World Top 10 February 2015

BYD Qin in a rare picture outside Showrooms

Models - Balance

Some 23.000 plug-ins were sold last month, which represents a slight slip from the 24k of the previous month, but it is still 19% above the same month last year, so the good news continue, despite the Japanese market drop and the US slowdown. 

The top position goes for the Leaf for the forteenth month in a row, but YoY sales are down for the second consecutive month, are the wrinkles starting to show up?

Next in the February ranking, there are four models separated by just 161 units, the Tesla Model leads the pack with 2.001 units, followed by the BYD Qin (1.932 units, yet another record), the Outlander PHEV (1.872) and the BMW i3 (1.840), it might seem odd that Mitsu's SUV scored so few registrations, but the explanation should appear in March, with record sales in the UK...

Moving on, the YTD ranking shows one major chang, with the Renault Zoe moving up two positions to #7, while reversely, the Golf GTE drops two positions to #9. 

A final reference to the Ford Fusion Energi, it was #10 in February, with 609 units, and it is #11 in the YTD chart, still some 300 units behind the #10 Chevy Volt, will it be able to surpass GM's car and recover a place in the Top 10?

Pl	WORLD	Feb.	YTD	%	'14Pl
1	Nissan Leaf	3.624	6.936	15	1
2	Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV	1.872	4.772	10	5
3	Tesla Model S	2.001	4.113	9	3
4 5 6	BYD Qin BMW i3 Volkswagen e-Golf	1.932 1.840 1.105	3.843 3.179 2.364	8 7 5	7 6 21
7	Renault Zoe	984	1.704	4	9
8	Toyota Prius Plug-In	830	1.698	4	5
9	Volkswagen Golf GTE	527	1.560	3	33
10	Chevrolet Volt (1)	748	1.390	3	4
	TOTAL	23.088	47.822

Manufacturers -  BYD is Rising

If the top two positions seem like a certainty (For now, at least), BYD managed to remove Volkswagen from the Third Spot, and it was even the Second Best Selling brand this February! It's the first time BYD hits the manufacturers podium since...Ever, really, being also the first time that a chinese brand gets a podium seat.

Profiting from a poor performance from Chery, Chevrolet recovered a Top 10 seat, appearing in #10.  

Pl	WORLD	Feb.	YTD	%	'14Pl
1	Nissan	3.763	7.206	15	1
2	Mitsubishi	2.166	5.458	11	2
3	BYD	2.289	4.542	9	7
4	Volkswagen	1.867	4.415	9	11
5 6 7	Tesla BMW Renault	2.001 2.120 1.352	4.113 3.852 2.353	9 8 5	3 9 8
8	Ford	1.294	2.232	5	5
9	Toyota	832	1.707	4	6
10	Chevrolet	872	1.606	3	4

(1) - Includes Holden Volt, Opel and Vauxhall Ampera;

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SPARK PLUG

     Spark plug is a device used to produce electric spark to ignite the compressed air fuel mixture inside the cylinder. The spark plug is screwed in the top of the cylinder so that it electrode project in the combustion chamber.

A spark plug consist of mainly three parts:

1. Center electrode or insulated electrode.
2. Ground electrode or outer electrode.
3. Insulation separating the two electrodes.

     The upper end of the center electrode is connected to the spark plug terminal, where cable from the ignition coil is connected. It is surrounded by insulator. The lower half portion of the insulator is fastened with a metal shell. The lower portion of the shell has a short electrode attached to one side and bent in towards the centre electrode, so that there is a gap between the two electrodes. The two electrodes are thus separated by the insulator. The sealing gaskets are provided between the insulator and the shell to prevent the escape of gas under various temperature and pressure conditions. The lower part of the shell has screw threads and the upper part is made in hexagonal shape like a nut, so that the spark plug may be screwed in or unscrewed from the cylinder head.


