Automakers launch electric vehicles one after another this year… IT companies are jointly working with automakers
Expectations and Concerns in Promotion of Apple-Hyundai Motor Collaboration
Despite the uncertainty caused by the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19), the global electric vehicle market is expected to enter a high growth this year, and companies are taking steps to lead the market from the beginning of the new year.
While automakers are concentrating on developing software technologies such as electric vehicle platforms and autonomous driving, information technology (IT) dinosaur companies such as Google, Apple, and Amazon are jumping into the mobility business, accelerating the joint venture between companies.
◇ US and China electric vehicles likely to re-enter high growth
According to the industry on the 13th, if the European electric vehicle market doubled more than last year, driving the growth of the global market alone, this year, the electric vehicle market in China and the US is expected to re-enter with high growth while Europe maintains solid growth.
Hyundai Motor Group’s Global Management Research Center predicts that this year’s sales of electrification models will increase by 37.5% from last year to 6.25 million units.
Of these, pure electric vehicles (BEV) are expected to increase by 38.6% compared to last year (1.7 million units) to 2.35 million units.
It is estimated that this year’s electric vehicle market in China will increase by 33% compared to last year, with subsidies extended until the end of 2022.
The Chinese government has decided to ban the sale of internal combustion locomotives other than hybrids after 2035 in order to achieve net zero carbon emissions.
In the United States, the number of EVs sold this year is expected to increase by 40% compared to last year due to the biden government’s strengthening of fuel economy regulations and expansion of the electric vehicle market.
Han Byeong-hwa, a researcher at Eugene Investment & Securities, predicted that “the federal government’s subsidy receipt standard will be expanded from 200,000 units per company to more than 500,000 units, and subsidies for the exchange of used cars will be introduced.”
◇ Will the Tesla-led version change?
As the’pie’ of the global electric vehicle market is expected to increase, the pace of the finished vehicle industry is also accelerating.
Tesla, which has been leading the electric vehicle market so far, has succeeded in delivering 490,550 electric vehicles, close to the 500,000 annual target set for last year.
After producing the Model 3 at the Shanghai plant from last year, the production capacity of the Chinese plant from 250,000 units is expected to expand to 550,000 units by producing a new Model Y this year.
Ahead of the launch of the Chinese-made Model Y, it also cut prices.
In addition, the Berlin plant in Germany is aiming for production within this year, and the Texas plant in the US is also under construction, so the number of units sold is expected to continue to increase.
On this day, Tesla introduced Model Y for the first time in Korea, predicting securing leadership in the electric vehicle market.
However, there is a high possibility that Tesla’s electric vehicle market will change as major competitors are releasing electric vehicles based on dedicated platforms.
This year, BEV-only models such as Volkswagen ID.4, Nissan Arya, Tesla Model S Plaid, BMW iX3, Mercedes EQC, Porsche Taycan CT, etc. will be released. Lexus UX300e, Ford Mustang-Mach E, GMC Derivative models such as Hummer EV and Audi Q4 e-tron are also about to be released.
At’CES 2021′, the world’s largest information technology (IT) and home appliance exhibition held online, future car strategies and new technologies centered on electrification were introduced one after another.
GM chief executive (CEO) Mary Barra said in a keynote speech, “By 2025, we will invest more than 27 billion dollars (about 29.7 trillion won) in electric vehicles and autonomous driving programs.”
GM plans to launch a total of 30 electric vehicles worldwide by 2025 and achieve annual sales of 1 million electric vehicles in the US and Chinese markets.
The delivery electric truck service’BrightDrop’ is also launched.
Mercedes-Benz unveiled the world’s first MBUX hyperscreen to be installed in a large electric sedan EQS, and BMW unveiled the next-generation display and operating system’BMW iDrive’ to be installed in the flagship pure electric vehicle iX.
Canadian auto parts maker Magna, which decided to establish a joint venture with LG Electronics and electric vehicle powertrain last month, announced that it will help customers achieve the goal of electrification of powertrain within 10 years.
