MOTOR

Toyota hybrid sales over 1.2 mn in a year

Japanese auto giant Toyota said it had sold over 1.2 million hybrid cars around the world last year, more than doubling sales in the previous 12 months.

The company -- the world’s biggest automaker -- said it had shifted around 1,219,000 million duel fuel cars, including green celebrities’ favourite Prius.

The figure means around 14 percent of all vehicles Toyota sold last year were hybrids.

The home market, where subsidies for environmentally friendly cars were in place for much of calendar year 2012, accounted for more than half of the sales.

Hybrids usually feature a petrol-driven engine, while an electric motor, powered by a rechargeable battery is used at slower speeds. A spokesman for Toyota told AFP the company was expecting to sell 1.25 million hybrid vehicles in 2013.

“Our goal was to exceed one million units per year. Now that we have succeeded, we would like to stay on top in the future,” he said, adding the company plans to launch 18 new hybrid models by December 2015. Since the release in 1997 of the first Prius, Toyota has sold a combined total of 5.125 million hybrid vehicles in about 80 countries.

The company said if all of those cars been single-fuel vehicles, they would have generated around 34 million more tonnes of carbon dioxide, a key greenhouse gas, and would have burned 12 million kilolitres (3.17 billion US gallons) of gasoline.

Toyota’s concentration on hybrid vehicles has somewhat stolen the march on rivals Nissan, who have invested heavily in all-electric vehicles and seen so-far disappointing sales, blamed partly on a lack of infrastructure.

AFP

SUV popularity in China casts cloud over green-energy cars

Chinese carmaker BYD gave pride of place to its new S7 SUV at the Shanghai auto show while another of its models, a fully-electric vehicle, languished in a corner with only a handful of visitors.

The contrast is indicative of the battle in the auto sector with gas-guzzling SUVs blazing past green-energy cars despite state incentives to promote cleaner vehicles in a bid to tackle the country’s air pollution crisis.

The most popular cars are far from the most fuel efficient, undercutting an attempt by authorities to reduce auto emissions and fend off growing smog.

“Certainly in China, you have people who want to have a big car because big is still what matters here,” said Klaus Paur, Shanghai-based global director of automotive research at Ipsos.

SUV sales jumped 43.5 percent in the first three months of the year, outpacing the 17.2 percent growth seen for the entire passenger vehicle segment.

In an effort to promote new-energy vehicles, the Chinese government has offered buyers incentives as high as 60,000 yuan ($9,700) while Shanghai gives up to another 40,000 yuan, the state-run China Daily has reported.

But electric and hybrid car sales were a paltry 7,200 units in the first quarter of this year, according to industry estimates.

The trend does not bode well for Beijing’s goal of seeing five million alternative-energy vehicles on the road by 2020. “Just like everywhere else in the world, China did not make any significant breakthrough” in this area, said John Zeng, head of the Asia-Pacific for LMC Automotive.

“Firstly, the infrastructure in not there, and secondly, the consumer mindset is not there.” That four in five car consumers are first-time buyers is another factor which inclines consumers toward the traditional combustion engine, Zeng said.

At a preview of the Shanghai auto show for journalists on Saturday, global carmakers unveiled SUVs and multi-purpose vehicles, among them Citroen of France, Germany’s Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes, and Japan’s Honda.

The Chinese preference for traditional cars is not promising for the several electric models from domestic and foreign carmakers which were also on display.

BYD, which once staked its future on electric cars, will launch its model next year but few visitors showed interest in the car on Saturday, an attendant said. “They are asking how much the government incentives will be,” she said.

Previous incentives to promote greener cars have not been as successful as hoped. Chinese domestic auto giant SAIC Motor launched an electric vehicle, the Roewe E50, in November, but has only sold about 200 units, said Zhu Jun, head of the company’s technical centre.

The car was originally priced at 234,900 yuan but after subsidies goes for about 130,000 yuan.

But even those incentives are not enough, said Zhu. “This is already much more expensive than a conventional car of that size.” “If the infrastructure is not building up so fast and the market demand is not reaching volume, we’ll keep low volume production until it (the market) is really mature.”

AFP

Auto makers show off vehicles in key China market

Global car makers showed off hundreds of gleaming models in glitzy demonstrations ahead of the Shanghai auto show, as they compete for attention from the world’s largest market -- China.

The rapidly growing Asian giant is crucial for foreign car makers, which now account for over half the Chinese market, as Europe battles a debt crisis and the United States struggles to put its economic recovery on a firmer footing.

“China is by far now the world’s largest market and a driving force behind global industry growth,” said General Motors Vice President for Global Manufacturing Tim Lee, ahead of the show’s official opening Sunday. GM sold 2.84 million vehicles in China last year, a record for the company, and will launch 17 new or updated models in the country this year.

The Shanghai auto show is expected to attract more than 800,000 visitors over the course of nine days and car manufacturers displayed their wares to hundreds of journalists on Saturday.

A six-foot blonde model in a silver jumpsuit on the stand of German chassis technology company ZF competed for attention with a promotional team dressed as traditional Chinese soldiers at the sprawling venue in China’s premier Pudong development zone.

China became the world’s largest auto market in 2009. Last year, its auto sales reached 19.31 million vehicles, a 4.3 percent rise from 2011, according to a Chinese industry group.

