Volkswagen no longer competitive
- Thread starter Shel_B
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More to come with dependency on more expensive energy, last year was just the beginning.
VW was making bank off the China market. They were one of the first brands in and had (still have, actually) huge positive brand reception.
However, a few decades in, domestic Chinese automakers have cast off their stigma of being second-rate knock-offs and have their own positive brand image.
As China transitions toward EVs, the combination of changing consumer perceptions toward domestic Chinese automakers, plus the incentives these domestic automakers receive from the government, the Chinese money machine may be going away for legacy automakers.
However, a few decades in, domestic Chinese automakers have cast off their stigma of being second-rate knock-offs and have their own positive brand image.
As China transitions toward EVs, the combination of changing consumer perceptions toward domestic Chinese automakers, plus the incentives these domestic automakers receive from the government, the Chinese money machine may be going away for legacy automakers.
"However, the bulk of the €10 billion savings goal would be achieved through measures other than staff reductions, Kilian added, with the full details to be defined by the end of the year."
33 gauge fenders here we come.
33 gauge fenders here we come.
they are competitive. it simply depend of what market. and they have very different lineups of vehicles. i find their north American lineup very boring. in Europe, they have incredible lineup of vehicles. they have the mighty Touareg while we have the mediocre Atlas. if i lived in Europe, i would own a volkswagen product.
How many factories in Germany did VW close in past 1.5 years?
Sure a lot of VW crossovers here for them to not be competitive. Sure I'm not as enthusiastic about their lineup these days, but they seem to have the bread and butter BS crossover market down that I hate so much.
The GTI and Golf R exist for now. I don't like the current car as much as the previous one, but it's still great.
The GTI and Golf R exist for now. I don't like the current car as much as the previous one, but it's still great.
Well, the Brand chief himself of VW doesn't agree with your optimism. It could be a public shaming tactic against his own employees that he read in some book, but if i were a VW shareholder I'd give him the boot because it sounds pretty uncreative when brand / marketing folk are supposed to be creative.
I worked for VW a long time ago. They were a great company and the mostly German executives treated their employees like an American family. They taught me a lot about cars, philosophy and even a little German. VW was proud of their very honest products as they should have been. They even published a quarterly magazine called 'Small World'. Owners and employees were always eager to get a copy. Somewhere along the line something has changed. Perhaps sociologist Max Weber would say their gemeinshaft has become gesellshaft.
VW has sold its soul.
VW has sold its soul.
.
Maybe the diesel gate situation, caused some issues that aren't over yet
That whole thing was like almost 8 years ago. Doubtful.
I'd like to buy a VW. I've rented several. Their products are nice to drive. But first let them improve their products' reliability, repairability and (especially) the dealer network.
I've told this story before: One of my contractors had a VW Golf (or Jetta) diesel. He really like it but lived a long way from work so he put a lot of miles on it in hardly any time. One day the rear window blew out as it was sitting in the company's (supervised) parking lot. It was in warranty by time but out of warranty by miles.
The dealer refused to have anything to do with warranty and charged him the full retail price for new glass. It was a lot of money. Tell me how a window wears out because of miles.
He immediately sold the car and swore he'd never buy another VW.
I've told this story before: One of my contractors had a VW Golf (or Jetta) diesel. He really like it but lived a long way from work so he put a lot of miles on it in hardly any time. One day the rear window blew out as it was sitting in the company's (supervised) parking lot. It was in warranty by time but out of warranty by miles.
The dealer refused to have anything to do with warranty and charged him the full retail price for new glass. It was a lot of money. Tell me how a window wears out because of miles.
He immediately sold the car and swore he'd never buy another VW.
I'm irked that they killed off the manual transmission option on the gti and Golf R. In the usa and Canada it was a 50-52% take rate. The new Euro 7 or whatever emissions regulations were supposedly the reason. The manual transmission produced a scant .2 grams more co2 per km over the dsg. Really kill off an entire option because of that?
Nick1994
$100 site donor 2024
Not surprising.
I feel like Volkswagen is the Nissan or Mitsubishi of the European cars.
I feel like Volkswagen is the Nissan or Mitsubishi of the European cars.
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Uhm, no they didn't.
On VW.ca, you can still get a Golf R/GTI with a 6 speed manual.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
Guys, read the article carefully.
It is VW, NOT Skoda, Seat, etc.
This was in the making for some time and it is purely a management screw-up. Dieselgate, which cost VW $42 billion really exerted pain.
But, for most forum members it is hard to understand what Skoda did to VW. VW basically made Skoda cheaper VW. You are getting the same vehicle, just it is no non-sense car. Basically, what most people want. Then VW ended up in a situation where Skoda is the preferred brand over VW. I owned two brand new Skoda Octavia's which were basically no non-sense Golf V at that time or Jetta. I did not even think to go the VW route. Also, for whatever reason, VW gave some independence to Skoda, so they managed to introduce their own practical solutions. So now, police in Britain drive Skoda, etc.
SEAT lately is doing really good, Porsche always did good. IMO biggest issue is VW/Audi, and Audi is really not competitive anymore in the luxury segment as it was 10yrs ago. VW is wandering around. Some decisions are beyond ridiculous. They are offering for example Tiguan hybrid models in Europe, but not in the US. They did not push Atlas hybrid although pairing 2.0T would be an excellent choice. Probably platform cannot support it, but the same platform in Europe is utilized for the Tiguan hybrid. Partly is the culture in the US of not stepping in Audi territory and trying to protect Audi like it is some sacred cow. But, Audi is not delivering, and VW is not delivering. So, they definitely need a different approach, but it seems they are struggling to actually find a course and stick to it.
It is VW, NOT Skoda, Seat, etc.
This was in the making for some time and it is purely a management screw-up. Dieselgate, which cost VW $42 billion really exerted pain.
But, for most forum members it is hard to understand what Skoda did to VW. VW basically made Skoda cheaper VW. You are getting the same vehicle, just it is no non-sense car. Basically, what most people want. Then VW ended up in a situation where Skoda is the preferred brand over VW. I owned two brand new Skoda Octavia's which were basically no non-sense Golf V at that time or Jetta. I did not even think to go the VW route. Also, for whatever reason, VW gave some independence to Skoda, so they managed to introduce their own practical solutions. So now, police in Britain drive Skoda, etc.
SEAT lately is doing really good, Porsche always did good. IMO biggest issue is VW/Audi, and Audi is really not competitive anymore in the luxury segment as it was 10yrs ago. VW is wandering around. Some decisions are beyond ridiculous. They are offering for example Tiguan hybrid models in Europe, but not in the US. They did not push Atlas hybrid although pairing 2.0T would be an excellent choice. Probably platform cannot support it, but the same platform in Europe is utilized for the Tiguan hybrid. Partly is the culture in the US of not stepping in Audi territory and trying to protect Audi like it is some sacred cow. But, Audi is not delivering, and VW is not delivering. So, they definitely need a different approach, but it seems they are struggling to actually find a course and stick to it.
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