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Volkswagen cuts jobs as demand for EVs plunges

fortune.com

41–50 of 140 posts

Re: Volkswagen cuts jobs as demand for EVs plunges

#41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They just cut the price on the model x and s. They have thousands of model ys with discounts on their website as they are waiting to be sold at a dealership. That not even including all the huge promotions on the model 3. I wouldn't say Tesla isn't at least slowing down based on their nearly 3 month old earnings report.

And both model S and X have been completely discontinued in the UK due to the lack of interest. The only Tesla you can order here is a model 3, and it's got fierce competition from other brands.

That's incorrect. You can order a Model Y.

https://www.tesla.com/en_gb/modely

More accurate on the S/X to say they're not enough demand in RHD. Same reason they're not available in Australia.

Re: Volkswagen cuts jobs as demand for EVs plunges

#42

Who is buying a new car these days anyway? Maybe the older generation who are living in their cheap paid off homes. But i dont know anyone below 50 who ever bought a new car. 50k for a small refrigerator? Compared to a 10 year old bigger car for 15k with similar operating costs and no hassle.

Having mostly owned 10+yo cars, there is a significant repair cost that randomly recurs. And the frequency trends upward with the car age.

Re: Volkswagen cuts jobs as demand for EVs plunges

#43

Who is buying a new car these days anyway? Maybe the older generation who are living in their cheap paid off homes. But i dont know anyone below 50 who ever bought a new car. 50k for a small refrigerator? Compared to a 10 year old bigger car for 15k with similar operating costs and no hassle.

I bought a new car in April of 2020 and it was a screaming deal. Paid 3k under MSRP for a prestige trim and the total price was in the 20s. Maybe your friends just don't know a buying opportunity when it comes around?

Re: Volkswagen cuts jobs as demand for EVs plunges

#44
Working in Tech, I love a lot about electric cars. I just have a few issues I cannot seem to overcome (this is a personal ME thing about EV's and some new gas vehicles, your mileage may vary....pun intended).

All new cars spy on you (well most do), but EV's are completely software driven and seem to be more intrusive. I want a car I can connect to the internet when I want to for updates and that is it. I also want android auto and the apple one for my wife, I do not want a proprietary (Tesla) entertainment system.

I want right to repair. It is my car if I spend that much on it, I want to do to it whatever I want.

I want all the equipment in the car to work when i purchase it and no monthly fees (I get it for XM Radio, I am talking like seat heaters and such).

For some reason it also irritates me Tesla can increase mileage with a flip of a switch (Like they were going to do in Florida for a hurricane a while back). So you are telling me they could of been build with smaller batteries and save money and the environment, but they were not so you could have a software upgrade (or was that a monthly payment as well). Also the fact Tesla can remote disable my vehicle, and purchased upgrades do not transfer to the new owner.

I can probably go on and on with my whining, but that is why i still have 2 gas guzzlers and a motorcycle (newest vehicle is 2008, 2005 Honda van has 270,000 miles on it). They are paid for an yes a little maintenance here and there but that is not enough to make me spend $30k + on an electric vehicle.

Re: Volkswagen cuts jobs as demand for EVs plunges

#45
post #5

Correction: ...as demand for non-Tesla EVs plunges. Demand for Tesla EVs is... booming. Tesla sold 83% more cars in the most recent quarter than in the same quarter a year ago.[a] [a] https://digitalassets.tesla.com/tesla-contents/image/upload/...

They just cut the price on the model x and s. They have thousands of model ys with discounts on their website as they are waiting to be sold at a dealership. That not even including all the huge promotions on the model 3. I wouldn't say Tesla isn't at least slowing down based on their nearly 3 month old earnings report.

Some softness is to be expected considering the current macro and rising interest rates, but when people want EVs they’re buying Teslas.

The Model Y is the top seller in Europe, California, and other large markets.

https://www.tesmanian.com/blogs/tesmanian-blog/tesla-model-y...

https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1139959_pickups-aside-t...

https://qz.com/tesla-model-y-best-selling-ev-in-china-2023-1...

Re: Volkswagen cuts jobs as demand for EVs plunges

#46
post #5

Correction: ...as demand for non-Tesla EVs plunges. Demand for Tesla EVs is... booming. Tesla sold 83% more cars in the most recent quarter than in the same quarter a year ago.[a] [a] https://digitalassets.tesla.com/tesla-contents/image/upload/...

What causes Tesla's demand to be so high ? price only ? or did VW EV effort failed ? I didn't read about it but it, but last year or so, IDn cars prototypes were reviewed favorably.

They have good brand visibility. Like Apple. I won’t say that their product isn’t differentiated, but it isn’t offering much that’s spectacularly divergent from other brands.

Re: Volkswagen cuts jobs as demand for EVs plunges

#47

EVs are a hard sell. Range anxiety is not an issue, but the charging infrastructure is. The cost is also too high for the average buyer at this time.

yeah everything non-Tesla is a complete non-starter for me until they actually use the harmonized charging network, so I guess the 2025 models? Tesla models are a somewhat starter, too few options in look and then the price and its a weird quagmire, the people that can afford to live in dense high cost of livings cities are the exact target audience for EV’s but have the most perplexing and inconvenient charging arra…

This is not an issue in Europe fwiw, all cars use CCS2 there. In most european cities you probably have a parking garage if you have a car (and sure you have to deal with the HOA), street parking is an absolute nightmare there.

Re: Volkswagen cuts jobs as demand for EVs plunges

#48
post #25

I am not so sure this is a bad thing. Electric vehicles still seem to be part of the same pattern of planed obsolesce and profitable waste production. Looking at the production and expected lifetime sustainability seems little more then an image from the marketing campaign. Not a surprise but maybe something worth mentioning given the hype.

My daily driver is over a decade old and has only ever entered a tire shop. It was the first generation of EV. When should I plan it's obsolescence? What is your experience with EV expiration that leads you to your conclusion? Please inform me in any form other than links to idle speculation by obviously biased parties like Motor Trend etc.

Jesus cool down. You know modern car production produces junk that mostly will fall apart in 10 years.

First generation of anything are overbuilt by modern mba product engineering practices. I have a 2011 Nissan Leaf that I hope to still be using in another 10 years.

Re: Volkswagen cuts jobs as demand for EVs plunges

#50

Its funny how the EU is now 'investigating subsidies' in China. China has been building this sector for like 30 years. While Europeans were so proud of their diesel vehicles and how clean they were and the Germany companies endlessly talking about hydrogen and green fuels. While Europe has basically no resource extraction related to batteries or much of any battery refinement for most of that period. But now that thi…

I don't believe anyone with a brain ever thought hydrogen was going to be practical for cars. Governments (thankfully not the US much) pushed hydrogen as a stalling tactic knowing it would never be viable or reduce demand for fossil fuels.
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