Alpine A110 to be axed?
Discussion
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/renaul...
The article on Autocar above says that Renault is considering closing the Alpine plant in Dieppe. While they do not say directly that the A110 will be terminated, is it economically sustainable to transfer its production to another plant? The report also states that only 61 A110s were sold in the month of February.
This would be a complete tragedy...
The article on Autocar above says that Renault is considering closing the Alpine plant in Dieppe. While they do not say directly that the A110 will be terminated, is it economically sustainable to transfer its production to another plant? The report also states that only 61 A110s were sold in the month of February.
This would be a complete tragedy...
Well it wouldnt be a tragedy.
It wouldnt even be a mild disappointment.
Enough cars have been produced that if you wanted one...you could buy on.
Enough cars have been produced that there will be a useful second hand market for them and support previous owners not taking a bath.
Sounds like it could be good news actually in that respect!
It wouldnt even be a mild disappointment.
Enough cars have been produced that if you wanted one...you could buy on.
Enough cars have been produced that there will be a useful second hand market for them and support previous owners not taking a bath.
Sounds like it could be good news actually in that respect!
TWPC said:
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/renaul...
The article on Autocar above says that Renault is considering closing the Alpine plant in Dieppe. While they do not say directly that the A110 will be terminated, is it economically sustainable to transfer its production to another plant? The report also states that only 61 A110s were sold in the month of February.
This would be a complete tragedy...
It doesn't come as a complete surprise, the industry is struggling and the market for Alpine is relatively small. I feel for them as they have made what everyone asks for but doesn't buy. The article on Autocar above says that Renault is considering closing the Alpine plant in Dieppe. While they do not say directly that the A110 will be terminated, is it economically sustainable to transfer its production to another plant? The report also states that only 61 A110s were sold in the month of February.
This would be a complete tragedy...
I do hope that they remain in production.
Have to wait to see what the announcement at the end of the month is.
It will be a shame but a halo product is always at risk when cost-cutting is required.
I think most people who were going to buy one did so - it was never expected to sell in huge numbers- certainly not in the UK. It will remain a rare sight on the roads which isn’t a bad thing for the owners.
I’m not sure Feb sportscar sales figures are the best indication for anything at all but that’s not to say the story has no basis.
It will be a shame but a halo product is always at risk when cost-cutting is required.
I think most people who were going to buy one did so - it was never expected to sell in huge numbers- certainly not in the UK. It will remain a rare sight on the roads which isn’t a bad thing for the owners.
I’m not sure Feb sportscar sales figures are the best indication for anything at all but that’s not to say the story has no basis.
Johnnytheboy said:
ddom said:
I feel for them as they have made what everyone asks for but doesn't buy.
Most of PH want a car like this, but at like half the price...
Being in new and used car sales, I feel for the dealers who've don't big bucks transforming their showrooms for this.
However in a positive light, looks like the Koleos is up for the chop, however I could see that coming (UK anyway) regardless of the current situation.
That is such a shame...because I was just starting to warm to the fact that these only have 2 pedals. Maybe the future is the past after all then. They make a modern day sports car that hardly anyone is interested in. It is a genuine shame though because all the reviews were very positive about it.
This is just the start.
I've been in the automotive industry for just over 25 years, and i can see very tough times ahead. Shrinking markets, ever increasing environmental pressure, realisation that we can work from home for a lot of people, and people treating cars more and more like white goods, having worked out that it really is pretty crazy spending tens of thousands of pounds on a object that is parked for 97% of it's life and looses half it's value in 3 years....
My "Crystal ball" suggests:
1) SEAT and SKODA - choose one - probably i guess SKODA wins, SEAT becomes at best a rebadge, built in the same factory
2) Vauxhall - dead (nobody wants one now, even less people want one in 5 years)
3) Renault vs Nissan - tricky one this, but expect even more platform sharing and rebadging, again, production will be centralised
4) FORD (EU) - significant restrusture and reduction in models imo - they need to get into EVs and do it fast, or they will be deader than Monty P's Parrot
5) Audi / BMW / Mercedes - tricky, all big volume players, but the market is saturated, and companies like Tesla have made massive inroads with "exciting" new tech, and companies like Hyundai/Kia massive inroads with low cost but high quality, high feature content models - I think at best we'll see a lot more platform sharing and many less models
6) JLR - one step closer to just being LR i fear. If they can't get their premium EV products to be competitive and sell enough in volume, then the LR side of the business is going to dominate when cost savings become necessary and hence the J side gets the cuts
IMO, the promise of "massive far eastern sales" the Shangri La company savour dangled repeatidly infront of board members for the last 10 or so years is gone. Locally grown content and a few massive JVs have got that market covered thanks to draconian legislation put in place to keep cash in China.
