Automotive News Europe - February 2, 2009 - 16

PAGE 16 · www.autonewseurope.com February 2 , 2009 Mitsubishi focuses on greener cars Other future product development postponed Wim Oude Weernink Automotive News Europe AMSTERDAM Mitsubishi Motors Corp. has postponed product development spending, with the exception of a push into small cars and electric vehicles, its top executive said. “We have stopped all product investments except for environmental developments. That means small cars, plug-in hybrid developments and electric car projects,” said Mitsubishi Motors CEO Osamu Masuko. “The structure of demand in the automotive industry will change, with more demand for small cars, small engines and more environmental cars,” Masuko said in an interview with Automotive News Europe. Masuko acknowledged that Mitsubishi is somewhat at cross-purposes with its product development mission, as it is well-known for its relatively thirsty four-wheel drive vehicles. Plug-in hybrids in 2013 “Our strength lies in SUVs, so we will continue to produce such vehicles,” Masuko said. “But the market now requires fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly cars. We will also focus on small cars like Colt, or on electric vehicles.” “We want to become the market leader in environmental technology. As a result, we have decided to start research for plug-in hybrid technology next to our all-electric vehicle development,” Masuko said. Masuko said Mitsubishi’s plug-in hybrid technology will arrive around 2013 in bigger cars such as the lower-medium and upper-medium segments, and in SUVs. However, Mitsubishi’s smaller green models will focus only on allelectric propulsion. Currently, there is no plan for an all-electric Colt, as Mitsubishi will put its emphasis on the i MiEV electric vehicle. Right-hand drive markets will receive the i MiEV in 2010, while lefthand drive markets such as Europe and ANE the US will get the car in 2011. Q & A: Osamu Masuko Is Mitsubishi looking for a partner? Where does Mitsubishi stand at the moment, now that your are fully independent? We do have cooperation on a project basis with Nissan, PSA/Peugeot-Citroen, Chrysler and Daimler. But we are still open for any other proposal on a project basis. Do you think that Mitsubishi Motors needs a financial alliance or do you believe that you just need industrial partnerships to survive? We are part of the Mitsubishi group, which Osamu Masuko consists of 30 compaWill a tie-up between Fiat and nies, so we can always Chrysler be harmful for your current enjoy some kind of support. We had setup with Chrysler? our experience with DaimlerI don’t think that this new alliance Chrysler, with the purpose to bebetween Chrysler and Fiat will have come bigger. But that was not the a direct impact on us, nor will it right way to survive, as you need two damage us. parties with the same philosophy. A global recession? It’s news to Maybach Rick Kranz Automotive News Europe DETROIT Despite the global economic crisis, no customers have canceled their Maybach orders. The custom hand-built models start at ¤390,201 in the German market for the Maybach 57, and can top ¤1.07 million for the 62S Landaulet, which features a soft top that rolls open for the rear-seat passengers. “There is no visible impact of the financial crisis,” said Thorsten Lenz, Maybach’s product and portfolio manager. “We have a good order base that will last for a few months.” It typically takes five to seven months to build each car after an order is placed. Maybach sold about 300 vehicles globally last year, down from about 400 in 2007, Lenz said. The assembly plant in Germany has a 2,000-unit capacity, Lenz said. The US market currently accounts for 40 to 50 percent of global sales of the Maybach. Dieter Zetsche, CEO of parent company Daimler, said last year that despite the low sales, Daimler had no plans to kill the Maybach brand, because it was not losing money. No hybrid planned Lenz would not say whether the Maybach range would be redesigned next decade. But he said the current model’s styling could be in the market for 10 years. Maybach sales began in 2003. “One of the pillars of Maybach brand perception is that it is timeless design, timeless elegance,” said Lenz, in an interview at the Detroit auto show. “That is the reason why we do not change every year, or every three or four years.” While other brands, including Mercedes-Benz, are looking into alternative powertrains, Lenz said Maybach’s customers are not demanding hybrids, for example. ANE Despite the economic crisis, customers can still afford to pay €390,201 for a Maybach ultraluxury sedan. Nissan could delay plans