Automotive Groups December 2016

Regarding 2015, there were some major changes, BYD jumped ahead of the Renault-Nissan Alliance (Haven't included Mitsubishi yet, as the Japanese brand was only included in October), and has set an ambitious goal of 200.000 units in 2017, while Tesla climbed to Third at the expense of the Volkswagen Group and hopes to reach BYD-level of deliveries this year.

But the 2017 Best Selling OEM title will be a three horse race, as a Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance can also reach 200.000 units with relative ease, it's just a matter of producing the Renault Zoe at full speed, update the Nissan Leaf with a 40 kWh battery soon and actively sell the Mitsu Outlander PHEV.

Volkswagen's slow growth (Up only 6% YoY) has made it lose the Third spot and it wasn't surpassed by an ambitious (100.000 units goal for 2017!) BMW Group by just 300 units, so VW better shape up in 2017 and increase sales significantly, or else they will be on the uncomfortable role of also-rans, 2020 and its I.D. disruptive model is still some years away and a lot can/will change until then. 

BAIC is rising from the shadow of BYD and despite only selling half of the Chinese poster-child, it is growing significantly (The EC180 looks like a winner), so it wouldn't be surprising to see it reach 80.000 sales this year, same as the Geely Group, which has seen Volvo grow 50% and most importantly, Geely land with 17.000 units. Two OEMs to follow closely in 2017.

The same can be said about General Motors, growing 54% YoY in 2016 and that's without using the ace up its sleeve (Chevy Bolt). With the Bolt and Volt (Arriving soon to China) charging at full speed, anything less than doubling sales in 2017 will be considered a disappointment. As for the Cadillac CT6 PHEV career, i believe the ELR is a good sales indication...

Automotive Group	Units	% of sales
BYD	102.470	17
Renault-Nissan	86.247	1
Tesla	76.243	100
VW Group	62.480	1
BMW Group	62.157	3
BAIC	46.420	2
Zotye	37.363	15
Geely Group	32.760	3
General Motors	32.700	0
Mitsubishi	32.179	2

Looking at the percentage of plug-in sales of each OEM, besides the obvious case of Tesla, the two brands that have a significant share of EV's are BYD (17%) and Zotye (15%), with the remaining OEMs still having residual percentages, with the highest share of this third pack being the BMW and Geely Groups, both with 3% share. 

General Motors has a lot to improve, as their plug-ins still do not reach 1% of the Group sales, but even so, there are worse OEMs, like Toyota of Fiat-Chrysler... 

GMC Yukon Denali XL Test Drive

The current Yukon/Tahoe/Suburban might be only a little over 2 years old, but they are already super popular.
Around L.A, they are pretty much everywhere.

Last year, GM sold over 152000  Tahoes/Suburbans, and over 71000 Yukons/Yukon XL.
Which is quite amazing.

They also seem to have replaced the TownCar as the favorite choice as a luxury ride to the airport.
(Or to the local Sleazy Hollywood "PullDown" club)
And they do look quite handsome. In a big brick sort of way.

The interior is nice too. Although I am still not sure why they still use the old 70's style column shifter. (Obvious cost saving?) But I got used to it pretty quickly. Even though it does cheapen the whole interior feel and look.

That interior is otherwise pretty nice.
 But, there are still a few cheap plastic bits here and there.
And the fake wood does a great job at... looking fake.

The Bose stereo sounded really good. But the interface got quite annoying a few times.
Like going back to shuffle without being asked to do so. Or just stop playing stuff altogether. etc...

The seats were surprisingly flat and hard.
(Quite a surprise to me since most GM seats are now really good)

Here is a shot of that beautiful "wood like thing".

And, of course. It is super roomy. Front and back. Even the 3rd row seats.

And the back in the long version (Similar to the Suburban) has a huge truck. And a giant space when all the seats are flat.
(That's pretty much the point of getting something that huge isn't it...)

