According to foreign media reports, on April 22, local time, Daimler announced its preliminary financial results for the first quarter of 2020. The company said that it expects its revenue to drop by 70% in the first quarter, and the free cash flow of the automobile sector will drop, which has led to a sharp drop in automobile demand due to the Covid-19 epidemic.
Specifically, the adjusted profit before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBIT) of Daimler Group in the first quarter reached 70.1900 million euros (US$ 777 million), down 68.9% compared with the same period last year. Among them, the adjusted EBIT of Mercedes-Benz automobile and truck department is 603 million euros. The adjusted free cash flow of the group is negative1900 million euros. The company also expects that its total sales and revenue in 2020 will be lower than last year.
(Source: Mercedes-Benz official website)
In order to curb the spread of the epidemic, governments around the world have imposed strict restrictions on business activities and the flow of people, which has severely hit the global automobile sales and production. The profit warning issued by Daimler further proves the economic losses caused by the epidemic to the automobile market.
Earlier this month, Daimler's competitor BMW Group announced a 20.6% decline in sales in the first quarter, and predicted that global automobile demand would further decline. Ford Motor Company also expects a loss of $2 billion in the first quarter, and the company has to raise $8 billion from corporate bond investors to replenish its cash reserves.
According to data from the European Association of Automobile Manufacturers and Traders (ACEA), the total sales of passenger cars in major European markets dropped by more than 50% last month, with the largest drop in Italy, accounting for 85.4%. At present, Mercedes-Benz's factory in Batkanstadt, Stuttgart, Germany is increasing engine output. The company is using its experience and lessons of resuming production in China to gradually restart its factories in continental Europe. (Source: Geshi Automobile? Zhan Yae)
2, Shanghai car subsidy policy released: buy a "national six" new car? Subsidize the charging cost of new energy vehicles!
Today, Shanghai issued a notice clearly stating that it will release the potential of automobile consumption and carry out policy promotion from the aspects of replacement, use of new energy vehicles and the number of license plate indicators.
First of all, we will promote the scrapping and updating of old cars in an orderly manner, and give certain subsidies to consumers who transfer or scrap cars with emission standards of "National Four" and below before the end of 2020, and at the same time, automobile sales companies registered in this city will buy new cars with emission standards of "National Six" that meet the requirements.
Secondly, consumers are encouraged to use new energy vehicles, and certain subsidies will be given to the charging costs incurred in the use of vehicles when consumers buy pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles from automobile sales companies registered in this city before the end of 2020.
In addition, the number of non-operating bus licenses in the central city will be appropriately increased (according to another news, 40,000 non-operating bus licenses will be added in the central city this year). Encourage auto sales enterprises in Shanghai to actively make profits. Increase efforts to replace fuel vehicles with new energy vehicles in public transportation, rental and other fields. For replacing fuel vehicles with new energy vehicles, consumers are allowed to continue to retain the fuel vehicle quota.
In addition, in the environment of car use, Shanghai has put forward policies such as adding temporary parking lots on roads at night and expanding parking resources at night in the innovation and development of night economy. (Source: Zhou Zhou Shanghai)
3, Gao Mengxiong joined FF? Head of CMO and business development in China.
Recently, Gai Shi Automobile learned from FF(FaradayFuture) China Company that Mr. Gao Mengxiong, a senior marketing expert of luxury car brands and who led Maserati China to create brand and sales miracles, officially joined FF as the head of CMO and business development of FF China. Development), responsible for the whole process business landing of UP2U in China, as well as the joint venture company and B2B business development.
Gao mengxiong
It is reported that Gao Mengxiong holds a bachelor's degree in automotive engineering from Tsinghua University, a master's degree in marine engineering from Royal Norwegian Institute of Technology, and an EMBA from China Europe International Business School. He has more than 20 years' experience in the automotive marketing industry and has served Volvo, GM, Ford and Maserati successively.
In Gao Mengxiong's automobile industry experience, it is worth noting that in 2007, Gao Mengxiong joined the Italian ultra-luxury automobile brand Maserati, and was fully responsible for product introduction, channel construction and sales. During its tenure at 10, Maserati has grown from a niche ultra-luxury brand with annual sales of more than 100 to a first-line ultra-luxury brand with annual sales of over15,000 in 20 16. Among them, Gao Mengxiong, as the person in charge of sales, has made great contributions.
