There was quite a bit of good news on just-auto.com this week, mostly concerning March and first quarter sales plus various announcements of new plants or production starts.
On the sales front, new car sales in the UK in March – one of the two ‘plate change months – set a new record and there was an encouraging, heavy truck-led boost in the commercial vehicles sector as well.
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Looking at the wider European picture, we had news of western Europe sales up a healthy 10.7% last month while various records were again broken by Mercedes worldwide. Have we finally reached the light at the end of the tunnel of economic gloom?
On the Daimler plant side, the second car plant on the Beijing-Benz joint venture factory site – built to make compact cars – kicked off GLA output in China and that closely followed Job One for the M-class replacing GLE SUV at the Tuscaloosa plant in Alabama. Both moves represent significant investment, and Daimler’s confidence in Mercedes-Benz’s future, I’d suggest.
There was also the redesigned Mondeo SOP in Russia at a Ford-Sollers joint venture plant and the go-ahead by Fiat-Chrysler for its Termoli factory in Italy to make two new engines for Alfa Romeo. And, speaking of FCA, Our Man in Brazil told us Renegade output is now under way at Jeep’s first full production site outside North America, Fiat’s Pernambuco plant in the north eastern state of Goiana.
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Have a nice weekend.
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By GlobalDataGraeme Roberts, Deputy Editor, just-auto.com