Perhaps even more serious for the myriadsof people employed, the big Teir1's and Teir2 suppliers, ie BOSCH, Denso, Valeo, GKN, AAM, Continental, JohnsonMathey etc these are going to struggle to maintain anything like the current diversity with EVs dominating. Transmission, Fuel system, Exhaust aftertreatment, Engine boosting systems, all of those soon to be completely obsolete parts. This means much, much greater competition for motors, batteries and power electronics (the heart of all EVs). Currently huge teams of people design, develop test and certifiy things like multi-speed automatice transmissions, units that sell literally 30 Million parts per annum, are going to be suddenly left looking for something else to do.
As we come out of the "Golden age of the car", ween ourselves off our heady, intoxicating but oh-so-polluting hydrocarbon habit, and perhaps even start to move away from pure consumerism, the changes are going to be absolutely enormous. It'll make the loss of our steel works, or the closure of our coal industry seem trivialby comparison...
I've been in the automotive industry for just over 25 years, and i can see very tough times ahead. Shrinking markets, ever increasing environmental pressure, realisation that we can work from home for a lot of people, and people treating cars more and more like white goods, having worked out that it really is pretty crazy spending tens of thousands of pounds on a object that is parked for 97% of it's life and looses half it's value in 3 years....
My "Crystal ball" suggests:
1) SEAT and SKODA - choose one - probably i guess SKODA wins, SEAT becomes at best a rebadge, built in the same factory
2) Vauxhall - dead (nobody wants one now, even less people want one in 5 years)
3) Renault vs Nissan - tricky one this, but expect even more platform sharing and rebadging, again, production will be centralised
4) FORD (EU) - significant restrusture and reduction in models imo - they need to get into EVs and do it fast, or they will be deader than Monty P's Parrot
5) Audi / BMW / Mercedes - tricky, all big volume players, but the market is saturated, and companies like Tesla have made massive inroads with "exciting" new tech, and companies like Hyundai/Kia massive inroads with low cost but high quality, high feature content models - I think at best we'll see a lot more platform sharing and many less models
6) JLR - one step closer to just being LR i fear. If they can't get their premium EV products to be competitive and sell enough in volume, then the LR side of the business is going to dominate when cost savings become necessary and hence the J side gets the cuts
IMO, the promise of "massive far eastern sales" the Shangri La company savour dangled repeatidly infront of board members for the last 10 or so years is gone. Locally grown content and a few massive JVs have got that market covered thanks to draconian legislation put in place to keep cash in China.
Perhaps even more serious for the myriadsof people employed, the big Teir1's and Teir2 suppliers, ie BOSCH, Denso, Valeo, GKN, AAM, Continental, JohnsonMathey etc these are going to struggle to maintain anything like the current diversity with EVs dominating. Transmission, Fuel system, Exhaust aftertreatment, Engine boosting systems, all of those soon to be completely obsolete parts. This means much, much greater competition for motors, batteries and power electronics (the heart of all EVs). Currently huge teams of people design, develop test and certifiy things like multi-speed automatice transmissions, units that sell literally 30 Million parts per annum, are going to be suddenly left looking for something else to do.
As we come out of the "Golden age of the car", ween ourselves off our heady, intoxicating but oh-so-polluting hydrocarbon habit, and perhaps even start to move away from pure consumerism, the changes are going to be absolutely enormous. It'll make the loss of our steel works, or the closure of our coal industry seem trivialby comparison...
Fittster said:
Manufactures seem to have to learn the hard way, that if you don't have the right badge you won't sell an up market product.
GM (chevrolet), Renault, Toyota, Honda have wasted a lot of development on cars people in the UK won't buy
Fortunately the UK isn't a big market compared to the rest of the worldGM (chevrolet), Renault, Toyota, Honda have wasted a lot of development on cars people in the UK won't buy
Edited by Fittster on Wednesday 20th May 13:50
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