Beijing time165438+1October 19 news, according to media reports, Fiat and Peugeot Citroen Group announced that the two companies will hold a shareholders' meeting on June 65438+1October 4 next year, approve the merger plan, and create Stellantis, the fourth largest automobile manufacturer in the world.
Fiat and Peugeot Citroen reached an all-share merger agreement worth $38 billion in June last year, merging Fiat, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and Maserati with Peugeot, Opel, Citroen and DS. At present, this transaction has been approved by the anti-monopoly regulators in some countries such as the United States, China, Japanese and Russian, but it has not been approved by the European Union.
After the merger was announced in July this year, the two sides established a new entity, Stellantis, and recently released a new logo. Stellantis evolved from the Latin verb "stello", which means "light with stars". Peugeot Citroen said that the new logo highlights the unique combination advantages of 14 well-known automobile brands under the new group, and reflects the diverse background of employees around the world. At the same time, the new logo also conveys a feeling of optimism and vitality, indicating the determination of this diverse and innovative new group to become one of the leading enterprises for sustainable mobile travel in the future.
Fiat and Peugeot Citroen promised to complete the merger by the end of the first quarter of next year. In order to promote the merger process, the two sides also revised the agreement in September this year, reducing the special dividend of Fiat shareholders from 5.5 billion euros to 2.9 billion euros. After the merger transaction is completed, 46% of Faurecia held by PSA Peugeot Citroen will be immediately distributed to all shareholders of the new group. (Source: Tencent Auto)
Tesla and Volkswagen will compete in the price range of $25,000 to $30,000.
According to foreign media reports, electric vehicles are being accepted by more and more consumers. As leaders in the electric vehicle market, Tesla and Volkswagen have both passed new electric vehicle projects, and the two companies will launch models with prices ranging from 25,000 to 30,000 dollars.
ID.3 (Source: Volkswagen)
In the market research of electric vehicles, the price of new cars has always been one of the most concerned issues for consumers. In the high-end market segment, many electric vehicles have caught up with the same level of fossil fuel-powered vehicles in terms of price and performance. However, in the entry market, this is not the case.
At present, the progress of battery technology enables car companies to achieve higher performance at a lower price, especially the cruising range, which further promotes the popularity of electric vehicles. Today, Tesla and Volkswagen, two major automakers, have announced remarkable electric vehicle plans. The starting price of the new model is about 25,000 to 30,000 dollars.
In September this year, Tesla announced that it would launch a small car with a long battery life. The new car will be equipped with the company's new battery technology, starting at $25,000. Tesla CEO Elon Musk (Elon? Musk) said: "Tesla will launch an attractive electric car with a price of $25,000 and will also have fully automatic driving capability." Musk said that this $25,000 electric car will be available in about three years. By then, Tesla will increase the productivity of new batteries.
Now Volkswagen is also aiming at the entry market and plans to release new small electric vehicles. According to the report, Volkswagen has passed a new "small pure electric vehicle" project, and the engineers of this project are developing a pure battery-driven car, which is similar in size to Polo and will cost 20,000 to 25,000 euros (about 24,000 to 30,000 dollars).
According to public insiders, the new electric car will replace the Up compact car, and may even replace the Polo. German media reported that the new car, like ID.3, will be built on the MEB platform of Volkswagen, and the name may be ID.2. In addition, Volkswagen will also launch a smaller version with the name ID. 1.
On165438+1October 13, Volkswagen said that it would increase its investment in battery-powered vehicles, autonomous driving and related future technologies to about 73 billion euros ($86 billion) by 2025, equivalent to half of the company's150 billion euro budget. At present, Volkswagen brand plans to produce 6.5438+0.5 million pure electric vehicles by 2025. (Source: Geshi Automobile? Nebula)
3. Due to the suspension problem, NHTSA investigated 1 15000 Tesla vehicles.
According to foreign media reports,165438+1On October 27th, NHTSA said that it had investigated about 1 1.5 million Tesla vehicles on suspension safety.
Models? S (source: Tesla)
The automobile safety supervision agency said that after receiving 43 complaints about the failure of the front link of the left or right suspension, they are reviewing the models 20 15 to 20 17? S, and the models range from 20 16 to 20 17? X car for preliminary evaluation. According to NHTSA, 32 complaints occurred during low-speed parking, and another 1 1 complaints occurred during driving. NHTSA added that there are eight other complaints that may involve the same issue. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
2065438+In June 2006, Tesla published a blog post denying Model? X or model? The suspension in the United States has any security flaws, but the company admitted that NHTSA informally asked the company to provide information about the suspension without formal investigation.