The Hyundai Motor Group, who was absent from this CES, will unveil the teaser image of Hyundai Motor’s Ioniq 5, a’ambitious work’ based on E-GMP, a platform exclusively for electric vehicles on the same day, and is expected to release it to the world next month.
Unfortunately, on the same day as Tesla’s Model Y landing in Korea, the Ioniq 5 is unveiled, and the industry is expecting a fierce battle for leadership in electric vehicles.
The Hyundai Motor Group aims to make this year the first year of an electric vehicle leap forward by introducing Kia Motors CV (project name) and Genesis JW (project name) one after another.
Suspension of new diesel engine development is also under consideration.
◇ IT dinosaurs and finished car companies are active
Large information technology (IT) companies are also actively entering the future mobility business centering on the electric vehicle market.
Baidu, one of China’s major technology companies, officially announced on the 11th that it will establish’Baidu Motors’ in cooperation with Chinese automaker Geely Motors and enter the electric vehicle business.
Tencent and Alibaba, two of China’s biggest internet dinosaur companies, are already participating as two major shareholders of China’s top three electric vehicle startups, Wei Lai (蔚來·Nio) and Xpeng (小鵬·Xpeng).
Alibaba, together with the Shanghai Motor Company and the government of Shanghai’s Pudong New District, established Ziji Motors, a smart electric vehicle manufacturer.
Didi Chushing, a vehicle-sharing company, also started making cars.
Didi Chuxing recently unveiled a van-type electric vehicle that is dedicated to calling vehicles, led by its own development and produced by Chinese electric vehicle company BYD.
Waymo, which is already the autonomous driving division of Google’s parent company Alphabet, commercialized Robotax in Phoenix, USA last year, and plans to commercialize it in California this year.
Amazon also acquired the self-driving technology company JOX last year and unveiled the first self-driving taxi (Robo Taxi).
Im Eun-young, a researcher at Samsung Securities, said, “As the mobility industry develops to robots and urban aeronautical mobility (UAM), it grows more than 3-4 times the current automobile market, and in this process, you will frequently encounter news of collaboration between IT dinosaurs and automakers.” “For automakers equipped with the base technology of self-driving electric vehicles, the B2B (business-to-business) business model can be a new growth opportunity, focusing on the existing B2C (business-to-consumer transaction) business.”
◇ Apple and Hyundai Motor Company… Foreign press “It could be a dead end”
In recent years, the possibility of collaboration between Apple and Hyundai Motor Company in the production of autonomous electric vehicles has emerged as the biggest topic in the industry.
Apple is known to have consultations with several global automakers, including Hyundai Motor, with the goal of producing self-driving cars by 2024, and the market is shaken with the KOSPI market cap rising vertically from 8th to 4th as Hyundai Motor’s stock price surge Was.
Although details about Apple’s automobile development are not yet known, the fact that it was mentioned as a partner of Apple alone seems to raise expectations for Hyundai.
Previously, Taiwan’s Foxconn, which is famous as a consignment manufacturer of Apple’s iPhone, China’s electric car startup Viton, LG Electronics, Magna, and Volkswagen, were also mentioned as candidates for’Apple car makers’.
In the industry, it is analyzed that if this collaboration is successful, Hyundai Motor will be responsible for the core technology and production of electrification for electric vehicles, and Apple will take over software technologies such as autonomous driving and connected systems.
There is also a negative perspective on whether Hyundai Motors is also becoming a subcontractor of Apple, like Foxconn, which has become a subcontractor of Apple’s production.
Although Apple holds the’key’ for the success of the collaboration, it is known that Hyundai Motor Company is also struggling with profits and losses.
In the midst of this, the Wall Street Journal said, “Even considering the potential manufacturing volume of Apple cars, it is difficult to justify the increase in the market value of Hyundai Motors by about 15 billion dollars.” Even if it’s with the brand, it’s like running to a dead end.”
In fact, in the case of Magna, Jaguar’s electric SUV, the I-Pace, is produced by ODM, but the operating margin of the finished vehicle division is only 1.1% in 2018 and 2.1% in 2019, so profitability is very low.
/yunhap news