Sales growth has moderated since 2010 as China’s economy slowed and as some Chinese cities put limits on car numbers because of concerns over congestion and pollution, but the country still offers better prospects than most parts of the world.

“Certainly, we have seen more dynamic times in China,” said Dieter Zetsche, chairman of the board of management for Germany’s Daimler and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars.

“But, on the other, hand there are still many reasons to believe in decent growth (in China),” he told journalists. Japanese car makers’ sales in China have suffered since last year amid a political row over disputed islands that sparked street protests across the country and calls for boycotts.

Japan’s Nissan Motor Co, which unveiled a sporty “concept car” flanked by models in white dresses, said China remained its largest market with annual sales of around 1.2 million vehicles.

“We are confident about our prospects here and we will grow with China,” Andy Palmer, executive vice president of Nissan, told a news conference.

The rapidly growing SUV (sport utility vehicle) and premium car segments were on full display in Shanghai, as Chinese consumers look for more space and more luxury, executives said.

Mercedes-Benz launched a premium compact, the GLA, as it seeks to make it luxury cars more affordable to Chinese buyers. And Ford Motor Co., which lags its US rival GM in China, said it planned more offerings for its luxury Lincoln brand in China.

“China will be the largest luxury car market in the world, bigger than Western Europe, bigger than the US,” said James Farley, executive vice president of global marketing for Ford.

AFP

GM to launch 17 models in China this year

General Motors will launch 17 new or updated models in China this year as it seeks to maintain dominance in the world’s largest car market, the US auto giant’s China boss said. GM’s vehicle sales in China rose an annual 11.3 percent last year to a record 2.84 million, according to the company. “This year we’re going to roll out 17 new or refreshed models in China,” GM China president Bob Socia told a news briefing ahead of the weekend opening of the Shanghai auto show. GM has already launched a Cadillac luxury sedan, the XTS, in China this year as it seeks to make inroads into the luxury market.

Other models to be launched this year include updates of the Buick LaCrosse and Buick Excelle, as well as three Opel models, Socia said. China’s auto market could reach 30-35 million vehicles in the next decade on the back of steady economic growth and an expanding population, he said. “The growth in this country has just been unprecedented,” Socia said.

China’s auto sales reached 19.31 million vehicles in 2012, a 4.3 percent rise from 2011, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. But Socia said despite continued growth, competition was fierce.

“There’s lots of competition here and everyone wants a piece of this pie,” he said. “As competitive as it is, it’s probably the only market in the world that offers the types of opportunities that this market offers.” Analysts say GM is lagging in China’s luxury auto segment, which is dominated by German brands.

Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen hold a combined 80 percent share. The luxury segment is one of China’s fastest growing and most profitable, given rising incomes in the country.

“Lincoln and Cadillac have a lot of catching up to do,” said Namrita Chow, Shanghai-based senior analyst for IHS Automotive, referring to the luxury brands of Ford and GM. “They’re coming in rather late and they’ve got to start from scratch almost,” she said.

AFP

Ford launches fuel-efficient 1.5-Liter EcoBoost Engine

Ford Motor Company today announces a new 1.5-liter EcoBoost engine will join its lineup of fuel-efficient, innovative powertrains. The 1.5-liter engine is a key strategic entry for Ford, as the company works to meet strong global demand for its four-cylinder EcoBoost engines.

With the launch of this newest fuel-efficient engine, Ford now has capacity to build 1.6 million EcoBoost engines annually. By the end of 2013, six plants across Europe, Asia and North America will be producing EcoBoost engines, triple the number that were doing so in 2010.

Production of the four-cylinder 1.5-liter EcoBoost – the fifth member of the EcoBoost family – will commence initially at Ford’s world-class facility in Craiova, Romania, later this month. Other manufacturing locations will be announced in the future. The new engine will be first introduced in China in the all-new Ford Mondeo, making its public debut later this month at Auto Shanghai 2013, with applications following in the Fusion sedan in North America this year, and later the new Mondeo in Europe.

As a key contributor to Ford’s aggressive fuel economy and emissions strategy, EcoBoost technologies enable improvements to both fuel efficiency of 20 percent and emissions of up to 15 percent.

The 1.5-liter engine benefits from signature EcoBoost turbocharging, direct fuel injection and variable valve timing, and has been designed to be even more fuel efficient and offer high levels of refinement, quietness and performance.

Additionally, the newest EcoBoost engine will be a strategic entry for Ford in global markets that offer tax relief to consumers who purchase vehicles powered by engines of 1.5-liter capacity or less.

The new aluminum-block, twin-cam 1.5-liter EcoBoost engine will include some of the innovative features introduced on the award-winning 1.0-liter EcoBoost such as an integrated exhaust manifold. The new engine is expected to provide similar horsepower and torque performance to Ford’s current 1.6-liter EcoBoost, while delivering improved fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions.

The 1.5-liter EcoBoost is the first engine from Ford to incorporate a computer-controlled clutch on the belt-drive water pump, which further improves efficiencies by reducing warm-up time. A water-cooled charge air cooler is added to offer a more efficient feed of air into the engine.

“Ford EcoBoost technology has changed the way people look at gas engines and has enjoyed huge success with customers,” said Joe Bakaj, vice president, powertrain engineering for Ford. “The new 1.5-liter unit further extends our EcoBoost promise of economical driving in terms of both fuel efficiency and – in some markets – tax savings.”

AFP