Cleaning the Spark Plug

     Due to the combustion of fuel in the cylinder, carbon particles deposit on and around the electrode which not only reduce the plug gap but also prevent the spark to occur. If the spark is still occurring, it is too weak that it cannot ignite the fuel. Hence the spark plug is to be cleaned. Carbon particles can deposit due to any reason like, nature of fuel, mixture strength, lubricating oil, etc. The spark plug can be cleaned by a sand paper.

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Japan February 2015

This one is missing from the chart, let's it won't be for long...

The Exception

Unlike the upbeat trend going on in most of the major EV markets, the Japanese is down a harsh 44%,  with 2.934 units sold last month, which is the worst February since 2012, this is even more significant since it usually is one of the best selling months of the year...

The consequence of all this is that the EV Share has plunged to 0,63%, far from the 0.98% held by the end of 2014, considering that the Toyota Terminator Mirai FCV has been warmly received in Japan (At least 1.500 orders, when Toyota expected to deliver just 400 units in the whole year of 2015), can this mean that the local EV market will be the first/only to be threatened by the arrival of FCV's? 

Anyway, looking at the YTD models ranking, the Leaf is once more in #1, while the #2 Mitsu Outlander PHEV disappointed, selling only 603 units, the explanation should be found next month, as it isn't the first time that its local market is sacrificed to place more units in more profitable markets ("UK, anyone?").

Pl	Japan	Feb.	2015	%	Pl '14
1	Nissan Leaf	1.612	2.611	47	1
2	Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV	603	1.433	26	2
3	Toyota Prius Plug-In e)	400	800	15	3
4	BMW i3 e)	100	200	4	6
5	Mitsubishi I-Miev	82	166	3	4
6 7 8 9 9	Mitsubishi Minicab Miev Tesla Model S e) Mit. Minicab Miev Truck Honda Accord Plug-In e) BMW i8 e)	52 50 25 5 5	136 100 45 10 10	2 2 1 0 0	5 7 8 9 10
	TOTAL	2.934	5.511	100

e) Estimate

Source:http://evn.blog.eonet.jp; insideevs.com

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Europe February 2015

R240, the new (And cheaper) Zoe will help spur sales (even) further

Zoe Edition

With some 8.200 units, the European EV market continues to post significant growth rates, sales were up 57% regarding the same month last year, so the 120K target for 2015 might be already small...Let's see how the next months develop.

Looking at the models ranking, the Outlander PHEV continues sovereign, being the only model to reach the four-digit area (1.184 units), while the Renault Zoe is back at good performances (979 sales), winning the Monthly Best-Selling Pure Electric car, ahead of the e-Golf (970 units) and the Nissan Leaf (740 units, worst performance since March '13).  In Fifth we get the BMW i3, a return to form after a poor January.

Pl	Model	Sales
1	Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV	1.184
2	Renault Zoe	979
3	Volkswagen e-Golf	975
4	Nissan Leaf	740
5	BMW i3	602

Looking at the YTD ranking, the headline news is the Golf GTE losing three positions to #5, while its premium cousin, the Audi A3 e-Tron is on the rise, climbing two positions to #9.

But changes didn't stopped there, in the second half of the ranking, the Renault Kangoo ZE recovered some pulse and raised three positions to #13, still far from the #8 won last year, but enough to get away from its closest competitor on the LCV trophy, the #17 Nissan e-NV200.

Looking at the brands ranking, Volkswagen continues firm in the leadership, with 23% share, followed by Mitsubishi (19%), while Renault is recovering ground, it's now Third with 13% share.

Pl	Europe	Feb.	2015	%	'14Pl
1	Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV	1.184	3.169	18	1
2	Volkswagen e-Golf	975	2.053	11	9
3	Nissan Leaf	740	1.749	10	2
4	Renault Zoe	979	1.695	9	3
5	Volkswagen Golf GTE	527	1.560	9	22
6	Tesla Model S	577	1.139	6	4
7	BMW i3	602	1.118	6	5
8	Volvo V60 Plug-In	377	852	5	7
9	Audi A3 e-Tron	572	814	5	19
10	Volkswagen e-Up!	238	507	3	6
11	Smart Fortwo ED	156	466	3	10
12	Porsche Cayenne Plug-In	156	393	2	28
13	Renault Kangoo ZE	200	330	2	8
14 15 16 17 18 19 20	BMW i8 Kia Soul EV Renault Twizy Nissan e-NV200 Bolloré Blue Car Peugeot iOn Mitsubishi I-Miev	128 78 136 113 59 66 39	310 302 263 211 179 143 141	2 2 1 1 1 1 1	15 23 11 12     13 21 17
	TOTAL	8.176	17.940

