VW EV sales tops Tesla in Germany

Apparently worldwide according to what I read. I was hoping for an 8.5 refresh similar to the 7.5. A little freshening up but no major changes. I’m sure it’ll be more power with the hybrid but the powertrain mentioned is already used in Audi products and doesn’t have a manual. It was already speculated that the manual would die with this refresh before the hybrid news was released. I already still prefer my interior to the Mk8 so I just might keep mine and start modifying next year. I was planning suspension and wheels already but once out of warranty I’ll likely tune it and remove the front resonator.
I was in Europe earlier this year and find that hard to believe. It was like a 10-1 ratio of manuals to automatics in the cars I looked into. I looked in a lot cars because so many of them are unavailable here in the USA. Need to import a Dacia Sandero for obvious reasons. Of course they were the cars parked on the street and may not represent the whole population.
 
Slowing production due to slower sales makes good business sense unlike the Big 2 that keep cranking vehicles out no matter what.

The ideal production setup is a flexible one that can assemble any vehicle on the same line with the flexibility of increasing production on particular models if demand goes up. Some automobile companies have this capability.
The biggest production problems (aka cost) to manage are procurement and workforce. A fluctuating manufacturing schedule plays havoc with suppliers, inventory and human resources. It is a horrible factory utilization.
This is why the corporate forecast is critical.

The only way to have the mfg line you speak of is if the vehicles were so similar and options were very few.
 
I was in Europe earlier this year and find that hard to believe. It was like a 10-1 ratio of manuals to automatics in the cars I looked into. I looked in a lot cars because so many of them are unavailable here in the USA. Need to import a Dacia Sandero for obvious reasons. Of course they were the cars parked on the street and may not represent the whole population.
I understand that they're still more popular for the average person there, but VW has been weird on the manuals. The US is one of the few markets where we can get a manual Golf R. Almost every market with the R is DSG only. The GTI so far has retained the manual, but if the news is true for it going hybrid unless they're going to adapt the manual for the hybrid we'll likely not get one. I have the DSG now and I like it, I see it as the best case scenario for an automatic, but I would prefer a manual next time.

I still like the Mk8. I'll see if it's enough to buy one if they have a manual next Monday when I'm in for service while I have time to kill. I'll give the 8.5 refresh a try if I don't decide to get the current model, but I'm not in a rush because I don't see how I could beat my current one.
 
The biggest production problems (aka cost) to manage are procurement and workforce. A fluctuating manufacturing schedule plays havoc with suppliers, inventory and human resources. It is a horrible factory utilization.
This is why the corporate forecast is critical.

The only way to have the mfg line you speak of is if the vehicles were so similar and options were very few.


Not necessarily true. The automaker can design a chassis that can be used on multiple cars. There is some commonality between models.
 
Not necessarily true. The automaker can design a chassis that can be used on multiple cars. There is some commonality between models.
Not only that but making some of it modular that still allows interchangeability on parts. A good platform that saves money by allowing differentiation between models can go along way for making a number of unique products. This is the model VW started with from the beginning.
 
The biggest production problems (aka cost) to manage are procurement and workforce. A fluctuating manufacturing schedule plays havoc with suppliers, inventory and human resources. It is a horrible factory utilization.
This is why the corporate forecast is critical.

The only way to have the mfg line you speak of is if the vehicles were so similar and options were very few.
In 1960 Chevrolet alone (not all of GM) made 1.6 million cars not including Corvair, El Camino, vans and trucks, many models, lots of drive train and comfort option on every model and that was with no modern robotics or JIT parts delivery, over 60 years ago. Some plants had different model lines being built in the same plant at the same time.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/?p=34031
 
In 1960 Chevrolet alone (not all of GM) made 1.6 million cars not including Corvair, El Camino, vans and trucks, many models, lots of drive train and comfort option on every model and that was with no modern robotics or JIT parts delivery, over 60 years ago. Some plants had different model lines being built in the same plant at the same time.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/?p=34031
Look at the undermining of union contracts and layoffs and you'll see the answer to that. Good pay and incentive to work hard goes a long way in production. To be fair though most of those parts were made by companies in the US, some of them right next door to Chevrolet's plant. Most of that is gone now, towns dead from them backing out completely from some that are nearby me and most of the companies supplying parts outsourced to other countries. The Chicoms come to mind. 😂
 
