VW chief defies sceptics with ambitious plans to overtake Tesla

[TruckElectric]

The thing about a HUD is that it expects you to process additional information and puts that right in your field of view. FSD means I get to text with my friends and watch movie etc and a HUD becomes totally useless. It is pretty but I'm glad Tesla is working on self driving and laser windshield wipers.

I've seen it mentioned that there is no need for windshield wipers and also about the laser wipers.

Hopefully during the cross country trip Elon mentioned for the Cybertruck we'll see the CT go through some rain during that trip as it's bound to run into some!

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[TruckElectric]

VW Executive Purge Stokes Unease Among Investors Envying Tesla




(Bloomberg) -- For years, two knocks against Tesla Inc. were that a constant churn of executive turnover would catch up to Elon Musk, and that an onslaught of electric models from Volkswagen AG and others would put him in his place.

Now, the tables have turned.

VW’s electric offensive has sputtered, with software issues plaguing its battery-powered ID.3. And it’s the German giant whose executive suites are turning over: in a matter of days, its trucks chief resigned, the leader of its van unit was demoted and its head of software was reassigned.

Even Chief Executive Officer Herbert Diess’s job looked insecure for a moment before VW’s supervisory board settled on stripping him of responsibility for the company’s namesake division.

The circumstances of each individual’s cases vary, and VW continues to have a massive leg up on Tesla in many respects. But some investors are concerned it might not be coincidence that all four VW executives in question were external hires installed to push through deep changes at the parochial carmaker. Their struggles of late cast a pall over the structural and cultural changes VW vowed to make after its diesel-emissions scandal a half decade ago.

“VW risks being perceived as a large, slow-moving entity that is resistant to change in an industry where the pace of change is accelerating,” said Timm Schulze-Melander, an industrials specialist at the equity-research firm Redburn. “How will such a group manage to attract and retain the software engineering skills that may prove be so critical to its future?”

The coronavirus pandemic is now posing the biggest challenge to VW since the diesel crisis erupted, while Tesla’s potential to maintain an electric-car edge has powered its stock surge. At $286.8 billion as of Tuesday’s close, the Elon Musk-led company’s market capitalization has soared past the $220 billion mark that VW’s top brass set as a goal last year.

While VW is expected to report nine times as much revenue as Tesla this year, investors value the Wolfsburg, Germany-based company at a little more than a third of its target. It’s still the third-biggest carmaker by market capitalization and better positioned to weather the industry’s seismic technology shift than many of its peers.

Diess, 61, spent almost two decades rising up the ranks of BMW AG before VW poached him in 2015 to revive weak profit margins at its core brand. He became CEO of the group two years ago. But at an extraordinary supervisory board meeting on June 8, key stakeholders forced him to cede direct control of the VW passenger-car unit and focus on leading the group.

Diess was stripped of the role after a series of troubling signals about his job status. First, VW’s powerful labor leaders blamed him for struggles to adopt stricter emission-tests procedures in Europe, which caused major production disruptions. Then, technical issues plagued early output of the critical Golf hatchback and new ID.3. A report that VW’s top supervisory board committee denied his request for an early contract extension further escalated tensions.

At the beginning of June, Diess accused board members of committing crimes by leaking confidential discussions, according to people familiar with the matter. While he weathered the spat with the CEO job intact, the board issued an unusual public statement, saying it had accepted Diess’s apology and would continue to support him.

The dust-up was only the beginning. On July 8, Traton SE, the VW truck unit that pushed through an underwhelming IPO last year after much internal wrangling, announced the abrupt departure of CEO Andreas Renschler and two other board members. The former Daimler AG veteran had been bridging divides between the rivalrous Scania and MAN brands and forging a joint global expansion strategy.

The surprise move raised questions about the prospects for MAN’s latest restructuring plan. Nord/LB analyst Frank Schwope summed up the announcement as a “bombshell.”