On the road, it is, of course, very quiet.
But, the big 6.2 Liter V8 wasn't as super smooth and quiet as the smaller 5.3 Liter unit available in its Tahoe twin. (or the regular "non Denali" Yukon)

The new 8 speed transmission is mostly fine. But can also be a bit rough at really low speed around town.

The 6.2 Liter Yukon is rated at 14/21 MPG for the 4WD version I had for a week.
I could only get 12MPG in the city. And I was trying very hard...
But got 23 on the Highway.

The ride is pretty smooth, but not as isolated as I thought it would be.
It always lets you know that, no matter how much money you spent, this is still a truck, not a car.

Talking about price, the Denali version I had was priced at $78 825.
Which included about $8000 worth of options.

For my money, I would skip the Denali altogether and get the regular Yukon.
You can still get la loaded version with leather, sunroof etc... And the smoother 5.3 Liter engine
And save around $15 000.

This is something I had to try.
The "Camping in the Yukon" night. And it works. There is more than enough room behind the front seats for an inflatable mattress for 2 people.
And all the extra stuff you need for a cool camping night by the beach.

And with a total of 3 screens, it was a great way to watch the Larry Sanders show again.

Before the Futurliners, the Parade of Progress got along all right, but not quite as stylish

Found on http://truquetructruk.tumblr.com/

2016 Camaro is All-New from the Bowtie Up

70 percent of architectural components unique to the Gen 6 Camaro

The 2016 Chevrolet Camaro will be a truly all-new car – from the grille’s bowtie to the rear spoiler.

In fact, only two parts carry over from the fifth-generation model: the bowtie emblem on the taillamp panel and the SS badge.

The Gen 6 Camaro is based on General Motors’ award-winning Alpha architecture. Designed to compete with premium European brands, Alpha offers exceptional driving dynamics and refinement, as well as a balance of mass and stiffness necessary for a world-class performance car.

6.2L LT1 V-8 engine – including unique, tubular “tri-Y” exhaust manifolds.

“Our global engineering team is incredibly passionate about Camaro, and they sweated all the details to make Gen 6 the best Camaro we could possibly put into the hands of our customers,” said Mark Reuss, GM executive vice president, Global Product Development.

“Alpha provided a strong foundation, but more than 70 percent of the components are unique to the Gen 6 Camaro, including exterior and interior dimensions, an all-new interior, front and rear suspension, and powertrain components,” he said. “The minute you see – and hear – the Gen 6, you know it’s a Camaro, from the stance to the driving experience to the sound of the Small Block V-8.”

From the strong Alpha foundation, the Camaro team made the most of every component to create a worthy successor for the Gen 5 Camaro, which has been America’s best-selling performance car for five consecutive years.

70 percent of the components unique to Camaro, including exterior
dimensions, suspension geometry and powertrain components.

The front structure, for example, was developed specifically for Camaro. It is lengthened, to create the dash-to-axle ratio necessary for car’s iconic profile, and widened to provide the desired track width for stable, confident cornering. In addition, 20 percent of the 6.2L LT1 V-8 engine has been tailored to fit the Camaro’s packaging, including new, tubular “tri-Y”-style exhaust manifolds.

Chevrolet will introduce the all-new, 2016 Camaro on Saturday, May 16, during a special public event at Detroit’s Belle Isle park.

Stay up-to-date with progress of the 2016 Camaro at kupperchevrolet.com. 

Study: Nine in 10 Parents Move Children from Booster Seat to Seat Belt Too Soon

Safe Kids Worldwide report made possible in part by $2-million GM Foundation grant

As part of National Child Passenger Safety Week (Sept. 14-20), Safe Kids Worldwide today released a study that finds nine out of 10 parents take children out of car booster seats before they are tall enough.

“Safety is important to Bismarck/Mandan-area drivers,” said Wade Huber of Kupper Chevrolet. “We are proud that GM supported the research of this report to further investigate how to keep our kids safe when riding in our cars.”

The report, “Buckle Up: Booster Seats,” funded in part by a $2-million grant from the General Motors Foundation, also finds seven out of 10 parents do not know a child should be at least 57 inches (4-foot-9-inches) tall to ride in a car without a booster seat. 