After 20 17 years, Gao Mengxiong, who has been deeply involved in the traditional luxury car field, has also been involved in the wave of "four modernizations" of automobiles. He has successively joined the smart internet electric car brands FF Automobile and Baiteng Automobile as sales leaders, actively participated in and dared to try various innovative brand promotion and channel sales concepts.
The relevant person in charge of FF China said that Gao Mengxiong's joining will undoubtedly promote the brand operation of FF and the landing of FF China, which is another good news for FF in the near future.
Although FF company caused FF due to financial problems? The 9 1 product has not been mass-produced, but in the past six months, it has attracted top talents such as Bi Fukang, the former father of BMW i8, Benedict, the former vice president of global supply chain of BMW Brilliance, and Bob, CTO of Qoros Automobile and Karma Automobile, which also proves FF's leading position in products and technologies in the field of intelligent internet electric vehicles.
At the same time, FF Company began to implement the partnership system last year, and handed over the top management right of the company to the "Partner Committee". These partners come from inside and outside the company. Internally, they select excellent employees from all levels or reserve talents with high potential that have been continuously cultivated. Externally, they attract top talents from outside to join them, changing the identity of professional managers and making them truly the masters of the company. At present, the FF global partner team has 26 members, some of whom come from the world's top technology companies, internet companies and automobile companies, while others have followed Jia Yueting in the Internet field for many years. A few days ago, these global partners also jointly sent a letter to the creditors in Jia Yueting, imploring them to vote in favor and make FF.
According to media reports, recently, the Treasury Department of the US federal government has allocated 9160,000 US dollars in cash to help FF in financial difficulties, and this news has also been confirmed by FF. Insiders pointed out that the arrival of this aid is a great benefit to FF, which is in the process of financing, and it will also be significantly beneficial to the personal bankruptcy reorganization of Jia Yueting, the founder of FF Company. It is reported that Jia Yueting's personal bankruptcy reorganization plan is currently in a critical voting stage, and the creditors' voting is expected to be completed by the end of April. (Source: Geshi Automobile? Xin Wen)
4. The epidemic caused half of Jaguar Land Rover employees to take unpaid leave.
According to foreign media reports, about 20,000 Jaguar Land Rover employees have started unpaid leave due to the epidemic, and the employees on leave account for half of the company's total employees. Jaguar Land Rover employs about 40,000 employees worldwide, most of whom are located in Fort Bromage in Solihull, England, Gaden in Warwickshire, whitley in Coventry and Halliwood in Merseyside.
(Source: Jaguar official website)
Last month, due to the epidemic, all production work of Jaguar Land Rover has been suspended. The company revealed that in the next three months, the salary of its senior management members will also be delayed. Ralf, CEO of the company? Speth will accept a salary cut of 30%, members of the management committee will receive a salary cut of 20%, and the senior management team will receive a salary cut of 10%. The company said that it will "reissue" the wages of all employees on unpaid leave (employees in non-key positions) to ensure that they can get the basic salary of 100% in April this year.
Jaguar Land Rover said that the company will continue to pay attention to the development of the epidemic and follow the government's guidance. A spokesman for the company said: "Due to the shutdown of the British factory, we are participating in the government's' job retention plan during the epidemic'. In view of the unprecedented situation, all employees in non-key positions of the company have started unpaid leave during the production suspension period. "
In February this year, Jaguar Land Rover said that due to the impact of the China epidemic on its supply chain, the company had flown parts to the UK.
Last week, the company said that it had made hundreds of protective masks using 3D printers at its Warwickshire factory and provided them to front-line staff of the National Health Service (NHS). (Source: Geshi Automobile? Nebula)
5. The epidemic caused the Toyota South Africa factory to reduce production 15% to 20%? Japan cut production by 50% in May.
According to foreign media reports, on April 22, President and CEO of Toyota South Africa Branch? Andrew? Kirby said that in 2020, the output of Toyota's South Africa plant may decrease 15% to 20%. South Africa's automobile industry is the most developed in the African continent, but because the local new car market is small, the country's automobile industry relies heavily on global demand.
(Source: Toyota official website)
Toyota South Africa's annual output ranges from135,000 to 150,000. Kirby said that its orders for export to Europe (its largest market) have decreased by about 15%, while those for Africa have also decreased by 10%, but Kirby expects that African orders will increase.
When asked about the impact of the epidemic on the company's output in 2020, Kirby said: "I think, in general, there will be a decline of 15% to 20% this year." In addition, he also said that the sales of new cars in South Africa have also decreased.
