Latest news with #SUVs
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
The changing landscape of European bodystyles
The simultaneous rise of SUVs and decline of Hatchbacks indicates that consumers are increasingly favoring vehicles that provide more space and versatility. According to GlobalData's bodystyle analysis, SUVs are estimated to account for 58% of Passenger Vehicles (PVs) in Western Europe by the end of 2025, up from 37% in 2020. This shift in consumer preference has allowed the SUV segment to gain market share at the expense of Conventional Vehicles, including Hatchbacks, Sedans, and MPVs. In 2020, Hatchbacks were still the most popular bodystyle in Western Europe, holding a 40% market share. However, in 2021, SUVs overtook Hatchbacks to claim the largest share, marking an important shift in the composition of the regional market. Supply chain crises, cost pressures associated with electrification, and evolving consumer preferences have compelled manufacturers to adapt their offerings, with less profitable Small Cars—particularly Hatchbacks—caught in the crossfire. Pandemic-induced supply issues forced automakers to prioritize higher-margin vehicles, which expedited the decline in sales of smaller Hatchback models. By the end of 2025, Hatchbacks are projected to fall to a market share of just 26%, with a further decline to 24% expected by 2030. However, the fact that they remain a key entry-level option should prevent their market share from dropping to the lows seen for other affected bodystyles, such as MPVs. The emergence of Chinese automakers highlights the importance of SUVs in the European market. According to GlobalData's brand origin data, SUVs are expected to comprise over 70% of Chinese brand sales in Western Europe this year. Partly thanks to their economies of scale and government support, these manufacturers are now effectively competing worldwide. However, our forecast reveals a contrasting scenario in China, where only 52% of sales from domestic manufacturers will be accounted for by SUVs. This underscores the stronger European preference for SUVs, prompting Chinese manufacturers to strategically focus their efforts on this segment. Another segment that is projected to grow in the coming years is the Sedan bodystyle, which is set to be better supported by the market's shift toward Electric Vehicles (EVs), potentially due to their weight and aerodynamic advantages. Additionally, Sedans are typically designed with an emphasis on ride comfort, making them an appealing choice for many customers. Kia and Lexus are both scheduled to launch Midsize electric Sedans in 2027, while Audi is expected to launch an electric successor to the A3 in both Sedan and Hatchback variations. SUVs are already dominant in the Premium market, limiting the potential for growth through 2030. Nonetheless, our forecast anticipates that this bodystyle will expand from 43% in 2020 to 64%. Meanwhile, Hatchbacks such as the A-class and A1 are expected to be discontinued and the loss of these volume models will put downward pressure on the bodystyle's market share. However, several automakers are streamlining their production efforts to focus on more profitable models as a result. For example, Volvo is continuing to add a range of electric SUVs to its line-up. The EX30 and EX90 were introduced in 2023 and 2024, respectively, while production of the EX60 is expected to commence in 2026. In the Non-Premium segment, SUVs are estimated to expand from 35% in 2020 to 61% in 2030, with many brands adding several electric SUVs across the forecast horizon. For example, Honda Group is set to roll out the 0 SUV, while Toyota Group is scheduled to launch a Large electric SUV in 2028. In addition, Volkswagen Group is also ramping up to establish a significant presence in the SUV segment, with plans to introduce a series of models across Europe. Notable releases include the ID.2, expected in Q4 2025, along with the Skoda Epiq in 2026, and the electric T-Roc in 2029. Expected to fare better than Hatchbacks are Sedans and Wagons, which will likely be more resistant to losing market share. In Germany, the share of Wagons is particularly robust, with the bodystyle holding 16% of the country's PV market in 2024. Although their popularity has faded over the years, they remain a practical and fuel-efficient alternative to SUVs. In summary, the transition to SUVs is primarily driven by evolving consumer preferences, profitability considerations, and strategic responses to market trends and supply chain dynamics. While Hatchbacks and smaller vehicles face a challenging road ahead, the resilience of Sedans and Wagons suggests that there is still room for diversity in the market. The rise of electric SUVs and the entry of new players, particularly from China, will continue to reshape the competitive landscape, forcing established automakers to innovate and adapt. Georgia Lakey, Research Assistant, Research and Analysis This article was first published on GlobalData's dedicated research platform, the . "The changing landscape of European bodystyles" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. 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Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