“Car seats, booster seats and seat belts are engineered to offer more protection than ever,” said Kate Carr, president and CEO of Safe Kids Worldwide. “But we found there’s a need to remind parents, and anyone who drives a child, about the importance of using a booster seat until a child is at least 57 inches tall and weighs between 80-100 pounds.”

The study is based on a national online survey of 1,000 parents of children ages 4 to 10.

“We’re committed to our partnership with Safe Kids and the work we do to improve child passenger safety,” said Jeffrey Boyer, General Motors vice president for Safety and GM Foundation board member. “All who share a commitment to protecting passengers should take pride in the progress that’s been achieved. However, this report is an important reminder that there’s more we can do to ensure that children are buckled up correctly on every ride, every time.”

Throughout the week, including “National Seat Check Saturday” on Sept. 20, Safe Kids coalitions will partner with Chevrolet and other GM dealerships across the country to host more than 600 events to ensure children are fitted with the proper seat and to check that child safety seats are installed correctly in the vehicle.

About Safe Kids WorldwideSafe Kids Worldwide a global non-profit organization dedicated to preventing unintentional childhood injury, the number one cause of death to children in the United States. Throughout the world, almost one million children die of an injury each year, and almost all of these tragedies are preventable. Safe Kids works with an extensive network of more than 500 coalitions in the U.S. and with partners in more than 25 countries to reduce traffic injuries, drownings, falls, burns, poisonings and more. Since 1988, Safe Kids has helped reduce the U.S. childhood death rate from unintentional injury by 56 percent. Working together, we can do much more for kids everywhere. Join our effort at safekids.org.

Nyk's Tips- Making the Most of Your Onstar Remotelink App

If you are driving a new 2014 or 2015 Chevrolet car, truck or SUV, you have unlimited, free access to the Onstar Remotelink App for the 5 years following your purchase. To get this feature activated, you must download the app to any compatible smartphone, tablet or iPod, create an online account and use the remote feature at least once in the first 6 months of owning the vehicle.

You can download the free app from the app store on your device. Once downloaded and installed, you must create an online account. You can do this through the app itself by selecting “Create Account” in the bottom right hand corner of the app's log in screen. You can also go to Onstar.com and select “Create Account”. What you will need is your Onstar account number, (which you can find in your first diagnostic email that was sent to you or by pushing the blue Onstar button in your vehicle and asking the Onstar Adviser), your home zip code and the email address you provided Onstar during the activation call.

Once your account is created, log into the app and hit the Update Bar at the top. Once updated with the current vehicle information, you can begin to use the app.

The first thing you will want to do is use the remote. You can select Lock, Unlock, Start, Cancel Start, Sound Horns and Lights, or Cancel Horns and Lights. (You will only have the remote start feature if your vehicle has a factory remote start installed). Unlike the remote on your key fob, you only need to select the action you want to take. There is no button combination that needs to be enacted. Once you select the action you want to take, you will be prompted to enter you four digit PIN number. After this, the app will send your request and let you know when it has been completed.

Another great feature available through Onstar in all vehicles during the first 6 months of ownership, and available always if you subscribe to the Directions and Connections package of Onstar (or if you have Navigation built into your vehicle), is the ability to search for any address through the app's navigation screen and then send that address to your vehicle remotely, so it will be waiting for you inside when you next start that vehicle.

To do this, go to the Navigation screen in the Onstar Remotelink App, enter an address in the search field at the top of the screen and hit search. Once the address has been located, select that address and you will be given the choice to send that address to your vehicle either through Onstar's Navigation feature or directly into your vehicle’s own Navigation System.

When you start your vehicle, your address will be waiting for you on your Mylink screen, ready for you to begin navigation. This is a fantastic way to enter an address while you are on the move.

There is a lot of great information about your vehicle provided for you inside the Onstar Remotelink App. I would encourage you to try it out today. If you would like assistance with setting up your Onstar Remotelink App or have any other questions regarding your GM vehicle, please give me a call or stop by Kupper Chevrolet. I would love to help.