Kirby revealed that in the past five weeks, due to the blockade of South Africa, Toyota South Africa Branch has lost about 1.35 million vehicles. Leon, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing of Toyota South Africa Branch? Theron said that in April this year, South Africa's new car sales were "basically zero", and he pointed out that South Africa's new car sales are expected to drop by 16% at the highest this year.
South Africa regards the automobile industry as its most important manufacturing industry. The country originally planned to launch a development plan for 2035 in 2002 1 year1month, which aims to double the output and create more jobs by 2035. Kirby said that the industry is now discussing delaying the implementation of this plan to July 20021year.
In addition, according to Japanese media reports, Toyota's domestic production in Japan next month will be cut by about half compared with the plan at the end of March because the epidemic has curbed the global demand for automobiles. Toyota said that it would suspend the production of its 18 Japanese factories. Since then, Toyota has been finalizing the specific number of factories that will be discontinued.
A source inside Toyota said: "The lack of prospects for recovery in the North American market is the main reason for Toyota's production reduction in Japan." In the first half of April, Toyota closed seven production lines in five Japanese factories, which will lead to a 20% decrease in April output compared with the plan at the end of March. It is reported that Toyota's expanded production reduction plan is mainly aimed at models for export to overseas markets.
Toyota plans to cut production by about 40% in June this year. After that, the company may find it difficult to maintain the annual production of at least 3 million vehicles in Japan, which is the minimum requirement for Toyota to maintain its manufacturing capacity and the number of jobs. In addition to Toyota itself, its parts suppliers will also be affected. (Source: Geshi Automobile? Nebula)
6. Guoxuan Hi-Tech: No proposal for Volkswagen's shareholding has been received.
In response to the news that Volkswagen has invested in Guoxuan Hi-Tech recently, Guoxuan Hi-Tech officially said that the board of directors of the company has not received any proposals related to the above-mentioned media reports, nor has it considered any proposals related to the above-mentioned media reports.
On April 20th, some media released "Spreading Volkswagen's 5.2 billion shares in Guoxuan Hi-Tech! The report that the future will be controlled? It is said that Volkswagen will become the largest shareholder of Guoxuan Hi-Tech through the private placement of no more than 30% of the shares and the transfer of part of the shares by agreement, and will further become its controlling shareholder in the next three years. According to the report, Volkswagen's acquisition of the equity of Guoxuan Hi-Tech has been approved by the board of directors, and it will acquire 30% of the shares of Guoxuan Hi-Tech, worth 740 million US dollars (about 5.24 billion yuan). On April 2 1 day, the management department of small and medium-sized board company of Shenzhen Stock Exchange sent a letter of concern, asking whether the report was true.
Guoxuan Hi-Tech said that as of April 22, it had discussed with Volkswagen about possible future strategic cooperation in technology, products and capital, and the two sides had not yet reached an agreement on specific cooperation methods, contents and prices. Nor has it signed or reached any substantive binding agreement, commitment or other arrangement on related cooperation matters. Guoxuan Hi-Tech also said that there is great uncertainty whether and when the two sides can reach an agreement on strategic cooperation in technology, products and capital in the future. (Source: Sina Auto)
7. The Ministry of Finance and other three departments: the purchase of new energy vehicles will continue to be exempted from vehicle purchase tax in the next two years.
Recently, Sina Auto learned from the Ministry of Finance that in order to support the development of new energy automobile industry and promote automobile consumption, the Ministry of Finance, the State Administration of Taxation and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued an announcement, from 202 1 year 1 month 1 day to 20221February 3 1 day. New energy vehicles exempt from vehicle purchase tax refer to pure electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles (including extended-range vehicles) and fuel cell vehicles.
New energy vehicles exempted from vehicle purchase tax shall be managed through the Catalogue of New Energy Vehicles Exempted from Vehicle Purchase Tax (hereinafter referred to as the Catalogue) issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the State Administration of Taxation. Since the publication of the Catalogue, the purchase of new energy vehicles listed in the Catalogue shall be exempted from vehicle purchase tax; The purchase time is the date indicated on the unified invoice (or valid certificate) for motor vehicle sales.
