Tag Archives: Volkswagen

News

Renault will shut down some production lines in Russia

The current situation caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has created not only a security and political crisis, but also an economic one. Affected by the restrictions of Western countries, many companies that have plants in Russia have found themselves in a difficult situation. One of them is Renault, which announced that some production lines in AvtoVAZ will have to be shut down.

Renault will shut down some production lines in Russia
Photo: Renault Group

AvtoVAZ is part of Lada Auto Holding, which also manages a number of factories, with Renault being the majority owner with a 67.61% stake. Russia is Renault’s second largest market, just behind France. “Interruptions are caused by more rigorous border controls and the need to change logistics routes,” their official statement said. Interestingly, they did not state that the decision has anything to do with the invasion.

Renault is not the only carmaker to have invested in Russia. There are also Volkswagen and Stellantis. Volkswagen said that due to delays in the delivery of parts from Ukraine, the company was forced to stop production at two factories. Stellantis did not make any statements regarding the current situation.

Some companies have opted for drastic measures, such as Finnish tire manufacturer Nokian Tyres, which has said it will relocate its production of key product lines to its homeland.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21aLDfPVYRo

Russia is also a producer of several essential metals for the auto industry, such as palladium (38%), aluminum (6%), and rhodium (the second largest producer in the world).

Source: Reuters / Renault Group

News

The Lamborghini Aventador will be produced one more time

The fire, which recently destroyed 3,965 cars transported by the cargo ship Felicity Ace to the United States, caused major problems for carmakers whose models were on the ship. As we announced earlier, there were 1,100 Porsches, 189 Bentleys on board, but also an unknown number of Volkswagen, Audi and Lamborghini models.

The Lamborghini Aventador will be produced one more time

It is Lamborghini that has the biggest problem, as the ship was carrying the latest examples of the Aventador, which Lamborghini recently stopped producing. According to the latest information, there are great chances that the line will start again and produce an unknown number of Aventador.

Lamborghini CEO in America, Andrea Baldi, told Automotive News that he still does not know the consequences of the fire when it comes to Lamborghini. The company hopes that at least some Aventador models have survived, and that it is possible to restore them. If this is not the case, they will have to produce new ones.

“The car is sold out, but there is a possibility that out of 563 examples, some cancellation will enable the replacement of the Aventador, but I hope that at least some Aventadors on board remained safe. We will notify our clients as soon as we receive a complete picture of the damage. We hope for the best, and we are ready to face the worst, “Baldi said.

It is estimated that owners will have to wait at least six months for their Lamborghini Aventador cars.

Source: Automotive News

News

All 3,965 cars on the Felicity Ace cargo ship were destroyed

As we announced a few days ago, all 3,965 cars on the Felicity Ace cargo ship were destroyed. The ship carried 1,100 Porsches, 189 Bentleys, while the rest consisted of Volkswagen, Audi and Lamborghini, including electric models. The Portuguese Coast Guard managed to save the crew, while the ship was left on fire.

It is not known what caused the fire, but Lithium-ion batteries in electric cars have contributed to its rapid spread to fuel tanks. According to Captain João Mendes Cabeças: “The fire has decreased because there is little fuel left on the ship.” This made it clear that all the cars had burned down. He also said that special equipment was needed to put out such a fire, and even then, putting out the fire would be more difficult.

When it comes to the value of the damage, economist Patrick Anderson assumes that 75% of cars were destroyed. In his calculations, he calculates an individual value of $ 95,000 per car. This brings the total value of the destroyed cars to $ 376,675,000. Initially, he estimated that the damage could be around $ 255 million, not knowing that all the cars were destroyed.

The estimated damage applies only to cars and not to damage caused to the ship or the environment.

Source: Bloomberg