UK motorists call for SUV regulations amid safety concerns
A recent survey by Startline Used Car Tracker has indicated that more than one-third of UK drivers think the number of SUVs on the road is excessive. The July report reveals that 35% of respondents call for new rules to ensure safer SUV designs while 18% believe the automotive sector should prioritise promoting alternatives to SUVs. Furthermore, 21% support increased taxation on SUVs due to their potential safety hazards, 19% propose limiting their use in areas with high pedestrian traffic, and 10% perceive SUV drivers as less cautious compared to those driving other vehicles. Conversely, 32% argue that individuals should have the right to choose their preferred vehicle, including SUVs. This survey was prompted by research showing a 44% greater risk of fatality for adults and an 82% greater risk for children when hit by an SUV compared to a conventional car. Startline Motor Finance CEO Paul Burgess said: 'SUVs have become the usual choice for most drivers in the UK who tend to like their higher seating position, adaptability for family life, and their go-anywhere image. 'However, our research shows there is a significant minority of people who are concerned about the increased safety risks that they bring, especially when it comes to pedestrians surviving impacts. 'It would probably be premature to say that there is a backlash against SUVs, but there's clearly a high degree of unease about how common they have become on our roads.' Earlier this month, July's Startline Used Car Tracker revealed that 34% wouldn't feel safe riding in a driverless car, and 26% feel they will never be as safe as a human driver. According to the findings, 49% agree with a recent government decision to delay trials until 2027, and 29% feel it is also too early. "UK motorists call for SUV regulations amid safety concerns" was originally created and published by Motor Finance Online, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
Time of India
17-07-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Uber and Lucid team up to launch Robotaxis — 20,000 driverless cars to hit US, set to take on Tesla and Waymo in 2025
Uber is going all-in on the future of autonomous vehicles as it revealed a new robotaxi initiative with EV manufacturer Lucid and autonomous software company Nuro, as per a report. Following the announcement, Lucid Group Inc's stock rose more than 29%, according to a CNBC report. Uber Unveils Major Robotaxi Partnership with Lucid and Nuro Under the 'next-generation premium global robotaxi program', the companies aim to introduce more than 20,000 robotaxis in the next six years, all exclusively on Uber's platform, as reported by Yahoo Finance. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Select a Course Category healthcare Design Thinking Operations Management Data Science Data Science Data Analytics Others Finance CXO Product Management MCA Healthcare others Leadership Cybersecurity Public Policy Digital Marketing Project Management PGDM Artificial Intelligence Technology Degree Management MBA Skills you'll gain: Duration: 11 Months IIM Lucknow CERT-IIML Healthcare Management India Starts on undefined Get Details This comes after Lucid, the California-based company, posted a strong second quarter of deliveries, with the new Lucid Gravity SUV arriving in showrooms, and its goal to deliver 20,000 Air sedans and Gravity SUVs in 2025, reported Yahoo Finance. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Navsari: 1 Trick to Reduce Belly Fat? Home Fitness Hack Shop Now Undo ALSO READ: Dream Job? Elon Musk's xAI offers up to $440,000 for engineers who can make anime girl avatars Robotaxi Launch Set for a Major US City Soon This is a major deal for Uber, which retreated from robotaxi initiatives after a fatal crash in 2018, according to the report. With Lucid's Gravity SUV and Nuro, which is backed by Google and the SoftBank Vision Fund, providing its Driver Level 4 autonomous software on Uber's platform and fleet management systems, the robotaxis could be in a major US city as early as next year, according to the Yahoo Finance report. Live Events Uber to Invest Hundreds of Millions in Lucid and Nuro For the new robotaxi program, the ride-hailing company revealed that it will invest $300 million in Lucid and a similar 'multi-hundred-million dollar" investment in