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Aston Martin plans to sell only new energy models from 2026.
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After the Spring Festival, many brands in the automotive industry ushered in the latest trends, and this wave of news is almost all under the general trend of new energy: some established car factories have begun to move closer to new energy, and more car companies are also adjusting the company structure, product line strategy and planning and even detailed design to further clear obstacles and prepare for the full embrace of new energy.
Daimler AG changed its name to Mercedes-Benz
On February 1, Daimler AG officially announced that it had renamed the group "Mercedes-Benz Group AG", the third time in the group's history.
Daimler's global scope, including wholly-owned subsidiaries, will also promote the completion of the name change, and the entire process is expected to be completed in the second half of this year.
Background: Daimler-Benz was originally formed in 1926 by the merger of Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler. The group was first renamed in 1998 when Daimler-Benz and Chrysler of the United States merged to form the company and changed its name to DaimlerChrysler AG.
In 2007, the company sold part of Chrysler to Cerberus Capital Management, which was subsequently renamed Daimler AG.
This includes the renaming of Daimler Greater China Investment Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary in China, and the renaming of Daimler Mobility AG to Mercedes-Benz Mobility AG to provide financing, leasing and insurance services for passenger cars and vans.
The name change does not include Daimler Trucks Holdings. In December last year, the company announced a spin-off from the group and listed as an independent company on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, which combined with the group name change, which was interpreted as the separation of Daimler and Mercedes-Benz – but regardless of the starting point, the spin-off of Daimler trucks has brought huge financial returns, and the renamed "Mercedes-Benz" also represents the group's focus on passenger cars.
Mercedes-Benz will then focus on Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes-Maybach, Mercedes-EQ and light commercial vehicles, according to CEO Ola K llenius, the name change is to emphasize the core of the company's development "to build the world's most popular cars", "the group hopes to achieve a leading position in the field of electric vehicles and automotive software in the future".
Aston Martin plans to sell only new energy models from 2026
According to the Financial Times reported on February 1, Aston Martin plans to sell only pure electric or hybrid models from 2026 and will phase out pure internal combustion engine vehicles.
Ultra-luxury car brands with a long history and tradition have been relatively cautious in their response to new trends, and Aston Martin's statement this time is still of indicative significance. In addition to porsche electrification, this market is making great strides, and Bentley and Lamborghini have just clarified their plans for new energy vehicles.
Further reading: According to Porsche's FY2021 data released in January this year: the Taycan, a pure tram that began in September 2019, delivered 41,296 units worldwide in FY21, more than double the previous year.
This number of deliveries even exceeded the 911, second only to Macan and Cayenne in the Porsche car range.
Lawrence Stroll, executive chairman of Aston Martin, said in an interview that "we will be fully electrified by 2026".
But it is worth noting that compared to the vast majority of car companies that have made it clear that they will say goodbye to the internal combustion engine, Aston Martin still makes reservations in this part, and the company does not set a clear time point for the elimination of the internal combustion engine, "I can't say that 100% of Aston Martin's customers want trams", "People still want that smell and noise... Therefore, you can choose a hybrid vehicle with an internal combustion engine."
In fact, this means that Aston Martin can only do 48V mix... However, according to the company's plan, Aston Martin expects to launch a hybrid model by 2024, and the first pure electric model will be launched on the market in 2025.
Rolls-Royce's first pure tram will feature the new "Goddess of Celebration" logo
On February 9, Rolls-Royce announced that its iconic "Goddess of Celebration" logo will be updated.
As early as 1911, Rolls-Royce registered the "Goddess of Celebration", but it was an option until 1939, and then appeared as a standard (and in order to solve the problem of prohibiting the front of the car logo in some countries and regions, Rolls-Royce also designed a telescopic device - which has now become standard).
The original version of the "Goddess of Celebration" reached a net height of 17.5 cm, and has since been replaced many times, and the height and width have also been adjusted, while the height of the new version of the "Goddess of Celebration" will be reduced to 8.273 cm, which can help further reduce the drag coefficient in car driving, and the flying shape of the robe will also be made more streamlined.
In addition to the reduction in height, the biggest difference this time may be the posture of the "goddess of celebration", the previous posture of two feet together will be changed to two feet standing back and forth, and the whole will be more like a "wind goddess" who gallops with the sports car.
△ The upcoming new "Celebratory Goddess"
The update "Celebratory Goddess" is also part of Rolls-Royce's electrification strategy, and the new logo will first be used on Rolls-Royce's first pure electric model, the Spectre, which is currently scheduled to be launched in Q4 2023.
Hyundai is once again entering the Japanese market
On February 8, South Korea's Hyundai Motor corporation announced its entry into the Japanese market. The company plans to accept pre-orders starting in May this year, and the company will launch the pure tram IONIQ 5 and the hydrogen-fueled NEXO model in the Japanese market.
This is Hyundai's return to the Japanese market after a 12-year hiatus. Hyundai motor previously entered Japan in 2001, but sales were poor, and then the company suspended most of its operations in Japan in 2009 (according to the data released at the press conference, there are still 600 Hyundai cars currently in flight in Japan).
According to data provided by Reuters, about 90% of the 5 million cars sold in Japan each year are Japanese brands, of which Toyota accounts for about 40% of the shares, which puts great pressure on foreign brands.
However, in recent years, the demand for electric vehicles in the Japanese market has increased, which has given Tesla and other brands new opportunities, in 2021 Japan sold about 20,000 electric vehicles, during the same period Japan imported a total of 8610 electric vehicles, an increase of nearly 3 times over the previous year.
"Dongfeng Yueda Kia" became "Yueda Kia"
On February 7, Kia Corporation signed an expansion investment agreement with Jiangsu Yancheng People's Government and Jiangsu Yueda Group. Under the agreement, a new joint venture will be announced in April this year, and the new company will increase its capital by $900 million to focus on the development of new energy vehicles.
This signing means that the Dongfeng Motor Group in the previous "Dongfeng Yueda Kia" has withdrawn from the cooperation - in the previous tripartite cooperation, Kia held 50% of the shares, Dongfeng and Yueda each held 25%, and in December last year, Dongfeng Motor Group listed its own equity transfer, and in January this year, Yueda announced that it took over the 25% equity (Yueda is also the only bidder), and the three-party joint venture has since been converted into two shares.
△ Kia EV6
According to the plan announced at the press conference, the adjusted company will be integrated into Kia Motors' global management system, and the new joint venture will focus on promoting the introduction of global strategic models and new energy vehicles, including the plan to introduce EV6 in 2023, maintain one new fuel vehicle and electric vehicle per year from this year, and the company will form a product matrix of six pure electric models by 2027.
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