Happy Driving!
Nyk Edinger, Technology Specialist 

Behold Chevrolet’s Recently Revamped Small Car Lineup

One of General Motors big announcements at the New York International Auto Show last week was the addition of the Chevrolet Trax compact crossover to its small car lineup. The capable mini-SUV was previously only offered in Canada and Mexico and shares many of its parts with the more luxurious Buick Encore, which has been available in the U.S. since January of last year.

The 2014-2015 Chevy Small Vehicle Lineup

With the addition of the Trax, Chevy’s small car offerings total five different models: The Trax, Spark, Spark EV, Sonic and Cruze. Along with introducing the Trax, Chevy also pulled the wraps off of the refreshed 2015 Cruze in New York. The Cruze now has a new front fascia more in line with the rest of Chevy’s lineup, along with small interior revisions including redesigned cup holders, a trunk release button on the center console and easier to find door lock switches.

Chevrolet threw together a quick video rundown of its recently revamped small-car line up. The lineup is set to go under another overhaul when the next-generation

Cruze and Spark arrive, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. In the meantime, check out Chevy’s current small car offerings in the video below.

Article from: — Sam McEachern

Sam is GM Authority's staff writer providing coverage of General Motors news.

Read more: http://gmauthority.com/blog/2014/04/chevrolets-recently-revamped-small-car-lineup-video/#ixzz2zvgFMEin

EV Business Case Q2 - 2013

Now that Ford saw the price drop thing work for others, it now wants to see if it works on her (On the Focus EV?!?!) 

"Prices down, Sales up" Edition

That's pretty much what can be said about this Second Quarter of 2013, with most of the sales results in, it's time to measure the winners and losers of this Quarter:


The winner camp have one thing in common: Be it price drops (Nissan), generous discounts (GM) or a brand new model with an attractive price (Renault), all focused in the price factor and all profited from it.

Nissan - With sales of the Leaf at 70.000 units, they now can afford to drop prices without losing much money on it, because most of the ROI (Return-On-Investment) is done, add that to local production and the ever-lowering cost of batteries, and is surely to expect in the beginning of 2014 another nice price drop announcement from Nissan while it prepares the 2nd Gen Leaf. That's what's nice in being pioneer, while others are figuring out how to enter a new market, you're already thinking on the next level.

GM - Another pioneer of plug-ins, the Volt family is now nearing the 50.000 landmark and with it the ROI already allows some price drops in the form of discounts (Now) and lower MSRP (Later in the year). GM acted just when it was suffering competition from others (Read: Nissan Leaf) and Volt sales were dropping (1.483 sales in April). With the needed incentives in the US market, sales recovered and went back to late 2012 levels (3.056 units in June), although the European Operation is still lagging behind (Incentives, anyone?). When one doesn't want to change the establishment, the establishment forces you to change.

Renault - Profiting from its best EV sales month since May 2012 and climbing three positions in the brands ranking to #3 since the last Quarter, the french carmaker can thank greatly to its new addition, the Zoe, a dedicated B-Segment electric car that sold 1.387 units in June, already close from the 1.500 units/month that Renault's hopes to sell. While not enough to be profitable per se in the short term, it should help the french manufacturer global ROI in electric cars and batteries, as well as ensuring that EV's get a foothold in Europe. Renault hopes to secure with the Zoe the best-selling electric car title in the Old World and reach the break-even point.


The loser side has just one manufacturer, but an important one.