Nuro, according to the report. ALSO READ: $14 billion Meta deal, then massive layoffs? Scale AI cuts 200 roles, 14% of its workforce in stunning move Lucid Robotaxi Prototype Undergoing Testing in Las Vegas A Lucid robotaxi prototype using Nuro software is currently being tested at Nuro's Las Vegas proving grounds, as reported by Yahoo Finance. The startup raised $106 million in a funding round from T. Rowe Price, Fidelity, Tiger Global and Greylock, in April, as reported by CNBC. Global Vision for Autonomous Ride-Hailing Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said, 'We're thrilled to partner with Nuro and Lucid on this new robotaxi program, purpose-built just for the Uber platform, to safely bring the magic of autonomous driving to more people across the world,' as quoted by Yahoo Finance. While Lucid interim CEO Marc Winterhoff said that, 'This investment from Uber further validates Lucid's fully redundant zonal architecture and highly capable platform as ideal for autonomous vehicles,' and added that, 'This is the start of our path to extend our innovation and technology leadership into this multi-trillion-dollar market,' as quoted in the report. Uber's Broader Strategy: Compete With Waymo and Tesla The latest Uber-Lucid-Nuro robotaxi program is the newest bet on robotaxi services in the United States, and comes after Waymo's leadership in the space as the only true operator, as per Yahoo Finance. While Uber has also partnered with Alphabet's Waymo in deployments in Austin and Atlanta, Yahoo Finance reported. Meanwhile, even Tesla expanded its robotaxi testing in Austin, with Tesla CEO Elon Musk saying that the EV giant would expand testing to the San Francisco Bay Area, but reportedly the applications for those state permits have not been submitted, according to the report. FAQs How much is Uber investing? Uber is investing $300 million in Lucid, and another multi-hundred million in Nuro. How does this compare to Waymo and Tesla? Waymo is already operating robotaxis in some cities. Tesla is testing its own version but hasn't gotten full permits yet.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Will Tariffs Bring Volvo's Popular SUVs to American Factories?
Will Tariffs Bring Volvo's Popular SUVs to American Factories? originally appeared on Autoblog. Your next Volvo might be made in the USA According to a new report by Automotive News, Swedish automotive powerhouse Volvo may be considering shifting production of two of its most popular models to its U.S. production facilities to mitigate the most severe effects of President Trump's tariffs on its imported models. Two people familiar with the plan told AutoNews that the Swedes plan to build two of their popular crossovers, the midsize XC60 and the full-size XC90, at their factory outside of Charleston, in Ridgeville, South Carolina. They state that production of the smaller XC60 would commence first in January 2027, with the larger XC90 to follow in October 2028. View the 2 images of this gallery on the original article According to one of the sources who spoke with AutoNews, Volvo expects to build about 60,000 XC60s and 50,000 XC90s annually in the U.S., which would take advantage of the factory's 150,000-vehicle capacity. Currently, the brand makes just two cars at the South Carolina factory: Volvo's own EX90 electric full-size SUV and the Polestar 3 for its sister EV brand. June 2025 Volvo Car USA sales numbers reveal that the two bestselling Volvo vehicles in the States are the cars that are alleged to be localized. In the first half of the year, Volvo sold 21,907 units of the mid-size XC60 and 19,748 units of the full-size XC90. In total, the two crossover SUVs made up a whopping 64% of the 64,680 cars it moved in the U.S. through June. Volvo is currently shuffling its cards The news of the alleged plans comes amid the news of some significant financial speed bumps for the Swedes. According to a July 14th report by Bloomberg, Volvo's car division is taking an impairment charge (a Wall Street and accounting term used to describe the diminishing in quality, strength, amount, or value of an asset) of 11.4 billion Swedish kronor (~$1.2 billion) due to delays to some of its electric models and the escalating cost of tariffs. Specifically, Volvo is pinning the charges on hiccups related to the electric EX90 SUV and its electric sedan counterpart, the ES90. In a statement, they note that increased development costs have cut into potential profits from the EX90. Additionally, Volvo has raised concerns that tariffs have made the ES90 unfeasible for sale in the U.S. and threaten any EU sales profits. 