VW to cut 60% of their models, sez Finance Chief

[wemay]

VW in US is having an incredible year. The lack of availability from other makes has people buying Tiguans and Atlas making a strong sales year. All car makers are figuring out make the profitable models / versions to order instead of flooding car lots hoping they sell.

Where are you getting your information?
This is from VWoA

https://media.vw.com/en-us/releases/1670

...and this from GoodCarBadCar...

https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2022-us-suv-sales-figures-by-model/

 

[pbm]

As they say: focus on the things that are actively within your control. Those are the levers that will impact your personal success.

Worrying about geopolitical issues and using them as excuses for your own issues will not help your personal situation.

"Geopolitical issues" have us on the verge of WW3....everybody should be worried about that. What 'issues' of mine are you referring to?

 

[KGMtech]

When's the last time you owned or drove a current gen VW? This isn't 2000...

I owned a 2004 Passat for 14 years from new. Enough plastic coolant parts failed from VAG biodegradable plastics to support my observation.

 

[The Critic]

I owned a 2004 Passat for 14 years from new. Enough plastic coolant parts failed from VAG biodegradable plastics to support my observation.

Their plastic parts still are not great, but I think they are a bit better than the 2000's era. However, it seems like their mechanical bits are even less reliable than before.

"Geopolitical issues" have us on the verge of WW3....everybody should be worried about that. What 'issues' of mine are you referring to?

I was indirectly referring to your comment about working-class Americans who are already being stretched to the max due to spending habits of their own choice.

 

[TiGeo]

I owned a 2004 Passat for 14 years from new. Enough plastic coolant parts failed from VAG biodegradable plastics to support my observation.

Again, as said above numerous times now in this thread - your experience with an older VW, your 2004 VW in this case, is about as relevant to this convo as my '03 B5.5 W8 Passat or '00 MK4 Jetta. Please keep this relevant to 2022. MK7 Golf platform doesn't share any issues with those older VWs. How hard is this? The Jetta's interior completely fell apart after 14 years...again...totally irrelevant to the OPs question about a MK8 GTI.

 

[KGMtech]

Again, as said above numerous times now in this thread - your experience with an older VW, your 2004 VW in this case, is about as relevant to this convo as my '03 B5.5 W8 Passat or '00 MK4 Jetta. Please keep this relevant to 2022. MK7 Golf platform doesn't share any issues with those older VWs. How hard is this? The Jetta's interior completely fell apart after 14 years...again...totally irrelevant to the OPs question about a MK8 GTI.

You need to review the original post that started this thread, and then compare my original comment to that starting post.

 

[pbm]

Their plastic parts still are not great, but I think they are a bit better than the 2000's era. However, it seems like their mechanical bits are even less reliable than before.


I was indirectly referring to your comment about working-class Americans who are already being stretched to the max due to spending habits of their own choice.

I'm not talking about those Americans who have every 'toy' imaginable (I know plenty of them)....I'm talking about Americans who can't afford their rent...many forced to live with their parents even after marriage. These are Americans with 'good jobs' too.

 

[pbm]

Their plastic parts still are not great, but I think they are a bit better than the 2000's era. However, it seems like their mechanical bits are even less reliable than before.


I was indirectly referring to your comment about working-class Americans who are already being stretched to the max due to spending habits of their own choice.

I'm not talking about those Americans who have every 'toy' imaginable (I know plenty of them)....I'm talking about Americans who can't afford their rent...many forced to live with their parents even after marriage. Many of these young people have so-called 'good jobs' too.

 

[Stumpy]

VW=German Pontiacs!

 

[JeffKeryk]

VW=German Pontiacs!

I love Pontiacs! Gimme a 65 - 67 Goat baby!

 

[JeffKeryk]

My post was about the VW business model change, as presented by their Finance Officer.
Basically, they are cutting low margin products to reduce complexity and focus on what is working for them (the money makers). This is a reengineering of their company, top to bottom.
This will enable the change over to EV production. In business, a company has limited resources to spread over various Business Units and must make decisions they deem necessary for the long term success of the company.

I wish them luck.

 

[TiGeo]

You need to review the original post that started this thread, and then compare my original comment to that starting post.

I have reviewed your comments/the OP. I still don't see the relevance to discussion 20 year old issues with VWs in this discussion in 2022 of VW moving more upscale. Have you owned or driven a current gen VW? They aren't having plastics quality issues that I can see like the ones you are referring to.

 

[Schandyman]

From Automotive News Europe:
BERLIN -- Volkswagen Group will axe 60 percent of its combustion-powered models by the end of the decade and sell fewer cars overall to concentrate on producing more profitable premium vehicles, finance chief Arno Antlitz told the Financial Times.
"The key target is not growth," Antlitz said. "We are (more focused) on quality and on margins, rather than on volume and market share."

VW sells about 10M cars per year, right up there with Toyota and GM. But most of their overall margins are low (5 to 7%), perhaps barely profitable in the US market.
The old strategy of volume discounting just is not viable going foreward.
Hence the strategy shift from volume and market share to quality and margins.
VW has about 100 different models and will drop about 60 of them in the next 8 years.

Many differing products involves procurement and operational complexities.

If this cuts the future prices of their ev’s as a shareholder of vw im curious to see how this will go. Im definitely getting in-line for the ev microbus.

 

[joekingcorvette]

If I were to buy an EV it would be a Tesla or a Toyota however my wife is looking at the new Jeep Grand Cherokee hybrid. I wish VW the best however I won't be buying one. Hopefully VW will continue to be competition for all the other automakers out there.

 

[Quantico]

Vw cars are poorly designed and not reliable. So make them more expensive if you want. I have owned 2 of them.. never again

 

[KrisZ]

I'm not talking about those Americans who have every 'toy' imaginable (I know plenty of them)....I'm talking about Americans who can't afford their rent...many forced to live with their parents even after marriage. Many of these young people have so-called 'good jobs' too.

If they have good jobs, then their spending habits are out of control.

Many of these young adults are thought to “worry” about many things, except the consequences of their own actions or their competencies.

They put a lot of time and effort into virtue signaling on various social platforms instead of working on themselves and improving their own situation.

 

[Quantico]

Vw with current problems would be better off sending the us many compact basic cars with efficient gas engines. They can mark them up 10 percent and make great money while suppling reasonable cars.

 

[jhs914]

If you want that, you need to change their environmental regulations; which require plastic to degrade so as to limit landfill waste

What is the process where plastic is removed from junk cars and sent to the landfill? I thought they were sent to the crusher then melted down for scrap.

 

[grampi]

Though people keep telling me I'm crazy for saying so, I honestly believe auto makers want to produce as few different models as possible to streamline their production lines and increase profits. If it was up to them, everyone would be driving the same model...

 

[wpod]

Focused on quality eh? does this mean VW plastics will become durable?

Buzz words to fool the consumers.