Mitsubishi - In the end of March, the japanese carmaker was running on all cylinders and was the second best selling brand, just 1% (19%) behind the leader Nissan (20%). Now, it's in fifth place in the manufacturers ranking, lost 8% share (It's now at 11%) and worst of all, none of its models entered the June Top 10...The now famous battery problems were the cause for this sales plunge and Mitsu hopes that consumer confidence on their products haven't got shaken from it when it resumes production of its new sales-champion: The Outlander PHEV, having sold in no time all production it made before the battery problems and with an extensive waiting list across the world, the japanese manufacturer hopes to sell some 4.000 units/month and profit with it from a favorable ROI on their batteries (Remember the car itself has ICE versions, so the cost there is much diluted). On the pure electric side, Mitsu sold 30.000 units of its MIEV battery pack on the "i" and Minicab models, so it would be a waste for them not to invest in a new generation of pure electric cars. CA-Miev, anyone? Mitsubishi career in Plug-ins is like a roller coaster, in 2009 and 2010 it was the sales leader, 2011 and 2012 it was relegated to a secondary role, in the beginning of 2013, when it was preparing itself to recover the #1 spot, all hell broke loose and it went down again. Will it rise again and fight for Number One? It sure has the potential for it... 

Where's Wally? - Looking for EV's in Belgium

Peugeot iOn and Tazzari Zero at a charging station in Brussels

Unlike their northern neighbors, Belgians are a practical bunch when it comes to cars,  preferring utility to any  statement-through-cars, proof of that are all the passenger Citröen Berlingo's and Renault Kangoo's around, with these kind of vehicles ranking regularly in the sales charts.

Are they into electric cars? Do they think EV's are worth it? Is it easy to see plug-in cars on the streets? Let's find out.

Renault Twizy -  With 521 units sold, it's the best selling EV in Belgium, the french moon lander quadricycle is still a rare sight, but they fit right in the well regarded historic neighborhoods of cities like Gent or Brugges. Speaking of Gent, while talking with students from the local university, they showed interest in electric cars, but said that high prices and small range were major turn offs.

Mitsubishi I-Miev family(1) - If we count all three models, this would be the best selling car, but i only saw one, it belonged to Zen Car, a Brussels based car sharing company, it was at a charging station (see picture above). People here see car sharing as a positive thing, saying that it's even more eco-friendly for urbanites than just buying an electric car, referring the limited availability of charging stations as an important factor for the slow sales of EV's.

Opel Ampera - I saw a grey one on the Gent-Brussels highway, after trying to take a picture, i asked my ride if he knew that the Ampera was electric, to which he replied: "Electric, eh? Eco-follies, that's what it is!"


(1) - Includes Peugeot iOn and Citröen C-Zero

EV Business Case - Q1 2013

Tesla Supercharging Stations: Another Out-of-the-Box feature from Elon Musk firm. 

Now that 95% of this year Q1 data is available and looking at the business case of plug in cars, one can say that the only manufacturer making a profit with electric vehicles is Tesla, not only they are selling more than expected, the start up company is also selling each unit with a higher price than predicted, so the Q1 profit only comes as a natural consequence of that.

The rest of the market is trying not to lose much money in each unit sold, research and development costs are high, prices have to be realistic and the number of units sold are below expectations, with some CEO's discontent with these obstacles.

The truth is that it's a long hard road to electric profitability, but some are closer to than others, Nissan is now nearing 60.000 Leaf's sales (and let's not forget the additional 23.000 batteries sold by teammate Renault), allowing them to recover a good part of the investment and along with other measures, reduce the Leaf's price. Now with the production distributed by three factories, if (and that's a big "IF") they can produce some 2.000 units per factory, we are talking 6.000 units a month and 72.000/year, numbers that can put Nissan on the verge of  EV break even point by the end on 2014.

Will the tiny Spark make a difference on GM's electric strategy?

GM is also taking the same path thanks to the Volt project, but it's lagging behind Nissan, right now they are at 40.000 plus units of the Volt family and this year sales are below 2.000 units/month, as the increased competition dents on Volt sales.

GM has two ways to increase the investment recovery: A price reduction to increase sales (Still too early, maybe for the end of the year) or diversification with new models. With the Chevrolet Spark EV and the upcoming Cadillac ELR arriving this year, this looks to be the path followed by The General. If the ELR doesn't need to be a best seller, because of its premium price, for the Spark they will have to sell a lot of them for the model to be important to the GM EV strategy, and right now those large numbers seem rather questionable. For now the break even point for GM looks at least some three years away, maybe on the 2nd gen Volt...

