Volkswagen’s Choice: Fire Union Workers and Cut Costs, or Go Bankrupt

[oil pan 4]

This is not union issue. They can blame unions as much as they want, but others managed to do well with them.
The issues are far deeper than article or two can cover.
1. Germany relied on cheap Russian gas. That driver profits and they really, REALLY did not think through energy independence properly. They abandoned nuclear, bcs. Green party. Fukushima put final nail in the coffin.
2. Regulatory environment in EU is horrid, and they are doubling down on some things.
3. Most importantly, VW got themselves into this mess. It all started with that diesel cheating, they got caught, and now they re panicking last few years. They obliterated Audi and its status, they are wandering with VW. The only thing that works are Skoda and SEAT. Their strategy in the US is absolutely insane. While they offer PHEV and other hybrids in Europe, they never brought them here. They offered Atlas in the beginning only with a VR6 engine, and it was an absolute gas guzzler in that category of vehicles. They never offered PHEV Tiguan here, but they do in Europe. I seriously don't understand it.

Add to this that Germany as a whole is kind of lost in Europe. They are lost in time and space. They don't understand their role in Europe as largest economy and generally largest country in EU. There is a lot of provincial thinking among Gemran leadership and no leadership whatsoever.

They abandoned their own nuclear energy in part to Russia colluding with European environmental terrorist groups.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/russia-funding-environmental-groups-europe-united-state
The ultimate slap in the face will be when Russia builds nuclear power plants just to sell electricity to Germany.

 

[edyvw]

They abandoned their own nuclear energy in part to Russia colluding with European environmental terrorist groups.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/russia-funding-environmental-groups-europe-united-state
The ultimate slap in the face will be when Russia builds nuclear power plants just to sell electricity to Germany.

I know gentlemen quoted in that article and he is bit late to the game.
When the US installed intermediate nuclear force (INF) in 70’s to prevent Russian tank divisions to cross Fulda gap, the anti-nuclear movement was born. It was heavily funded by KGB. KGB actually abandoned that bcs. Three Mile Island happened and anti-nuclear movement kind of got life on its own. They would now and then prol them in 80’s until Chernobyl happened. At that point KGB didn’t have to prop them anymore, and they really couldn’t bcs. their own domestic issues.
So, anti-nuclear movement was a Soviet brainchild. It worked far more effectively than they could ever hope.
FSB And GRU involvement in European affairs are far deeper than just environmental groups. That all started in 2007 when basically Putin told the West that he blames them for everything bad in Russia, saying that collapse of USSR is biggest tragedy of 20th century (forget Holocaust and world wars) balh, blah. At that point Germany supposed to take different route. But, cheap gas….

 

[SC Maintenance]

So you really have to wonder why this story comes out now - 1 day after the old CEO of VW is finally going to trial for the dieselgate fraud.

Control the VW narrative? Or is my tinfoil hat too tight again?

https://mexicobusiness.news/automotive/news/ex-volkswagen-ceo-trial-dieselgate-after-10-years

 

[JeffKeryk]

And dropping "$1-5" billion dollars on Rivian. Moral hazard comes to mind.

No. Rivian needs cash, VW manufacturing and European presence.
VW is far behind on software stack and EV expertise.

“Our customers benefit from the targeted partnership with Rivian to create a leading technology architecture,” Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume said in a joint press release. “Through our cooperation, we will bring the best solutions to our vehicles faster and at lower cost…We are strengthening our technology profile and our competitiveness.”

They need each other. CEO Blume is no dummy. He took over for fired CEO Deiss over software issues. Software that was supposed to be easy...

Tech is the future; the future is now. We are living in a digital world, more and more every day. I understand many don't like this, but change is coming whether you like it or not.
Change is the only constant.

 

[oil pan 4]

I know gentlemen quoted in that article and he is bit late to the game.
When the US installed intermediate nuclear force (INF) in 70’s to prevent Russian tank divisions to cross Fulda gap, the anti-nuclear movement was born. It was heavily funded by KGB. KGB actually abandoned that bcs. Three Mile Island happened and anti-nuclear movement kind of got life on its own. They would now and then prol them in 80’s until Chernobyl happened. At that point KGB didn’t have to prop them anymore, and they really couldn’t bcs. their own domestic issues.
So, anti-nuclear movement was a Soviet brainchild. It worked far more effectively than they could ever hope.
FSB And GRU involvement in European affairs are far deeper than just environmental groups. That all started in 2007 when basically Putin told the West that he blames them for everything bad in Russia, saying that collapse of USSR is biggest tragedy of 20th century (forget Holocaust and world wars) balh, blah. At that point Germany supposed to take different route. But, cheap gas….

Wow I didn't know Russia funding environmental terrorists went back that far. Well that's why Russia stomps out subversion so hard. They know exactly the kind of damage it can do.

 

[oil pan 4]

I know gentlemen quoted in that article and he is bit late to the game.
When the US installed intermediate nuclear force (INF) in 70’s to prevent Russian tank divisions to cross Fulda gap, the anti-nuclear movement was born. It was heavily funded by KGB. KGB actually abandoned that bcs. Three Mile Island happened and anti-nuclear movement kind of got life on its own. They would now and then prol them in 80’s until Chernobyl happened. At that point KGB didn’t have to prop them anymore, and they really couldn’t bcs. their own domestic issues.
So, anti-nuclear movement was a Soviet brainchild. It worked far more effectively than they could ever hope.
FSB And GRU involvement in European affairs are far deeper than just environmental groups. That all started in 2007 when basically Putin told the West that he blames them for everything bad in Russia, saying that collapse of USSR is biggest tragedy of 20th century (forget Holocaust and world wars) balh, blah. At that point Germany supposed to take different route. But, cheap gas….

