This may be of interest to you ...
There Will Be Blood — Peter Mertens, Former Head of Audi R&D: “We All Did Sleep”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3855522/posts
Tesla auto’s are really pretty simple. All the high tech and is done up front in R&D. Beyond the battery there isn’t any exotic materials or complex machining.
Without a doubt today’s conventional electronics/plastics are beyond stupid. A computerized device controls door lovks, ac vents, brakes, accellerator, suspension, motor, kill switches all over the place, et all, in the name of luxury.
Its all about planned obsolescence.
BMW/Merc are the biggest, the you have Chinese Range Rovers that are incredibly buggy.