As for Toyota, despite having sold more than 30.000 units of the Prius PHEV, they're not really that deep into plug-ins, regular hybrids are their (profitable) business and the PHEV version is just an extension of that program, so don't expect for Toyota to present new products in this segment, although putting a plug in a Prius Alpha/V/Plus shouldn't be much of an effort, right? (Wink, wink)

Where's Wally? - Looking for EV's in The Netherlands

Nissan Leaf Charging

In the Netherlands the title of this post lost a bit of sense, because i didn't had to look for them, as they were about everywhere, especially white Opel Ampera's, but also Plug in Prius (PiP) and some Leaf's and Mitsubishi i-Miev's.

Opel Ampera - A company favorite due to tax benefits and sweet deals made by Opel, they are now part of the auto landscape, being driven by young executives of both genders and wanting to show their green credentials.

Toyota Prius Plug in -  Also fairly common here, the first posterchild of greeness is also favored by companies interested in tax rebates. It is said that many of these plug-ins are used purely as hybrids because their drivers have fuel payed by their companies, so they don't bother on plugging them...

Fisker Karma -  I only saw one example of this handsome beast, a grey one parked in downtown Rotterdam, at the time i remembered Fisker's sales success in the Netherlands and the taste that dutch drivers have for stylish cars, realizing then: "Tesla will be sooo welcome here!..." 

Mitsubishi I-Miev family and Nissan Leaf - Limited to urban areas, they are still a rare sight and fail to ignite interest from company and private buyers alike.

Where's Wally? - Looking for EV's in Switzerland

My last trip was to Switzerland, one of the few countries in Europe where it's usual to see V6 and V8 powered cars running around the streets, and there i spent some time looking for EV's. When i said that to my swiss colleagues, they looked at me in a strange way and said: "EV's?!? But...Why?...You don't have by any chance a Prius, do you?". When i asked why, they answered me: "Well, here in Switzerland they say that the Prius is for gays..."

With this provocation in mind, i started to look for EV's and wanted to see if those preconceptions were widespread, here's what i found:

Mitsubishi I-Miev - The first EV i saw was a I-Miev in the Geneva Airport running around between lanes and airplanes and if you come to think of it, it's a smart use for EV's, small distances, low speeds, it's like a electric car heaven. The second (and last) car i saw from the I-Miev family was also a company car, so...No private sales here.

Renault Twizy -  The tiny Twizy is different and therefore a good way for companies to advertise, so the few i saw in the middle of big cities had company decals, making express deliveries at the same time they were used as mobile bilboards. And still no private buyers...

Opel Ampera - The one i saw apparently was a private car and after making a remark that the Opel had a plug, the guy that was with me said: "Wow, nice!...It doesn't look like an electric car!". When i asked him about how an electric car looks like, he answered: "Well, you know...Small, slow, flimsy...".

So, for private EV sales to increase here, they should suit the swiss tastes for SUV's and Sport(y) cars. Tesla has a good chance here to shine...

My 2013 EV Preview

Opel Ampera

Based on what the media said that this year was going to be like, with one side, known as tree huggers reporting that EV sales would stratospherically climb to record heights, and some manufacturers hoping saying that this was the year of the electric car, while the other side of the spectrum, like Fox News, was classifying this type of vehicle like a fad, forecasting that sooner than later, they would disappear again in the ocean of bad ideas, just like they did by the end of the 90's, early 00's.

Well, with more than 100.000 units sold from January until November, how does it look the EV market?

First fact: Pure electric cars (BEV) like Nissan Leaf aren't growing that much, if at all, range anxiety is a reality, price tags are still on the high side and they suffer the competition from improved gas powered cars and Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles (PHEV), which leads us to...