Another senior executive, Thomas Sedran, was reassigned to handle asset management at VW’s commercial vehicles and machinery operations. The 2015 hire who previously worked for Opel had been head of VW’s light-commercial vehicles division and a key figure behind the company’s alliance with Ford Motor Co.


VW didn’t offer a reason for the job change. Contracts to widen cooperation with Ford to self-driving car technology were just signed in May, and he was in the early stages of executing a plan negotiated with labor unions to restructure VW’s van business.
The latest shake-up involves one of Diess’s top priorities. He wanted to establish a powerful in-house software unit that would supply all of the group’s 12 brands and ensure full control over the enormous amounts of data generated by connected cars -- a space Tesla has dominated.
The issues VW has had with integrating “baby-step” software into the Golf and ID.3 shows just how much work has to be done to boost the company’s competency in this area, said Chris McNally, Evercore ISI’s auto analyst.
Less than a month after the group-wide operation dubbed Car.Software.Org started, Audi CEO Markus Duesmann is taking charge, replacing IT chief Christian Senger. VW said Wednesday it’s examining what his next job will be.
VW can ill-afford to waste time with infighting. Musk, who remains unpredictable as ever, isn’t waiting to have his plant near Berlin built to start hyping its capabilities. He’s also hinted at adding a European-style hatchback to Tesla’s lineup, which would target VW’s core car business.
“Gigafactory is the product even more than the car,” he wrote Wednesday.


Source: Yahoo Finance

 

[ldjessee]

Looks like they threw him under the bus and he is taking all the blame for the issues VW is having.

 

[Sazcube]

This is the Honda E and has 5 displays. I hope Tesla will have a similar offering at some point.

I hope Tesla keeps there minimalist style. That looks way too cluttered. Tesla just needs to work on fixing the OS HUD to have less steps to Turn on the AC etc.

More power to anyone who likes the 5 screen look but I don't think it is what Tesla is ever going to go for.

 

[Sputter]

This is the Honda E and has 5 displays. I hope Tesla will have a similar offering at some point.
Holy crap!

 

[Sputter]

Waaaay too much information...however, I do like the side camera display.

 

[ldjessee]

Waaaay too much information...however, I do like the side camera display.

That is something I like as well, but one of the few things I like. It is also a very cute looking car from the outside.

 

[TruckElectric]

German automakers acknowledge Tesla EV lead, express envy, plot revenge

Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, and Volkswagen have over decades collectively held on to a reputation that they were on the leading edge, as other automakers around the world seemingly scrambled to follow their tech, design, and engineering.

Over the past several years, some might say that reputation has been usurped by a company from California: Tesla.


Last week, as Tesla provided a financial update, with sales up for the quarter, versus the previous quarter—and a modest profit—top executives of both Volkswagen and Audi weren’t sparing in their compliments about what Tesla has achieved.

That extends not just to the company’s command of propulsion systems and efficiency but also to its effective use of over-the-air updates and connectivity tech.

Audi CEO Markus Duesman last week said to Reuters that “Tesla is two years ahead in terms of computing and software architecture, and in autonomous driving as well.”

Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess reacted pointedly to Tesla’s financial performance. “Elon Musk delivers results that many have deemed impossible,” the VW CEO said last week, on LinkedIn. Diess argued that Tesla’s results suggest that “in five to ten years the world’s most valuable company will be a mobility company—that can be called Tesla, Apple, or Volkswagen.”

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has in the past met with Diess and complemented Volkswagen’s plans to go big on affordable electric vehicles.

Diess promised in 2017 that VW will “leapfrog” Tesla by 2025. ““Anything Tesla can do, we can surpass,” Diess reportedly said at a VW brand-strategy press conference.

However, VW’s launch of the ID.3 has faced software issues, which this month led to a further promotion for Duesman, to a role overseeing software development for the entire VW Group.