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Belgium February 2015

The new Top Dog

SUV Edition

200 EV's were sold, which is is an increase of 12% in registrations regarding the same month last year, these numbers were expected to be higher, but then again, you can't always have record editions...

Looking at the models ranking, there is a new leader, the Porsche Cayenne Plug-In registered 53 units (Personal Best) and rose to #1, dropping to Second the Nissan Leaf, which is back to normal (17 sales), the BMW i3 also climbed one position, it is now #3, changing positions with the Model S.

Next is another BMW, the i8 continues in #5, but the Mitsu Outlander PHEV (21 registrations) is on recovery mode and along with the Cayenne, it's surfing the Plug-in Hybrid SUV wave, it is now #6 but i wouldn't be surprised if the Mitsu Star would be Fifth next month.

The Audi A3 e-Tron also had a good month (15 units), climbing to #9, with Mercedes landing (5 units) their S500 Plug-In vessel.

In the manufacturers ranking, Porsche in now on the lead (25% Share), followed by BMW (23%), while in a distant Third we have Nissan, with 14% share.

Pl	Belgium	Feb.	YTD	%	'14Pl
1	Porsche Cayenne Plug-In	53	101	20	14
2	Nissan Leaf	17	70	14	4
3	BMW i3 *	25	64	13	2
4	Tesla Model S	16	61	12	1
5	BMW i8	16	53	10	9
6	Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV	21	39	8	5
7	Volvo V60 Plug-In	5	31	6	6
8	Porsche Panamera Plug-In	11	25	5	3
9	Audi A3 e-Tron	15	23	5	15
10	Renault Twizy	3	12	2	8
11	VW e-Golf	5	9	2	10
12	Renault Zoe	3	7	1	7
13 14 15 16 16 16	VW e-Up! Mercedes S500 Plug-In e) Ford Focus Electric Nissan e-NV200 / Evalia Kia Soul EV Porsche 918	3 5 2 1 1	6 5 2 1 1 1	1 1 0 0 0 0	12 N/A N/A 18 18 21
	TOTAL	200	511	100

Source: febiac.be

* - 10 Bev + 15 Rex

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Keeping it fresh for 35 years

By Megan Alink, Director of Marketing Communications for Automotive

Recently, my colleagues Paul Leroux and Matt Young showed off a shiny new infographic that enlightens readers to the many ways they encounter QNX-based systems in daily life (here and here). After three-and-a-half decades in business we’ve certainly been around the block a time or two, and you might think things are getting a bit stale. As the infographic shows, that couldn’t be further from the truth here at QNX. From up in the stars to down on the roads; in planes, trains, and automobiles (and boats too); whether you’re mailing a letter or crafting a BBM on your BlackBerry smartphone, the number and breadth of applications in which our customers deploy QNX technology is simply astounding.

For those who like some sound with their pictures, we also made a video to drive home the point that, wherever you are and whatever you do, chances are you’ll encounter a little QNX. Check it out:

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Portugal February 2015

Leaf back at #1

There were 26 EV's sold last month, mounting the full year numbers to 54 units, which is a bit of an anti-climax, because although sales are up 46% regarding last year, i hoped that with the new 4.500 euro government grant, sales would skyrocket and put this market among the stars of this year. It doesn't seem to be the case.

Looking at the models ranking, the two electric stars of the Renault-Nissan Alliance cars (Leaf and Zoe) benefited the most with the subsidy, with the japanese dethroning the BMW i3 from the leadership and the french car reaching the Third spot.

