Posted on 09/02/2024 7:59:05 PM PDT by Robwin
Volkswagen is contemplating factory closures in Germany for the first time as it grapples with increasing pressure from cheaper Asian competitors. This development signifies a major conflict between Chief Executive Oliver Blume and influential company unions, which have a history of blocking management decisions.
The company's works council has identified a large vehicle plant and a component factory as obsolete, vowing strong opposition to the executive board's plans. Lower Saxony, Volkswagen's second-largest shareholder, supports a review of potential closures, increasing tensions within the company.
Facing decreased competitiveness, a challenging economic environment, and aggressive Chinese automakers entering Europe, Volkswagen plans to cut costs by 10 billion euros by 2026. The decline in market value, particularly in China, its largest market, highlights the urgency for Volkswagen to innovate or risk further losses.
(Excerpt) Read more at devdiscourse.com ...
With all the regulations (climate and otherwise), an air-cooled rear-engined car would not be tenable to keep building. The left did it.
And there’s only one God.
If someone would build a dependable -solid- car, without an 18 inch touchscreen, with dozens of drop down menus, all kinds of online crap, and put in radios with push buttons and knobs, and without 15 cameras on it... with a commensurate price tag, they would be astonished at how many they sold.
The price of energy drives up the cost of everything.
Labor, material, and outsourced parts.
It is the energy embargo that did this.
And an in-dash CD player.
Funny, I saw a video of a customized van , (South Korea), it was all about how many screens they had , the drop down menus and the camera system, lol.
>> Asian competitors
Not to be confused with the Asian losers that invaded Europe
Toyota has one we can’t buy in the US.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.motor1.com/news/698055/toyota-13000-dollar-hilux-champ/amp/
I have never been a volkswagon guy, surprisingly never even owned one, although some guy begged be to buy a phaeton from him for 3k a few months ago. if I had room to play with it back then I might have.
The old pickup truck we knew just as the “Toyota Pickup” (1972-1995) was named the Hilux overseas. Generally, the Tacoma is of similar dimensions.
The “chicken tax” appears to have outlived whatever usefulness it might have had, if any.
The look nice, but Ford tends to be more reliable mechanically.
No hustle. No muscle. No sweat. Euro Girly men, sitzpinklers with designer man purses and 'manpons'.
Had a ‘90 GTI. Shed undecipherable $50 plastic parts. Needed a head job at 100K. Got rid of it at 180K. Was pretty zippy, but when I got a Honda S2000 later I saw the light.
It’s EVs. BYD, which is completely subsidized by the Chinese govt + their huge advantage in EV battery sourcing/manufacturing, is kicking the West’s ass.
Get rid mandates tied to The Religion of Electric Vehicles/Climate Change, their competitiveness “magically” returns.
They shouldn’t have given up the nuke plants and they should be demanding free LNG from the US until Nordstream is repaired.
Bullet dodged! That’s the Bentley Flying Spur with a VW badge on it. They break ALL the damned time, and parts are stupidly expensive.
This is intended as part of China’s economic strategy to destroy manufacturing sector by sector, country by country through subsidized low prices. The hook is that once other countries lose manufacturing capacity, China will be in the driver’s seat on a wide range of industrial products. In an Trump II administration, Europe and the US will find themselves more closely aligned on economic, trade, and defense policies as to China.
Volkswagen has terrible designs. No Thanks.
I heartily agree. I had to drive my daughter’s 2024 Hyundai Kona the other day. I thought I’d go crazy with all the digital stuff. Everything is electric even though it’s gas powered. Even the parking brake is electric. I’d almost wish for my 73 Maverick.
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