'Given market developments such as import tariffs in the US, development and launch delays for the EX90, and strategic investment prioritizations, we have reassessed volume assumptions for these two cars. This has resulted in a lower than planned lifecycle profitability,' Volvo Cars CFO Fredrik Hansson said in a statement. Recently, Volvo Cars CEO Hakan Samuelsson shared that the company would be taking a page from Nissan's book and starting its own austerity program, aiming to save over 18 billion kronor (about $1.85 billion). Part of this plan includes cutting 7% of the global workforce, which means around 3,000 jobs. These changes come after Volvo saw a 60% drop in operating income for the first quarter, and they're meant to help steady the company as it deals with tougher trade tariffs and slowing demand for EVs. However, since rejoining the company on April 1, Samuelsson has hinted at significant plans for the South Carolina factory, stating in a May Bloomberg interview that the company wants to "bring in something rather fast, and something selling in good numbers," adding that "something midsize core is a good guess. Additionally, the Volvo CEO has publicly expressed that he sees the situation with Trump's tariffs as an opportunity to boost and localize U.S. production. During Volvo's annual general meeting on April 3, Samuelsson told shareholders that globalization is being "dismantled," adding that they need to 'learn from the Chinese how to localize." 'To get around these high 25 percent import tariffs, we need to look at localizing more, increasing the volumes in the factory, and getting the volumes up to get the cost down,' he said. Final thoughts Volvo is not alone in its resilience against the current tariff agenda set by the administration. However, the company has faced some unfortunate decisions in the past regarding its South Carolina plant. For example, the factory opened in 2018 to produce the S60 sedan, just as the sedan market began to shift toward crossover SUVs. Last year, Volvo started assembling the EX90 SUV at this plant and later introduced the Polestar 3, but demand for electric vehicles (EVs) has since slowed down. However, Volvo CEO Samuelsson seems committed to revitalizing Volvo after a period of unstable leadership. Although he is determined to increase American production of high-volume models amidst challenging trade discussions between nearly every nation, any decisions about the company's future must be carefully calculated. Will Tariffs Bring Volvo's Popular SUVs to American Factories? first appeared on Autoblog on Jul 15, 2025 This story was originally reported by Autoblog on Jul 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
CBS News
15-07-2025
- Automotive
- CBS News
GM to produce Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra at Michigan's Orion Assembly plant
General Motors announced that three of its SUVs and pickup trucks will be built at Michigan's Orion Assembly plant. In a statement on Tuesday, July 15, the automaker confirmed that production of the Cadillac Escalade, the Chevy Silverado and the GMC Sierra will begin at the plant in early 2027 "to meet continued strong customer demand." "GM is proud to call Michigan home, and these moves will further strengthen our manufacturing footprint," the company said. The announcement comes a month after GM said it would invest $4 billion into three facilities, including Orion Assembly. At the time, the automaker said the facility would "begin production of gas-powered full-size SUVs and light-duty pickup trucks," but waited a month after to name the vehicles that would be built. The $4 billion investment also includes expansion of the Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas City, Kansas, and Spring Hill Manufacturing in Spring Hill, Tennessee. GM says the investment will allow the automaker to produce more than 2 million vehicles annually in the U.S. "We believe the future of transportation will be driven by American innovation and manufacturing expertise," GM CEO Mary Barra said in June. "Today's (June 10) announcement demonstrates our ongoing commitment to build vehicles in the U.S and to support American jobs. We're focused on giving customers choice and offering a broad range of vehicles they love." Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer released a statement on Tuesday, saying, "GM and Michigan have a long, rich history. Today's product announcement in Lake Orion will bring production of some of GM's most popular and profitable vehicles, a sign of the long-term viability of this investment in Michigan. This is just the latest example of the progress we are making to create good-paying union auto jobs and grow the economy. The governor added, "We don't care what you drive—gas, diesel, hybrid, or electric—as long as it's made in Michigan. Together, let's keep bringing manufacturing home, growing the middle class, and making more stuff in Michigan." Note: The video above previously aired on June 11, 2025.
