„Tesla inside” ?

In industria electronica este foarte cunoscuta emblema aplicata pe calculatoare si campania promotionala „Intel inside”. Se apropie industria auto de un fenomen asemanator, in care platforma electrica va fi achizitionata de la producatori specializati ?

Investitiile mari necesare lansarii unei platforme 100% electrice, urmata sau nu de succesul comercial, a generat in industria auto strategii diferite la producatorii traditionali.

VOLKSWAGEN

Grupul Volkswagen, care a demarat productia modelului ID 3 pe platforma dedicata MEB, se pare ca are din punct de vedere tehnic si costuri de productie un avantaj pe care incearca sa-l amplifice cu aliante si parteneriate, ca cele anuntate cu Ford si e.GO Mobile in Europa.

HYUNDAI KIA

Hyundai-Kia, singurul producator traditional global cu patru modele electrice in productie in 2019, Ioniq, Kona, Soul si Niro, cladite pe platforme existente, pe care ofera variante hibrid si plug-in, a anuntat intentia de a dezvolta o platforma dedicata electrica pentru optimizarea spatiului si performantelor oferite de modelele 100% electrice.

BMW

In schimb BMW, dupa pionieratul cu i3 si i8, se indreapta catre solutia mixta, prin care acelasi model va fi oferit cu motoare traditionale, hibride sau electrice , dupa cum cere piata.

Jaguar Land Rover

Solutia mixta a fost aleasa si de JLR (Jaguar Land Rover) pentru strategia viitorului apropiat, cu toate ca i-Pace, primul model 100% electric proiectat incepand de la o pagina alba, a castigat tot ce era de castigt in materie de premii internationale.

PSA

Si grupul PSA pare sa fi ales aceasi strategie mixta, dar contopirea iminenta cu FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobile) a generat o serie de speculatii despre viitorul electric al grupului, care va deveni cel de al patrulea ca marime in lume, dupa volumul de vanzari.

FIAT CHRYSLER AUTOMOBILE

FCA are in programul actual de productie doar un minivan plug-in hibrid, dupa ce a renuntat la Fiat-ul 500e asamblat in Mexic pentru California. Noul Fiat 500 electric, destinat pietei europene, va fi asamblat in Italia, ar putea fi victima renuntarii de catre grup la acest segment de automobile, unde realizarea unui profit este cu atat mai putin probabila, cu cat normele de poluare devin mai severe si tehnologia mai scumpa.

Recent au aparut in presa o serie de speculatii pe tema ca FCA ar putea achizitiona platforme electrice (si acumulatori ?) de la Tesla. Fiindca nu iese fum fara foc, am investigat sursa scanteii si am gasit-o in dialogul cu analistii financiari din timpul raportarii rezultatelor financiare din trimestrul al treilea.

Intrebat de Adam Jonas, analistul de la Morgen Stanley care urmareste indeaproape industria auto, in special Tesla, care este suma reala a tranzactiei pentru credite de carbon, cumparate de la Tesla pentru evitarea amenzilor in Europa, Mike Manley, CEO FCA, a ocolit elegant raspunsul, dar a recunoscut ca achizitia unei platforme performante, asa cum este Tesla, ar putea fi o cale rapida de electrificare, fara investitii mari de capital in dezvoltare.

Nu ar fi o premiera absoluta, atat Mercedes B-Klasse , cat si Toyota RAV 4, ambele fiind la vremea lor doar „compliance cars” pentru California, au fost echipate cu tehnologia startup-ului din California, pe vremea cand atat Toyota, cat si Damler erau actionari cu aproximativ 10% la Tesla.

Pornind de la necesitatea de a conserva capitalul, atat de necesar pentru marile transformari din industria auto legate de mobilitatea electrica, autonoma si conectata, exista asadar o posibilitate sa vedem in viitor din nou „inside Tesla” pe soselele lumii.

NOTA: Am atasat mai jos schimbul original de replici dintre Adam Jonas, analist Morgan Stanley si Mike Manley, CEO FCA, care a dat nastere speculatiilor din presa electromobilistica.

 

Mike Manley: I have to tell you that when I look at the pricing in Europe in particular for electrified vehicles, I am actually much more encouraged now than I was a few months ago, particularly on the full battery electric side. Take rates seem to be improving and there seems to be a degree of discipline in the market for pricing.

Adam Jonas: A couple of questions on EVs. Can you possibly be specific on how much you are actually paying Tesla for the pooling credits? There’s just so many. Well, I have seen numbers ranging from €200 million to €2 billion. Can you just help us and genuinely to help with that delta from 2019 to 2020 on that?

Mike Manley: Love you to death, but no

Adam Jonas: Good. What about the concept. I mean, you are writing a check to kind of a competitor for pooling. I understand that that’s an optimal decision relative to paying fines or to develop something ahead of a potential merger that may or may not go to start something that you cannot finish kind of thing. So I totally understand the value of the flexibility there given the circumstance. But would you also consider purchasing a complete, I don’t know, electronic skateboard, if you will? Or basically contracting with someone like Tesla as a supplier for a substantial part of the electric vehicle? Like a make or buy decision, how do you approach make or buy in term of EVs at this stage?

Mike Manley: In terms of, would we be open to buying a skateboard from other people? I mean, that is probably, if you think about what we are going to hopefully achieve if the merger goes forward, we are going to do that on a grand scale. And therefore, it would be wrong of me to say, no, I wouldn’t be interested in someone else’s skateboard because it basically talks about conservation of capital. And there are certain things that I strongly believe the customer will be agnostic to and that is one of them so as long as you can tune the suspension and tune the drive to suit your brands, which you can do.