales, which was planned to happen in January 2024, but it is anticipated to meet the program of the automotive sector.
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