Second Fact: Until November, Plug-In Hybrids grew by more than 300%! Not only the Volt family removed Nissan Leaf from the #1 spot this year, but also Toyota Prius PHEV got in it's first year the #2 EV spot, leaving the Nissan in a surprising third place. And for the first time, there were more plug-in hybrid sales (55.000) than pure electrics (52.000). This leads me to think that people prefer to have a middle term between gas and electrics vehicles, even if they have to sacrifice the EV range.

Deep down, both ends of the spectrum were wrong, people didn't started to buy EV's just because they existed, but the electric thing isn't going away anytime soon, as sales keep growing in a steady pace, reaching more and more countries and next year there will be new manufacturers joining the party, with the existing ones reinforcing the investments, contributing for the EV market to grow from the 120.000 units of 2012 to some 180-220.000 by the end of next year.

Let's see some of these new models:

Cadillac ELR - Well, hello gorgeous! One of the most handsome cars to be launched this year and certainly the first Cadillac that doesn't remind of J.R. Ewing of Dallas or rap music celebrities, this is the real entry of the storied marque in the XXI century, too bad it will cost some 60.000$...

GM Springo - It's design didn't came from the future like a Fisker Karma, but being derived from a conventional car can be a quality, especially a popular one like the Chevrolet Sail, because it assures that it can be sold cheaper and in this case, "cheap" is an important asset. Although without a Chevrolet badge, this EV is part of GM's worldwide strategy and was made with the chinese market in mind. If it can crack that market, there's a open road to make it a major EV seller. But that is a big "if".

Renault Zoe - The fourth musketeer in Renault's charge in the electric market, this is the car that will decide if Carlos Ghosn push into BEV was visionary or not. A handsome B segment with 210 kms range for just 21.000 € (plus a monthly battery fee), apparently the Zoe as it all to become the best selling EV in Europe.

Ford C-Max Plug-In - This was launched just a couple of months ago and it's already making an impact on the US market, previewing a great 2013 for Ford on the EV front. Along with the Fusion Plug-in, these two cars will put the Blue Oval as challenger in the US market, preparing the way for a worldwide distribution and become Ford an EV global player.

Tesla Model S - If there is a poster car for the electric revolution, this is it. Great looks on the outside, spacious on the inside, powerful, and above all, with an unparalleled electric range, this is a car intended to be the best car in the world. It's not going to top ranking sales, but it will do wonders for EV visibility.For some reason Toyota and Daimler-Mercedes have agreed collaborations with start-up Tesla...

BYD Qin - Same goal as the Springo, different approach. Instead of a conventional design borrowed from a conventional  gas powered car, this is one stands out (especially the back) and has a Plug-In Hybrid powerplant instead of a pure electric approach. Visually appealing for chinese standards, the Qin has 315 hp in Hybrid mode, making it 2 seconds (0-62 in 6.9s) faster than the Chevrolet Volt. All things considered, it has a real chance to be successful outside its home market. Will it sell more more than its predecessor (F3 DM) in China? Probably, the question is how much.

Roewe E50 - Finally someone other than BYD playing the Plug-In game in China. Despite a low-profile launch last December, this funky little hatch delivered a good starting month at 238 cars, so BYD could have  a worthy contender here.

BMW i3 - The first true electric car from the bavarian maker, when it arrives to the market it will satisfy the ones who look for sporty DNA and the latest in technology (Built with carbon-fiber plastic), but don't mind to pay more for that. The question is how much more urbanites are willing to pay for it.

Volkswagen e-Up! - VW is coming late to the electric party, but it hopes to make an entrance with a splash and one of the first models will be this, an electrified version of the tiny Up!. With a promised price tag of 24.000 €, the e-Up! will help EV's popularity in Europe and especially in Germany, EU's largest market.

Volvo V60 Plug-In Hybrid - One of the favorite combos in Europe are station wagons with a diesel engine, so it isn't rocket science to think that adding electricity to that combination can be a sales success, so Volvo went for it and the first 1.000 units were sold even before the first car was delivered. The carmaker expects to sell 5.000 units in 2013, but i think that in this case actual sales will be stronger than the manufacturer's forecasts.