2065438+In February 2007, Tesla issued a service announcement, describing a defect in the production process, which may lead to the failure of the front connecting rod of the front suspension. The announcement shows that the "front link" of some vehicles may not meet Tesla strength specifications. In the case of link failure, the driver can still keep control of the vehicle, but the tire may touch the wheel arch lining. "
In June 5438+10, Tesla informed NHTSA that it would recall about 30,000 Model. S and Model? X, because "due to local roads and driving conditions, vehicles need stronger suspension". In addition, Tesla is also launching an opposition to Model? S was recalled separately because the rear suspension link of the vehicle was defective. However, Tesla told NHTSA that it didn't think there was a problem with these vehicles recalled in China, and said there was no need to initiate a recall in the United States, calling the problem "extremely rare". Tesla said that the company has not received any reports of collisions, injuries or deaths worldwide.
165438+1On October 20th, Tesla suffered a class action lawsuit because of its car model? S and Model? X's suspension problems may lead to premature failure of the front and rear suspension control arm assemblies, and some car owners filed a lawsuit against Tesla in the California District Court.
Last week, NHTSA said it was expanding to nearly 65,438+059,000 Tesla models? S and Model? X car investigation, and upgrade the investigation to engineering analysis, which is exactly the steps needed before seeking mandatory recall.
In June this year, NHTSA also conducted a preliminary investigation on the touch screen failure of Tesla. According to the agency, this failure will lead to the loss of the image display of the rear camera when reversing, thus reducing the visibility of the rear when reversing, and affecting the defogging ability and the sound prompts related to automatic driving and turn signals. At present, the objects of this survey include 20 12 to 20 18 models. S and models 20 16 to 20 18? X. (Source: Geshi Automobile? Nebula)
4. Domestic Tesla model? Arrive in Europe
According to foreign media reports, Gaspar is equipped with a domestic version of Model? The Tuscan ship bound for Europe finally arrived in Zeebrugge, Belgium. About 7000 domestic models last month? Shanghai's super factories are exported to Europe, about half of which are in Tuscany.
Models? 3 (Source: Tesla)
Morten, Tesla cargo tracker? Grove reported that Tuscans had arrived in Zeebrugge. He tweeted: "Tuscany, the first Tesla cargo ship from China, has arrived in Zeebrugge, carrying a model made in China and exported to Europe? 3? SR+. 10 "Grove also pointed out that the Tuscan was anchored in the Grand Aurora (Grand? Aurora), loaded with the modified Model3 of Tesla fremont factory.
/kloc-At the end of 0/0, Tesla held a ceremony in Shanghai, China to celebrate the domestic version of Model? Export to Europe, and then set out from Tuscany. At that event, Tesla announced that the domestic Model3 had passed all the certifications in the European market, and the company was allowed to sell domestic models in Europe? 3。
Tuscany's arrival in Europe marks another milestone for Tesla, Gigabyte and Shanghai. In the first three quarters of this year, Tesla China made great contributions to the company's profit for three consecutive quarters, and it seems that it will do the same in the fourth quarter.
In the coming year, domestic models exported to Europe? There will definitely be more and more. According to recent reports, Tesla Giga Shanghai will produce 550,000 vehicles in 202 1 year, of which about 1 1 10,000 vehicles will be exported to Europe. (Source: Geshi Automobile? Nebula)
It is said that Volkswagen will stop selling Passat cars in America and Europe.
According to foreign media reports, insiders revealed that Volkswagen will stop selling Passat cars in the United States and Europe because the company is increasing its bets on electric cars and SUVs.
2020 Passat (Source: Volkswagen)
United States of America
According to Volkswagen American data, in the first three quarters of this year, Passat's American sales increased by 25% year-on-year, but only 65,438+06,65,438+090 vehicles. Volkswagen's board of directors has no intention of replacing the existing Passat version in the United States, because the company has been constantly shifting its focus from cars to crossover vehicles, such as Atlas, a crossover vehicle launched by Volkswagen. A Volkswagen executive made a brief summary of Passat's future products: "In the future, its share in the US mid-size car market will be negligible."