Germany’s Der Spiegel describes its domestic automakers as being caught off guard, and calls the rapidly rising demand for electric vehicles this year a “sudden boom.” But it’s hardly sudden, and it’s a predictable upswing in EV demand precipitated by stronger German and EU incentives that these companies were literally hard-wired to.

Furthermore, Tesla’s ascension is something German automakers have been following closely all along, since Daimler bought a stake of nearly 10% of Tesla in 2009—which Bloomberg this month calculated would be worth $7.3 billion today.

Outside of Porsche, which has a smaller footprint and appears on-message, there are plenty of indications that conflicting messaging and a lack of coordination of resources at rivals has helped Tesla keep its perceived lead.

Just a year ago, BMW’s board member in charge of development, Klaus Fröhlich, called the shift to electrification “overhyped.”BMW didn’t waste words this year in making clear, at the time of its annual shareholders’ meeting, that it was renewing its commitment to electric vehicles.

Those disparate goals may go to show why Audi is on the right track with its Artemis project, an accelerated EV development team within the automaker that sounds like Ford’s Team Edison.

That strategy could serve Audi well, as it could mark out a template for keeping up in a new era for the industry. Because if other automakers can innovate in the EV space rather than merely keep up, everyone wins.

Source: GREEN CAR REPORTS

 

[Dids]

German automakers acknowledge Tesla EV lead, express envy, plot revenge

Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, and Volkswagen have over decades collectively held on to a reputation that they were on the leading edge, as other automakers around the world seemingly scrambled to follow their tech, design, and engineering.

Over the past several years, some might say that reputation has been usurped by a company from California: Tesla.


Last week, as Tesla provided a financial update, with sales up for the quarter, versus the previous quarter—and a modest profit—top executives of both Volkswagen and Audi weren’t sparing in their compliments about what Tesla has achieved.

That extends not just to the company’s command of propulsion systems and efficiency but also to its effective use of over-the-air updates and connectivity tech.

Audi CEO Markus Duesman last week said to Reuters that “Tesla is two years ahead in terms of computing and software architecture, and in autonomous driving as well.”

Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess reacted pointedly to Tesla’s financial performance. “Elon Musk delivers results that many have deemed impossible,” the VW CEO said last week, on LinkedIn. Diess argued that Tesla’s results suggest that “in five to ten years the world’s most valuable company will be a mobility company—that can be called Tesla, Apple, or Volkswagen.”

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has in the past met with Diess and complemented Volkswagen’s plans to go big on affordable electric vehicles.

Diess promised in 2017 that VW will “leapfrog” Tesla by 2025. ““Anything Tesla can do, we can surpass,” Diess reportedly said at a VW brand-strategy press conference.

However, VW’s launch of the ID.3 has faced software issues, which this month led to a further promotion for Duesman, to a role overseeing software development for the entire VW Group.

Germany’s Der Spiegel describes its domestic automakers as being caught off guard, and calls the rapidly rising demand for electric vehicles this year a “sudden boom.” But it’s hardly sudden, and it’s a predictable upswing in EV demand precipitated by stronger German and EU incentives that these companies were literally hard-wired to.

Furthermore, Tesla’s ascension is something German automakers have been following closely all along, since Daimler bought a stake of nearly 10% of Tesla in 2009—which Bloomberg this month calculated would be worth $7.3 billion today.

Outside of Porsche, which has a smaller footprint and appears on-message, there are plenty of indications that conflicting messaging and a lack of coordination of resources at rivals has helped Tesla keep its perceived lead.

Just a year ago, BMW’s board member in charge of development, Klaus Fröhlich, called the shift to electrification “overhyped.”BMW didn’t waste words this year in making clear, at the time of its annual shareholders’ meeting, that it was renewing its commitment to electric vehicles.

Those disparate goals may go to show why Audi is on the right track with its Artemis project, an accelerated EV development team within the automaker that sounds like Ford’s Team Edison.

That strategy could serve Audi well, as it could mark out a template for keeping up in a new era for the industry. Because if other automakers can innovate in the EV space rather than merely keep up, everyone wins.

