Trouble at mill... Vw on the rocks

[fredgroves]

Don't know if you've all seen this but it looks like VW's days might be numbered...

https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/sep/07/an-earthquake-at-volkswagen-and-a-crisis-for-germany

[SRGTD]

I’d not seen that article, although I did see a similar, very condensed article that was posted on golfmk7.com forum a few days ago.

The whole car industry is going through tumultuous times; ongoing strategic changes by vehicle manufacturers around EV their development and production plans, cheap Chinese imports, reduced customer demand to name but three factors.

I think it’s inevitable that large companies such as VW need to make cost efficiencies for the sake of their long term survival, and unfortunately that may mean downsizing.

Interesting times……….

[fredgroves]

Yes I've read a few different versions of the story but that one had some interesting details.

I only learnt this week that Wolfsberg was originally called Stadt des KdF-Wagens bei Fallersleben... And it was basically a car plant and a whole supporting town for the workers built from scratch (by the Nazis)

[Adam T7]

My hypothesis (for what it’s worth) is that the vast majority of 20 - 40 year olds don’t care about cars, they are a commodity, not something that is a pleasure and an aspiration to own. 45 ish years ago myself and all my mates couldn’t wait to pass our Driving Tests and buy a car, now kids prefer an Uber or an EV that’s about as exciting to own as a fridge. Price wise, it’s race to the bottom that the SE Asian countries will always win. Very sad IMO☹️

[willni]

It definitely has nothing to do with their poor designs, high prices, cost cutting and over saturation of the same cars but on the stilts.

I rarely see a T-Roc on the road let alone a T-Cross which is smaller again same with all their tiny SUV's. They need to slim down their product range and keep the core cars: Polo, Golf, Passat, Tiguan, Touareg, Transporter. Ditch the dopey looking electric ones and make them look normal cars rather than ugly spaceships.

[The_Doc]

Don’t know where you live, but round here I see nothing but T-rocs, T-cross, Tiguans, and the seat and Skoda alternatives. I see almost no polos, and golfs are getting thinner on the ground.

[DSGboy]

Round my way there is a huge  preference for SUV, Crossover, 4WD type cars from Juke, T-Roc, Q2 etc up over to top level Range Rovers and the like.
Raised driving position is a winner. Liked by nearly all.   No longer the preserve of the er,  tall,older, heavier or less active it seems.
Hatches are very much last generation, past fashion.
Not for this one tho!

[SRGTD]

Round my way there is a huge  preference for SUV, Crossover, 4WD type cars from Juke, T-Roc, Q2 etc up over to top level Range Rovers and the like.
Raised driving position is a winner. Liked by nearly all.   No longer the preserve of the er,  tall,older, heavier or less active it seems.
Hatches are very much last generation, past fashion.
Not for this one tho!

I fit into your ‘older’ category (but none of the other three categories ) and it’ll always be a hatch for me too, assuming car manufacturers continue to build them.

[fredgroves]

Fashions come and go... Take the veritable repmobile... Gone! Replaced with mpv's... Also gone!

The hatch other than the smaller fiesta sized one will be gone too I suggest...

VW's biggest error was while making an early push for electric they missed the cheap electric vehicle... Which probably would have sold loads. Left it to the Chinese to do it.

Their other problem was that for some time the Chinese bought vw cars but now they have a booming domestic selection.

[joe6]

Looks as though vw are also ditching their independent software organisation to develop a joint one with rivian. The failure is put down to competition internally and egoism.