Do you have that wrapped up in a nice little package to read about?
I know some hard core anti nukes that might go base jumping without a parachute if I can convince them they're spreading Russian propaganda by being anti-nuclear power.

 

[edyvw]

Do you have that wrapped up in a nice little package to read about?
I know some hard core anti nukes that might go base jumping without a parachute if I can convince them they're spreading Russian propaganda by being anti-nuclear power.

I will try to find it. All this is coming from long reports policy papers.
Try to find some work by Ivana Strander. She maybe wrote about it.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

So you really have to wonder why this story comes out now - 1 day after the old CEO of VW is finally going to trial for the dieselgate fraud.

Control the VW narrative? Or is my tinfoil hat too tight again?

https://mexicobusiness.news/automotive/news/ex-volkswagen-ceo-trial-dieselgate-after-10-years

I posted the CNN article a few days ago.

VW Brand is too expensive vs Chinese competitors, they didn't jump on the hybrid train like.everyone else, and consumer EV subsidies had just ended.

 

[oil pan 4]

I will try to find it. All this is coming from long reports policy papers.
Try to find some work by Ivana Strander. She maybe wrote about it.

I didn't even know to look for such a thing. No idea they funded anti nukes groups decades ago in Europe till I was today years old. It doesn't surprise me. Old tricks in a new bag kind thing I guess.

 

[edyvw]

Wow I didn't know Russia funding environmental terrorists went back that far. Well that's why Russia stomps out subversion so hard. They know exactly the kind of damage it can do.

That has been their modus operandi since establishment of Okhrana in 1881.
You saw news today. That is the least surprising development.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

I know gentlemen quoted in that article and he is bit late to the game.
When the US installed intermediate nuclear force (INF) in 70’s to prevent Russian tank divisions to cross Fulda gap, the anti-nuclear movement was born. It was heavily funded by KGB. KGB actually abandoned that bcs. Three Mile Island happened and anti-nuclear movement kind of got life on its own. They would now and then prol them in 80’s until Chernobyl happened. At that point KGB didn’t have to prop them anymore, and they really couldn’t bcs. their own domestic issues.
So, anti-nuclear movement was a Soviet brainchild. It worked far more effectively than they could ever hope.
FSB And GRU involvement in European affairs are far deeper than just environmental groups. That all started in 2007 when basically Putin told the West that he blames them for everything bad in Russia, saying that collapse of USSR is biggest tragedy of 20th century (forget Holocaust and world wars) balh, blah. At that point Germany supposed to take different route. But, cheap gas….

Yep. This is common knowledge and it also doesn't help that I'm there still are areas within former E. Germany still carry some sympathy towards the Russians.

 

[JeffKeryk]

I posted the CNN article a few days ago.

VW Brand is too expensive vs Chinese competitors, they didn't jump on the hybrid train like.everyone else, and consumer EV subsidies had just ended.

CEO Deiss tried to jump on the bandwagon, which was highly software dependent. His software engineers failed and he got canned.

 

[edyvw]

Yep. This is common knowledge and it also doesn't help that I'm there still are areas within former E. Germany still carry some sympathy towards the Russians.

The leader of AfD on Sunday drove himself in Lada Niva to celebrate election success. I guess they are missing that Sunday game: “jump the wall and evade AK-47.”

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

I didn't even know to look for such a thing. No idea they funded anti nukes groups decades ago in Europe till I was today years old. It doesn't surprise me. Old tricks in a new bag kind thing I guess.

https://www.nytimes.com/1983/07/26/...te-antiwar-groups.html?pagewanted=all&mcubz=0

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

The leader of AfD on Sunday drove himself in Lada Niva to celebrate election success. I guess they are missing that Sunday game: “jump the wall and evade AK-47.”

Unbelievable.

 

[cptbarkey]

Tech is the future; the future is now. We are living in a digital world, more and more every day. I understand many don't like this, but change is coming whether you like it or not.
Change is the only constant.

Technobabble didn’t write the article that was posted by OP.

 

[dubber09]

How are they going to be better off? How is that possible? They depend on egomaniac. They were dependent bcs. they decided to abandon nuclear and pass on the south-eastern gas line that is coming from Turkey.
Once Russia invaded Ukraine, everything is fair game. WHat did Russians expect, that they can invade a country and keep doing business as usual? The fact that Germany kept doing business with them after Putin's speech in Munich in 2007 is absolute insanity.

You do realize the gas is still coming from Russia thou thru Turkey? What do you think would happen if Russia cut EU off? They still fulfill the contracts they signed, but they may not renew them, they didn't retaliate after EU froze $300B of their money, they could. Nuclear power? Isn't gonna happen without Russia either, just be real.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

VW should just make better cars. All the money they'd save on warranty claims would prevent them from having to close a factory

 

[JeffKeryk]

Digital transformation is the biggest initiative in manufacturing companies. AI is gonna kick down the door.

Oliver Blume: Transformation in the automotive sector, with the key issues being around digitalization, sustainability, and electric mobility, is the biggest upheaval we have seen in the history of our industry. It's so much more than just changing technology, too: new organization and processes also play a key role.

 

[edyvw]

You do realize the gas is still coming from Russia thou thru Turkey? What do you think would happen if Russia cut EU off? They still fulfill the contracts they signed, but they may not renew them, they didn't retaliate after EU froze $300B of their money, they could. Nuclear power? Isn't gonna happen without Russia either, just be real.

Russia needs to sell more that gas than Eu needs it. The south-eastern line does not involve Russian gas. It is gas from Azerbaijan, going through Turkey, Greece, Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, and Bosnia and to the North.
Yes, they seized 300bln, same as Russians seized billions in Western assets in Russia. That happens in wars, unless someone thought war will be 3 days long.