The American version of Passat is produced in Volkswagen's Chattanoou processing plant, which is also responsible for the production of the crossover Atlas. Atlas is the second best-selling model of Volkswagen brand in the United States, second only to Jetta. In the first three quarters of this year, Atlas sales decreased by 37% year-on-year to 37,927 vehicles; The new Atlantis? Sport sold 65,438+07,990 vehicles.
American buyers are less and less interested in medium-sized cars, which also determines the fate of Passat medium-sized cars in the United States. Medium-sized cars used to be the cornerstone of industry sales, but in recent years, sales have steadily declined. In the first three quarters of this year, sales decreased by 27% year-on-year, and in 20 19, sales decreased by 7.8% year-on-year. Brands such as Ford, Chrysler, Buick and Dodge have withdrawn from this market segment.
Europe
According to the source, Volkswagen will only keep Passat station wagon in Europe, and the body style of station wagon is still popular in Germany and other markets, so it will continue to sell in these markets. The new Passat medium-sized station wagon is expected to be launched at the end of 2023.
According to the market research organization JATO? According to the data of Dynamics, Passat is the best-selling medium-sized car in Europe from 1 to 10 this year, with a sales volume of 88,478 vehicles, followed by its sister brand Skoda, with a sales volume of 47,889 vehicles in the same period.
The European Passat is produced in Emden factory. However, Volkswagen stated in the statement released in June 165438+ 10/3 that in 2023, the production of Passat will be transferred from the factory to the Bratislava factory in Slovakia, where it will be produced together with the Soviets. Volkswagen is renovating its factory in Emden, aiming to produce electric vehicles only in this factory, including ID.4 crossover and an Aero? B's medium-sized electric car.
The popularity of medium-sized cars in Europe has also been declining rapidly, mainly because buyers prefer SUVs with larger cargo space and traction capacity, as well as more sporty hatchbacks.
At present, the commercial fleet is the main buyer of medium-sized cars in Europe. Nine of 10 Passat are sold to corporate buyers, who usually choose the station wagon version because of its many functions. (Source: Geshi Automobile? Gu Jiaojiao)
6. Many companies are optimistic? Battery entrepreneurship soared 50% as soon as it went public.
According to foreign media reports,165438+1On October 27th, the battery startup QuantumScape(QS) was officially listed. The company previously acquired JB, the co-founder of Volkswagen and Tesla. Straubel's investment. On the day of listing, its share price has risen by more than 50%.
(source: QuantumScape? )
10 years ago, Jagdeep, a computer scientist and co-founder of Infineon? Singh and mechanical engineer Tim? Holm co-founded QS Company to study the application of solid lithium metal batteries in electric vehicles.
The company's next-generation battery cell is expected to be improved in various key aspects of the battery cell:
Energy density: the energy density of volume and weight is significantly increased by eliminating the main material of graphite or silicon anode. Maybe 400 to 500? The energy density of Wh/kg exceeds that of current lithium-ion batteries.
Fast charging: By eliminating the lithium diffusion barrier layer in the cathode material, the battery can be quickly charged from 0 to 80% within 15 minutes.
Life: prolong life by eliminating the capacity loss of anode interface.
Safety: eliminate organic partition. The solid separator is nonflammable.
Cost: reduce the cost by reducing the anode main material and manufacturing cost.
QS delivered the battery prototype, which left a deep impression on many companies, so that it received more than 700 million US dollars of private investment, including 300 million US dollars from Volkswagen, and was also supported by Bill Gates, China SAIC, Chinese mainland and several important venture capital companies.
JB, co-founder and former chief technology officer of Tesla? Straubel was also attracted by QS and invested in this company. When Straubel worked at Tesla, he tested almost all battery technologies. He said: "QS's solid-state battery design is the most exquisite architecture in the lithium-ion battery system I have ever seen, and the company has the opportunity to redefine the battery industry."
Now, QS acquired the company through special purpose and went public, which has brought more than 654.38 billion US dollars to the company and is expected to be used for mass production of its battery technology. Although mass production will still take several years to realize, if successful, QS battery may provide power for the whole electric vehicle industry and even electric flight. (Source: Geshi Automobile? Gu Jiaojiao)
7. Because the car was not recalled in time? Hyundai and Kia were fined $2,654.38+0 million in the United States.
According to foreign media reports,165438+1On October 27th, Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors American subsidiary agreed to pay a record civil fine of 2 1 10,000 USD. The American automobile safety agency said that the two companies failed to recall 6.5438+0.6 million vehicles with engine problems in time.