Source: GREEN CAR REPORTS

Hey Mr. Diess. Do you plan on using more forced labor to do the leapfrogging? Really VW I can forgive your Nazi collaboration but using forced labor in China is unforgivable.

 

[Sirfun]

Hey Mr. Diess. Do you plan on using more forced labor to do the leapfrogging? Really VW I can forgive your Nazi collaboration but using forced labor in China is unforgivable.

Shocking information, global corporations using slave labor. First I had heard about this. This could get UGLY.

 

[Dids]

Shocking information, global corporations using slave labor. First I had heard about this. This could get UGLY.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/26/china-uiighur-volkswagen-eu-381970

 

[Handy Artie]

Dids,

I don’t think an anti China bias is politically correct on this site. Just saying based on personal experience. No one here is criticizing the Chinese people as a whole, just their government. Knowing the difference is the key to enlightenment.

 

[Handy Artie]

Dids,
Have you noticed how regularly the South China Morning Post regularly trashes our Tesla, together with The rest of the liberal media? I guess Elon Musk has been singled out as a Trump favorite. I wonder what they’re going to say about Tesla’s stock split if it’s announced next month.

 

[TruckElectric]

VW sees market for high-performance electric cars: 'Torque is fun every day'

Its hot-rodded EVs will wear the GTX badge


As a mainstream manufacturer, Volkswagen is putting a bigger emphasis on volume-oriented models than on niche cars as it develops its range of electric vehicles. The ID.3, a Golf-sized hatchback, recently went on sale in many European markets. The ID.4, a Tiguan-sized crossover, will break cover before the end of 2020. Quicker, handling-focused models aren't a priority, but enthusiasts are asking for them and Volkswagen will deliver.

"There is a market. Some customers are requesting that we show what is possible. It is a tradeoff between performance and range, because there is a very direct relationship between the two. There is definitely a market, an interest on the customer's part. They're buyers who prefer the performance because maybe they don't prioritize the range," Thomas Ulbrich, Volkswagen's board member for electric mobility, told Autoblog.

Developing a performance car generally requires removing as much weight as possible, but designing an electric car with an acceptable amount of driving range normally means using a bulky battery pack. Volkswagen isn't the only carmaker stuck in this pickle. Although it competes in a completely different segment of the market, McLaren explained it ran into the exact same issueswhen testing electric technology on the road and on the track, and concluded it most likely will not be able to release a model without pistons until 2025 at the earliest.

Volkswagen didn't provide us with a timeline, but it's confident it will solve the range-performance equation in a timely manner. It's notably applying lessons learned from racing the record-breaking ID.R globally, including at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb. And, it has already decided its sporty EVs will wear the GTX nameplate.

"The idea is, as you know, that we'll extend range again and again and again by improving our battery technology, and by making more efficient drivetrains. I think that, somewhere down the road, it will fit perfectly together, and we are convinced that there is a market for [sporty, GTX-badged electric vehicles]," Ulbrich added.

It's still too early to tell which ID-badged models will receive the GTX treatment. However, picturing a hotter version of the ID.3 doesn't require a superhuman stretch of the imagination. And, we'd bet on seeing a high-riding GTX model sooner or later; demand for hot-rodded crossovers is expected to continue growing globally. Regardless, the GTX badge will be inaugurated by a car built on the modular MEB platform, an architecture engineers made rear-engined and rear-wheel drive in its standard configuration in the name of driving enjoyment.

"Looking at the weight distribution, this decision was made very early. With the battery adding weight, you have a super low center of gravity. In most front-wheel drive electric cars, you don't have that much fun when you're taking off because the front wheels spin, especially when it's wet. With rear-wheel drive, that never happens. This is the reason we did that; fun. Otherwise, we would have had to restrict the torque, and I think torque is fun every day," explained Silke Bagschik, Volkswagen's head of electric car marketing and sales, in an interview with Autoblog.


Source: Autoblog

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