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Tag Archives: lmc automotive
Ford Leads NA Production Cuts from Semiconductor Shortage
Six months into the semi-conductor shortage it is obvious that not all automakers are affected in the same way. The Renesas fire in Japan hit Ford Motor hard, making the problem much worse for the struggling automaker. The fact is some automakers have been hurt worse than others. Ford Motor looks to have been affected the most, as shortage-related plant shutdowns left its facilities running at just 55% of total capacity through May of 2021. Ford’s estimated volume loss in the first half of this year is more than 50% greater than that recorded by the next manufacturer in line – and the largest in North America – GM, according to consultancy LMC. Continue reading
Whither US Vehicle Sales in 2021? Is 14 Million a Stretch?
AutoInformed puts it to you thus: This is the market price of failed ideologies grimly held by blind true-believers who ignore real data-backed consequences, scientists, epidemiologists, economists and political scientists to their own detriment – if not indeed their own self destruction. Continue reading
Global Auto Business Threatened by Covid Second Wave
While the past isn’t a 100% sure predictor of the future, “A second wave and stricter social controls pose a large risk to our central forecast” LMC notes in its latest analysis. LMC projects that 2020 global assembly plant use is expected to fall to the lowest level ever recorded – just 51%. The pandemic-caused shutdowns during March and April had a profound impact on both the volume and use of plants globally. Continue reading
COVID-19 Ups Auto Use, Mass Transit Drops
An unintended but not surprising effect of the COVID-19 plague see the use of mass transit plummeting as driving use remains resilient, consultancy LMC reports this morning, “As US states and European countries come out of lockdown, a pronounced preference … Continue reading
China – Future Export Base for Global Markets?
Although export volumes were stable in the last two years, the sector has experienced significant structural shifts. In 2019, non-Chinese brands accounted for 38% of the export market, compared with 30% in 2018. Data for 2010 and 2016 show that overseas OEMs accounted for just 11% and 19% of China’s exports, respectively. These figures, says LMC, indicate the growing proportion of vehicles built in China by foreign automakers being shipped overseas. Continue reading
Electric Vehicles – a Virus That Can’t Be Controlled?
Riddell in essence poses this riddle: When buying an IC car today, a larger engine is a big cost option, and for a BEV, a bigger ‘gas tank’ is a major, high-cost feature. Will this continue? Can this continue? Based on past behaviors, cost is a major inhibitor to adaption of advance technologies. Continue reading
US February Retail Vehicle Sales to Surpass a Million
“Last year it took until September for the industry to reach the current spend levels,” King noted. “While the coronavirus has had no meaningful effect on production yet, it does have the potential to reduce overall inventory levels and lower the need for continued elevated incentives. If unhealthy inventory levels persist throughout the year, however, manufacturers may be faced with spend levels that are pacing towards $5,000 by next year.” Continue reading
Posted in economy, sales
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, j.d power, Kenneth Zino, lmc automotive
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U.S. Sales in 2020 – SUVs Will Govern a Down Market?
Compact SUVs during 2019 were the largest segment in the US and declined with the slowing market with a 19.2% share. For 2020, LMC forecasts 20%, thanks to the first full year of sales of the new Ford Escape as well as the ongoing popularity of the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V. Continue reading
Global Light Vehicle Sales Slump. The Party’s Over?
LMC posits we must look at why the market has dropped 5 million units below the 2017 record. A recent blog entry entitled 2019 Review highlights some of the challenges faced by the auto industry. Chief among them are developments in China, with a protracted hangover from the temporary tax cuts of a few years ago, disruption coming from the launch of State VI-compliant vehicles (which varies region by region), along with a slowing economy. Continue reading
Posted in news analysis, sales
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, coronavirus, global vehicle sales, Kenneth Zino, lmc automotive
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Global Light Vehicle Sales Fall Again in September
The selling rate drop in September seems partly the result of further changes to the WLTP** emissions testing in Europe, which may have pulled sales forward to August, at the expense of September. In China, LV sales dropped once again. Unfavorable calendar effects thwarted any chance of YoY growth in the US, even though the selling rate was good. Continue reading
Posted in economy, sales
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, Kenneth Zino, lmc automotive, WLTP
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UAW Strike Cost at GM Builds Substantially with Duration
Previously, the 1998 UAW strike on GM lasted 54 days and cost the automaker $2 billion, which would equate to $3.1 billion in today’s dollars – or over a third of their 2018 net profit. A strike lasting this long has the potential to cost GM 500,000 units in lost production, which would quickly deplete their available inventory. In this situation, GM intenders would ultimately either delay purchases or move to competitor brands, which could result in 100,000 lost US sales in the remainder of this year. Continue reading
The Asian Party is Over for Automakers
No doubt this hurts Asia-based automakers , but the VW Group, Daimler Group, BMW Group and General Motors – are clearly endangered, because the region accounts for a significant share of their global volume. Continue reading
Luxury Vehicles No Longer Have Panache?
“A closer look, however, reveals that Premium share actually suffered two consecutive years of decline recently,” Chan notes. The £1Billion questions are: will this drop continue and should Premium segment players be worried? Continue reading
Cars for Cheese? EU Turning Point in Japanese Localization
In 2018, the three UK Japanese transplants of Nissan, Toyota and Honda collectively produced over 730,000 cars, which represent almost half of all Light Vehicles built in Britain. Continue reading
US Vehicle Sales Drop in July for Third Month Running
Toyota, General Motors and Hyundai were the three bestselling OEMs, while Ford had the weakest performance compared to last July. Ford remains mired in simi-conductor shortages and long-standing troubled relationships with suppliers. Hyundai re-introduced the Compact Pickup segment in July, with the first units of the Santa Cruz delivered. This segment of course was once dominated by GM and Ford before Toyota and Nissan moved in. Continue reading →