For new energy vehicles that have been listed in the Catalogue, new energy vehicle manufacturers or dealers of imported new energy vehicles (hereinafter referred to as automobile enterprises) shall mark "Yes" (namely, the tax-free mark) in the field of "Whether it meets the conditions for exemption from vehicle purchase tax" when uploading the Certificate of Ex-factory Completion of Motor Vehicles or the Electronic Information Sheet of Imported Motor Vehicles (hereinafter referred to as vehicle electronic information). The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology examines the tax-free marks in the electronic information of vehicles uploaded by automobile enterprises, and transmits the examined information to the State Administration of Taxation. The tax authorities shall go through the formalities for tax exemption of vehicle purchase tax according to the tax exemption mark audited by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the unified sales invoice (or valid certificate) of motor vehicles.
It is understood that this announcement will come into force on 202 1 year 1 month 1 day. 20201February 3 1 The policy of exempting new energy vehicles from vehicle purchase tax that has been listed in the Catalogue a few days ago will continue to be effective. (Source: Sina Auto)
8. Volvo cuts R&D expenses? But the budget of electric vehicles will remain unchanged.
According to foreign media reports, the economic downturn caused by the novel coronavirus epidemic is causing automakers to postpone the release of new cars and cut back on R&D projects. Hanken samuelson, CEO of Volvo, said recently that although the company is also looking for ways to cut its budget, it will not adjust the budget related to electric vehicles and autonomous driving technology.
In an interview with European Automotive News, samuelson said bluntly, "There are many projects in the R&D department, but Volvo must comprehensively weigh them, and electrification, autonomous driving and future technology development are the priority objects. The budgets of these projects will not be affected, because any change may endanger our strategy. "
Volvo plans to launch an all-electric vehicle every year for the next five years, and hopes that 50% of global sales will come from all-electric vehicles by 2025. Samuelson previously said: "Volvo is determined to become the first high-end automobile manufacturer in the world to electrify all its product lineup, which is Volvo's clear commitment to reducing carbon emissions to improve urban air quality."
Samuelson further revealed that Volvo's usual mid-term design update for existing models may be cut, and the company needs to reduce its cash consumption.
Market research company IHS? Markit surveyed 140 suppliers and automobile manufacturers in Europe, North America and Asia, and 28% of the respondents indicated that their revenues in the next 12 months were expected to be affected by the epidemic. Many enterprises indicated that their projects in the initial stage would be delayed for more than one year.
The delay in the project has hit electric vehicle startups particularly hard. Rivian may postpone the time to market of all-electric pickup trucks to 202 1 the beginning of the year; Batten 2 1 just announced temporary layoffs, which will adversely affect the company's product plan.
But Volvo continues to promote electric vehicles. In Europe, automakers are working hard to meet the EU's carbon dioxide emission targets, and the company will use "Care? By? Volvo?” Subscribe to the plan to promote the sales of electric vehicles.
In February of this year, Volvo began to launch plug-in hybrid vehicles in Norway's subscription plan. Pure electric vehicles will also join this project, which is expected to be from XC40? Recharge, this model will be available later this year.
In the United States, Volvo announced earlier this month that it supports the California government's emission regulations and is committed to developing zero-emission vehicles.
This year 1 month, Volvo opened the first mass-produced electric vehicle XC40? For the online reservation channel of Recharge, the down payment is 1000 USD (7084. 1 RMB). This all-electric crossover is expected to complete the first delivery in the United States later this year, with a power of 402 horsepower and a battery life of more than 200 miles on a single charge. (Source: Tencent Auto)
9. Mercedes-Benz resumed production at the German engine factory.
According to Yahoo Finance website, Mercedes-Benz's factory in Batkanstant, Stuttgart increased engine production this week. Earlier, the German government relaxed the blockade of factories, a sign that people in Europe's largest economy are returning to work after novel coronavirus brought the country to a standstill.
As the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, Daimler is using the lessons it has learned from the process of resuming production in China to gradually restart its European factories and ensure that this kind of novel coronavirus will not spread among German workers.
Frank Deiss, vice president of power system production, said: "In all places where we can't guarantee a distance of 1.5 meters from each other, employees must wear masks." Daimler has broken up the production shift system so that the workers will not have close contact with each other.
In Italy and Spain, factory production stalled after the authorities restricted the flow of people and ordered the closure of car dealers, which impacted demand. But unlike this, the German government has never ordered a ban on automobile production.
Mercedes-Benz factories in Hamburg, Berlin and Antturkem will also resume production this week, while factories in sindelfingen and Bremen are also preparing to expand their production scale. (Source: Tencent Auto)
This article comes from the author of Chejia, car home, and does not represent car home's standpoint.