In 1960 Chevrolet alone (not all of GM) made 1.6 million cars not including Corvair, El Camino, vans and trucks, many models, lots of drive train and comfort option on every model and that was with no modern robotics or JIT parts delivery, over 60 years ago. Some plants had different model lines being built in the same plant at the same time.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/?p=34031
Yep, and they have learned from their past mistakes.
These were some of the worst times for GM from a manufacturing standpoint. There were literally millions of BOMs to cover all the options. The production, service and spare parts inventories grew to nightmarish levels. Cars stopped the lines due to shortages. Complexity forced costly specialized manufacturing engineering and fittment failures.

This led to option groups which were started by Toyota and Honda and is the norm today. Today cars are made much faster with higher quality due to optimization, especially part interchangibility and reuse. This is especially true due to the rise of electronics in vehicles. Think of wiring harnesses...

The key is in the Master Production Schedule and Manufacturing Optimization.
 
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Yep, and they have learned from their past mistakes.
These were some of the worst times for GM from a manufacturing standpoint. There were literally millions of BOMs to cover all the options. The production, service and spare parts inventories grew to nightmarish levels. Cars stopped the lines due to shortages. Complexity forced costly specialized manufacturing engineering and fittment failures.

This led to option groups which were started by Toyota and Honda and is the norm today. Today cars are made much faster with higher quality due to optimization, especially part interchangibility and reuse. This is especially true due to the rise of electronics in vehicles. Think of wiring harnesses...

The key is in the Master Production Schedule and Manufacturing Optimization.
Well that leaves Tesla out, one thing Tesla is not is quality.
 
Yep, and they have learned from their past mistakes.
These were some of the worst times for GM from a manufacturing standpoint. There were literally millions of BOMs to cover all the options. The production, service and spare parts inventories grew to nightmarish levels. Cars stopped the lines due to shortages. Complexity forced costly specialized manufacturing engineering and fittment failures.

This led to option groups which were started by Toyota and Honda and is the norm today. Today cars are made much faster with higher quality due to optimization, especially part interchangibility and reuse. This is especially true due to the rise of electronics in vehicles. Think of wiring harnesses...

The key is in the Master Production Schedule and Manufacturing Optimization.
And how does one order a Tesla with Master Optimized leather seating? Easy to make one car with no options cheaply, yet that is not what the Germans want apparently, judging by what they are buying.
 
If it's about Tesla @Trav hates it. If you have hate in your heart brother, let it out! 😂
@Trav contributions to this site and to me have been incredibly valuable. His hate for Tesla, (maybe for EVs in general, not sure) is silly.
If you don't want one, don't buy one. It's not that hard...

But apparently many people do like Teslas, because they are #1 in customer satisfaction surveys and customer retention. That means they are continuing to take market share.
 
@Trav contributions to this site and to me have been incredibly valuable. His hate for Tesla, (maybe for EVs in general, not sure) is silly.
If you don't want one, don't buy one. It's not that hard...

But apparently many people do like Teslas, because they are #1 in customer satisfaction surveys and customer retention. That means they are continuing to take market share.
I think he's a good dude, I just think his energy is a bit misguided.
 
Tesla sells more EVs than BMW, Porsche-Audi and MBZ combined.
BMW Porsche-Audi and MBZ all offer leather. And heads up display. And chassis that aren’t a decade old. And switches. Tesla is great for the masses I guess. Like the VW bug ,it might sell a lot, but it’s a far cry from being the best. That’s why they are losing in Germany.
 

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BMW Porsche-Audi and MBZ all offer leather. And heads up display. And chassis that aren’t a decade old. And switches. Tesla is great for the masses I guess. Like the VW bug ,it might sell a lot, but it’s a far cry from being the best. That’s why they are losing in Germany.
Tesla is not trying to be like other car companies. Leaders don't follow.
 
Pretty sure when the math is all done and VW+ Audi+Seat+Skoda+Porsche the VAG as a group sells 50% more EVs in Germany than Tesla.
 
Pretty sure when the math is all done and VW+ Audi+Seat+Skoda+Porsche the VAG as a group sells 50% more EVs in Germany than Tesla.
But they're not good EVs. If you want a good VW, literally buy anything else they make. The Taycan seems to be great, but the price is on another planet.
 
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