Skip to main content

Here’s Why VW Doesn’t Actually Want to Kill Tesla

Headlines! They’re super easy. “Millennials Kill X,” “Top Ten Y,” and that old favorite for autojournos, “This is How Manufacturer Z Will Kill Tesla.” It’s easy, fun, and everybody clicks. But Matthias Erb, Volkswagen of America’s Chief Engineering Officer, believes that Tesla’s death would actually be pretty bad for the industry.

“Honestly, we do not hope that [Tesla will go bankrupt],” says Erb. “Not at all.”

The reason, as you’d expect, has to do with VW’s own electric ambitions. Now that it has invested itself heavily in the electric market, it’s important for the market to keep growing. And that’s been the trend with demand outstripping production for all kinds of EVs, including the e-Golf.

Much of that enthusiasm can be attributed to the high tide of Tesla. Its combination of attractive design, green appeal, and Silicon Valley technology made it popular to a wide audience. 

“They created so much positive impact and so many new ideas,” says Erb. “Yeah, why not have them around?”

Unfortunately, the company internal structure and turnover are as interesting as its cars are. That uncertainty has caused rumors of trouble and even bankruptcy, to abound. And despite automakers comparing themselves to Tesla and looking to take over its position in the market, Erb doesn’t think it would be good if the company simply folded. 

“It’s going to be a real mess for the whole EV idea, so let’s not hope that it’s not going to happen,” he told us at the New York Auto Show. “The cars are getting better. So we are not hoping for that. Not at all.”

That’s not to say, though, that Erb doesn’t think VW’s EVs will be better. With a range of I.D. vehicles designed specifically for electric propulsion on their way coming in at VW prices, Erb sees the future as very difficult for Tesla.

The post Here’s Why VW Doesn’t Actually Want to Kill Tesla appeared first on VWVortex.



from VWVortex https://ift.tt/2q3IWMP
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Saying Goodbye to the CC V6

For all its size and its global reach, Volkswagen is still, in many ways, a deeply human company. There was, for instance, the Bugatti Veyron an ego project if ever there was one. Then the purchase of Ducati, a move most called folly. And then there was the Phaeton, the Volkswagen that most folks can’t afford. Not only were these moves all strange, I’m sure that they made VW’s accountants furious. None of them made good business sense, but they were all deeply interesting and they all are evidence of the heart that beats at the center of VW. Among these follies is the CC, a car that everyone agrees is rakishly handsome, but that no one really wanted to buy. The car couldn’t last, but the world is brighter for its having been in it. With the approach debut of the Arteon, it seems like a good time to look back on its sadly departing predecessor. The version I drove, because I live in Canada, is a V6 Wolfsburg Edition, which apparently isn’t available in the States. Nor is the V6, not as...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mitsubishi admits it lied about MPG ratings for all vehicles in Japan

Filed under: Government/Legal , Green , Mitsubishi , Fuel Efficiency , Japan Mitsubishi says its shady fuel-economy test practices may have been used on all vehicles it sells and has sold in Japan. Continue reading Mitsubishi admits it lied about MPG ratings for all vehicles in Japan Mitsubishi admits it lied about MPG ratings for all vehicles in Japan originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 May 2016 12:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments from Autoblog Volkswagen http://ift.tt/21X3bHv
Post a Comment
Read more

More 3.0-Liter TDI Settlement Details Expected by January 31

Volkswagen and the TDI Plaintiff’s Steering Committee were in court today for another status conference following the agreement in principal reached earlier this week. Little new information was given at the conference held before Judge Charles Breyer today, but the court ordered the parties to develop a formal settlement agreement, class action notices, and a class notice plan by January 31, 2017. For now, though, owners still don’t know how much to expect in compensation. Elizabeth Cabraser, lead Counsel for the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee reaffirmed in a statement today that the compensation would be “substantial.” The potential cost to Volkswagen is widely reported to exceed $1 billion, though, with an additional $225 million going into an environmental trust to help offset excess emissions. Buy back offers are still only expected for the oldest 20,000 of the roughly 80,000 VW Group vehicles sold in America with the 3.0-liter TDI engine. Those vehicles are mostly SUVs, like ...
Post a Comment
Read more