Sonata (Source: Modern)
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) told Hyundai and Kia that they did not accurately report the recall information to them, and then the two companies agreed to the court's order.
Hyundai agreed to pay a total of $65.438+$400 million in civil penalty, including $54 million in advance payment, $40 million in funds reserved for safety performance, and an additional $46 million in delay penalty if the requirements are not met.
As part of the settlement, Hyundai will invest $400 billion to establish a security field testing and inspection laboratory in the United States and establish a new IT system to better analyze security data. Brian, Chief Safety Officer of Hyundai Motor North America? Latov said: "We are taking immediate action to further solve potential security problems."
Kia's total civil penalty is $70 million, including $27 million in advance payment,160,000 in specific security measures, and $27 million in potential delay penalty.
Kia agreed to create a new American security department, headed by the chief security officer, and each automobile company will hire an independent auditor from a third party, who will report directly to NHTSA to conduct a comprehensive review of the company's safety practices. In a statement, the company said that it "denied any allegations, but agreed to solve this problem to avoid a longer dispute with the government". The company also said it had agreed to "reorganize the department responsible for the recall and hand it over to the United States."
The order of the modern court will last for three years, while Kia's will last for two years, but both companies may extend it for another year.
Souranto (Source: Kia)
James, Deputy Director of NHTSA? Owens said: "Automobile manufacturers should be aware of the urgency of their safety recall responsibility and provide all safety information to the Administration in a timely and frank manner."
This settlement also includes solving the recall of 20 15 and 20 17 caused by bearing wear and engine failure due to production problems. The models recalled on 20 15 and 20 17 include Hyundai Sonata from 201to 20 14 and Shengda from 20 13 to 20 14. Kia, on the other hand, went from 20 1 1 to 20 14 Optima, 20 12 to 20 14 Souranto, 201to 201. (Source: Geshi Automobile? Gu Jiaojiao)
8. Tesla Berlin factory has not yet obtained the battery production license.
According to reports, the environmental department of Brandenburg, Germany, said that Tesla has not yet applied for a license to build a battery production facility in Berlin's super factory. Tesla CEO Elon Musk (Elon? Musk) said in the live broadcast of the European Battery Congress held today that the Berlin Super Factory will have "the largest battery production facility in the world".
Glenn Head Mayor Arne Christiani (Arne? Christiani) said: "I always knew that there was a need to build a car factory and a battery factory here. Most importantly, we hope to produce a new generation of batteries, which is more environmentally friendly. "
He also said: "But first, Tesla needs to prepare an application. Then we have to go through a new approval process. " According to reports, the Brandenburg Ministry of Environment has not received an application from Tesla to produce batteries.
As Tesla's first super factory in Europe, the Berlin factory will produce Tesla's latest 4680 batteries in the future. Before Musk attended the online European Battery Conference, Tesla executive Drew Baglino (Drew? Baglino) has started the recruitment promotion of the company. At present, Tesla is recruiting local people and managers for the battery production team.
At present, Tesla is steadily advancing its plan to build a factory in Berlin. Up to now, although the construction of the Berlin Super Factory has not been fully approved by the Brandenburg State Environment Bureau, the company has obtained several initial permits from the Environment Bureau after purchasing the land in Glenhead.
After Musk revealed that Berlin Superfactory will have the largest battery production facility in the world, Rolf Lin Deman, head of Ode-Spree minefield, said. Lindemann) said that it is very important to speed up Tesla's application approval. Lin Deman said: "Tesla announced that it will also build a modern battery production facility in Oder-Spree, which has additional potential for the development of our region." It is reported that in the past few months, Lin Deman has repeatedly asked the state government to solve the problems surrounding Gigafactory more continuously and quickly. The problem in Berlin.
Tesla's goal is to let the Berlin super factory start producing cars before July 20021year, which means that the local environmental protection bureau still has more than half a year to finalize the application for Tesla's car production. However, Tesla seems to have different goals for when to start producing batteries. However, if Tesla wants to maintain its speed, considering the time required to obtain full approval, the company should submit an application for the battery production facility of Berlin Super Factory as soon as possible. (Source: Sina Technology)?
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