A final reference to the Opel Ampera, it has sold in February 2 units, which the same amount of sales it had in the whole of 2014...

Pl	Portugal	Feb.	2015	%	Pl '14
1	Nissan Leaf	9	19	35	2
2	BMW i3	7	14	26	1
3 4	Renault Zoe Mit. Outlander PHEV e)	8	13 5	24 9	5 4
5	Opel Ampera	2	2	4	17
6	Renault Twizy		1	2	3
	TOTAL	26	54	100

Source: ACAP

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Austria February 2015 (BEV only)

VW e-Golf dashboard

Good News, Bad News Edition 

For now there are only available the BEV numbers, but nevertheless, they are enough to put the Austrian EV market ahead of last year (166 vs 163 BEV and PHEV combined), so this another market set for growth this year.

Volkswagen had bittersweet news coming from this market, if the e-Golf finally took off and reached the leadership, its smaller brother e-Up! suddenly stopped selling, delivering only single digit sales, something that didn't happened since 2013. 

The Renault Zoe is Second, followed by the Nissan Leaf, its best position since 2013.

The Merc B-Class ED has landed and it will be interesting to see its performance, given the soft-spot Austrians have for MPV's. 

Pl	Austria	Feb.	YTD	%	'14Pl
1	Volkswagen e-Golf	10	43	26	11
2	Renault Zoe	12	26	16	1
3	Nissan Leaf	9	20	12	5
4	BMW i3	12	19	11	2
4 6	Smart Fortwo ED Tesla Model S	6 3	19 16	11 10	9 4
7	Volkswagen e-Up!	7	11	7	3
8	Mercedes B-Class ED	6	7	4	N/A
9	Nissan e-NV200 / Evalia		3	2	12
10	Kia Soul EV	1	1	1	14
10	Mitsubishi I-Miev		1	1	13
	TOTAL	66	166	100

Source: http://myampera.wordpress.com

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Switzerland February 2015

VW Golf GTE dashboard

Balanced Edition

Another positive month for the Swiss EV Market, with 190 sales, with the EV Share at 1,14%, with two models in the leadership, the VW Golf GTE and the Renault Zoe, with the #3 Tesla Model S losing a bit of ground, nothing to worry about yet, so the race for Best Seller looks as balanced as last year, promising lots of last minute thrills. 

The race for #4 is also hot, with three models separated by just two units, with the BMW i3 taking the lead for the time being.

The Nissan Leaf seems to be losing steam, while the eco-car-exotica Volkswagen XL1 is experiencing a (small) sales success, having sold already 7 units this year

Pl	Switzerland	Feb.	2015	%	'14Pl
1 1	Renault Zoe Volkswagen Golf GTE e)	29 30	67 67	14 14	4 N/A
3	Tesla Model S	19	49	11	1
4	BMW i3	9	33	7	3
5	Mitsu. Outlander PHEV e)	15	32	7	2
6	Porsche Cayenne Plug-In e)	15	31	7	N/A
7	Audi A3 e-Tron e)	10	21	5	N/A
7	Volkswagen e-Golf e)	10	21	5	N/A
9	BMW i8	8	18	4	9
9	Nissan Leaf	4	18	4	6
11	Renault Twizy	6	15	3	5
12	Nissan e-NV200 / Evalia e)	5	14	3	N/A
12	Renault Kangoo ZE e)	5	14	3	N/A
14 15 16 17 17 19 20 21 21 21 24 24 24	Smart Fortwo ED e) Volvo V60 Plug-In e) Volkswagen e-Up! e) Opel Ampera Volkswagen XL1 Porsche 918 Mercedes B-Class ED Citröen C-Zero Mercedes S500 Plug-In Porsche Panamera Plug-In Citröen Berlingo EV Peugeot Partner EV McLaren P1	5 5 5 4 4 2	13 11 10 7 7 4 3 2 2 2 1 1 1	3 2 2 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0	N/A N/A N/A 8 16 11 N/A 12 N/A N/A N/A N/A 12
	TOTAL	190	464	100

Source: auto-suisse.ch

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