If they had them developed this far, why did they sell us the current crap for three decades with no signs of EVs?
VW CEO says they’ll have ‘EVs as good as Tesla’s for half the price by 2020’
31–40 of 85 posts
Re: VW CEO says they’ll have ‘EVs as good as Tesla’s for half the price by 2020’
#32Earlier quoted context omitted.
VW produces 10 million regular ICE cars a year. It will take time to shift an entire entrenched organizational culture to focus on EVs...and not just making them, but to make ones that are truly without compromise ("as good as Tesla"). These things aren't easy at all, though it might be tempting to think that it's just a matter of resources. Microsoft had all the resources in the world and still couldn't pull off Bin…
I think you'll find that what VW cares most about is selling cars, not selling ICE cars. If someone proves the market for electric cars viable (thanks Tesla!), VW will not have trouble convincing themselves to make some. In fact, the Audi e-tron is coming out soon and it is based on one of the most popular VW group compact crossovers, which is a much hotter market segment than sedans. I know a lot of Tesla owners and…
> I think you'll find that what VW cares most about is selling cars, not selling ICE cars. If someone proves the market for electric cars viable (thanks Tesla!), VW will not have trouble convincing themselves to make some.
I would also add that even VW's unions backed VW's transition to EV, and actually insisted that VW "invested heavily" in EVs.
And that actually happened way back in 2016
https://www.forbes.com/sites/bertelschmitt/2016/11/18/volksw...
So, claiming that VW will be unable to perform that transition when at this stage the company has been actively shifting its focus for years... It shows a complete lack of understanding of how VW operates and what VW's plans have been for years.
Re: VW CEO says they’ll have ‘EVs as good as Tesla’s for half the price by 2020’
#33Earlier quoted context omitted.
VW produces 10 million regular ICE cars a year. It will take time to shift an entire entrenched organizational culture to focus on EVs...and not just making them, but to make ones that are truly without compromise ("as good as Tesla"). These things aren't easy at all, though it might be tempting to think that it's just a matter of resources. Microsoft had all the resources in the world and still couldn't pull off Bin…
I think you'll find that what VW cares most about is selling cars, not selling ICE cars. If someone proves the market for electric cars viable (thanks Tesla!), VW will not have trouble convincing themselves to make some. In fact, the Audi e-tron is coming out soon and it is based on one of the most popular VW group compact crossovers, which is a much hotter market segment than sedans. I know a lot of Tesla owners and…
Will VW be willing to sacrifice solid profits from its ICE cars for likely lower initial profits for electric cars, similar to how Apple cannibalized its iPod line for the iPhone? I don’t know enough about German management culture but I have not heard it to be particularly dynamic and flexible.
Re: VW CEO says they’ll have ‘EVs as good as Tesla’s for half the price by 2020’
#34I'm sure Tesla will also have EVs as good as Tesla for half the price by 2020. They'll also have a vastly improved super charger network, a mature software ecosystem, a mature direct sales/servicing model, and whatever else they dream up like Powerwall and other systems that can potentially add value to the whole. VW will just be scratching the surface by 2020 while Tesla will likely continue sprinting ahead.
When EV gets popular enough won't all petrol station install chargers too? When this happens the super charger network will not be a large advantage. The only issue I see is if each company creates it's own "super/fast" charging system and DRMs it for "security" reasons.
Re: VW CEO says they’ll have ‘EVs as good as Tesla’s for half the price by 2020’
#35I wish. I'd pay a lot if someone would make a good e-version of a "boring" car like a Golf. No huge center-mounted display, no app store, no forced remote updates, no DRM locking me out of reparing my own car. If they keep the sensors for partially automated driving as a better cruise control, I'm fine with that. Unfortunately, the current e-Golf is just a regular Golf poorly converted to electric, way too expensive…
This. I'm also waiting for this. A Golf with electric range as much as a Tesla, with supercharging like charging capabilities will be the best...
> A Golf with electric range as much as a Tesla, with supercharging like charging capabilities will be the best...
VW's e-golf is advertised as having a 140 mile range. It's noticeably lower than Tesla's advertised range of 200 mile but as it's a city car designed for the european market I'm not sure it's relevant. I mean, in some european countries that's more than enough to drive through the entire nation.
Re: VW CEO says they’ll have ‘EVs as good as Tesla’s for half the price by 2020’
#36I'm sure Tesla will also have EVs as good as Tesla for half the price by 2020. They'll also have a vastly improved super charger network, a mature software ecosystem, a mature direct sales/servicing model, and whatever else they dream up like Powerwall and other systems that can potentially add value to the whole. VW will just be scratching the surface by 2020 while Tesla will likely continue sprinting ahead.
Sure but VW produces 10 Million a year. Tesla 100k. VW hast way more: experience, capacity, people, money. They can probably do that.
You‘d think they could also sell cars without fraudulent software then, wouldn’t you? The question is whether they‘re prepared to lose money doing it or are just making more dishonest claims as usual.
Re: VW CEO says they’ll have ‘EVs as good as Tesla’s for half the price by 2020’
#37Re: VW CEO says they’ll have ‘EVs as good as Tesla’s for half the price by 2020’
#38Does anyone else think traditional manufacturers will initially sell their EV's at a loss or low profit margin to get a bigger foothold in the market, being propped up by their sales of diesel/petrol cars.
Re: VW CEO says they’ll have ‘EVs as good as Tesla’s for half the price by 2020’
#39I'm sure Tesla will also have EVs as good as Tesla for half the price by 2020. They'll also have a vastly improved super charger network, a mature software ecosystem, a mature direct sales/servicing model, and whatever else they dream up like Powerwall and other systems that can potentially add value to the whole. VW will just be scratching the surface by 2020 while Tesla will likely continue sprinting ahead.
Tesla probably won’t be able to churn out the millions of EV a year the chinese Market demands. Someone else will do it and become an EV giant. My bets are not on VW though.
Re: VW CEO says they’ll have ‘EVs as good as Tesla’s for half the price by 2020’
#40I'm sure Tesla will also have EVs as good as Tesla for half the price by 2020. They'll also have a vastly improved super charger network, a mature software ecosystem, a mature direct sales/servicing model, and whatever else they dream up like Powerwall and other systems that can potentially add value to the whole. VW will just be scratching the surface by 2020 while Tesla will likely continue sprinting ahead.
This episode [0] from a16z doesn't fully agree with that sentiment. It has to do with the commodification of EV parts and EV services, allowing traditional market players to catch up with the disruptors.
[0] https://a16z.com/2018/09/17/hallway-conversation-tesla-disru...