to build vans in Morocco Lawrence J. Speer Automotive News Europe PARIS Nissan could delay plans to build light vans in Morocco at a new assembly plant it is building with alliance partner Renault. The 200,000-unit plant near the Mediterranean city of Tangiers is scheduled to open in 2010. Renault will produce models derived from its low-cost Logan platform at the factory. Nissan plans to produce a new generation of light commercial vehicles there. A Nissan spokesman said the company is reconsidering its future plans for the light commercial vehicle segment because of the global sales slump. However, Nissan is not withdrawing from the project, the spokesman added. “We are looking into ways of optimizing investments in the utility vehicle sector,” the spokesman said, adding that the review “may mean some delays to our plans in Morocco.” Renault has the lead role in the first stage of the ¤600 million project, which targets production of 200,000 vehicles annually starting in 2010, eventually reaching 400,000 units. Nissan’s delay comes just weeks after Renault said it was freezing plans to produce cars at a joint factory with Nissan under construction in southeastern India. The ¤780 million plant near Chennai was to begin production of Renault and Nissan vehicles in May 2010, with a gradual ramping up to a capacity of 400,000 cars a year by 2015. The global slowdown and financial concerns have forced Renault to indefinitely postpone its Chennai plans, but Nissan’s production line ANE is going ahead as planned. FAW-Volkswagen suspends major expansion at Jetta plant in China Lan Lan & Steven Ribet Automotive News Europe BEIJING Due to worsening economic conditions, FAW-Volkswagen Automotive has postponed a plan to build a new 350,000-unit assembly plant in Chengdu, China. The company’s existing Chengdu plant has a capacity to build about 20,000 units of the Jetta. FAW-Volkswagen has been seeking approval from the Chinese government to build the new ¤1 billion plant, according to China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection. However, capacity at the Chengdu plant will not be increased before 2011, Winfried Vahland, CEO of Volkswagen Group China, said in an interview with Automotive News China. FAW-Volkswagen planned to put its new Chengdu plant into production in 2010, with an initial capacity of 200,000 for both the Jetta and Sagitar cars, said a supplier executive. “The automaker has postponed its original plan, due to the gloomy economic outlook in China,” he added. Vahland said there is no plan to build a second model in Chengdu. FAW-Volkswagen assembled about 14,000 units of the Jetta in Chengdu in 2008. It plans to build 18,000 Jet- China’s gloomy economic outlook has delayed plans to build more Jettas. ta cars there in 2009, according to a manager at the Chengdu plant. FAW-Volkswagen has been making the Jetta in Chengdu since 2007. ANE Bosch wants more sourcing in Asia, Americas Matthias Krust Automobilwoche STUTTGART Over the next few years, Robert Bosch intends to shift more of its purchasing and revenues, currently reliant on European suppliers, to Asia and the Americas. In 2007, the most recent year for which data is available, 69 percent of the entire Bosch group’s purchasing volume came from Europe. By 2015, Europe’s share is expected to shrink to about 55 percent. “At that point, we want to source 25 percent in the Asia/Pacific region and about 20 percent in the Americas,” a source at Bosch said. A separate breakout target for the automotive sector was not disclosed. The change is in line with the supplier’s strategic goal of deriving half of its corporate revenue from the Americas and Asia by 2015. In 2007, 65 percent of Bosch’s sales were in Europe, 18 percent in the Americas and 17 percent in Asia. Bosch ranked first on the Automotive News list of the top 100 global suppliers in 2007, with parts sales to automakers of ¤28.4 billion. Revenues in 2007 for all Bosch divisions was ¤46.3 billion. As part of its expansion outside Europe, Bosch is expanding its global compliance oversight. A new committee at its headquarters, as well as regional contacts, will track compliance with the labor standards of the International Labor Organization as well as Bosch’s general environmental requirements. ANE Renault and Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn (center) with King Mohammed VI of Morocco (left) and Prime Minister Driss Jettou meet at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Tangiers plant.

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Automotive News Europe - February 2, 2009

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