LEAKED: Volkswagen's CEO Admits Internally What We Already Know, Telsa Is WINNING The EV Wars

Leaked internal documents show that Volkswagen’s CEO believes U.S. carmaker Tesla has a huge advantage both when it comes to the software it uses in its cars — and frequently tweaks via over-the-air updates — and in terms of its self-driving development. While other manufacturers’ self-driving initiatives are powered by simulations and closed testing, Tesla pulls data from actual consumer vehicles out on the road.

The documents came to light courtesy of German magazine Automobilwoche, and were first reported on in English by Electrek. The VW CEO, Herbert Diess, finds Tesla’s progress so vexing he says it gives him “headaches.”
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MDarringer - 4/28/2020 1:45:28 PM

+1 Boost

VW should be able to obliterate Tesla and they can't because....

Arrogance / The Germans in general, but VW in particular, thinks they are infallible and no one can even remotely reach their level of engineering prowess, but it's all an "emperor's new clothes" kind of situation.

Callousness / VW doesn't care about quality control, durability, reliability, or customer relations because "It's a VW and if people don't want it, it's because they are stupid."

Not benchmarking / The fact that the ID3 got to production-ready state with a massive software issue necessitating a back-to-the drawing board move shows that they did not benchmark the Model 3 and say "We can't reveal or move to production because our prototypes are not in range of Tesla."

Never exceeding / VW needed to exceed Tesla to compete not just meet Tesla where they have failed miserably. An ID3 with a significantly lower price and and the same range or for the same price with a significantly greater range would have been competitive volleys. Or for the same price with radically fast charging (10 minutes).

None of that.

Ford is playing the EV game much better with the Mach E.

Dexter1 - 4/28/2020 5:32:17 PM

+2 Boost

Well said, MD!

Agent001 - 4/28/2020 8:17:56 PM

+1 Boost

In the words of Hans Gruber in the movie Die-Hard to Ellis..."You figured this out all by yourself?"

In other news, the sun came out in California this year.

001

Foncool - 4/29/2020 6:52:16 AM

0 Boost

This is a flight to claim who’s the tallest midget. Outside of a small fanatical fringe of true believers the only reason manufacturers are risking their financial future by developing EV is that they are being mandated by those same fanatical fringe true believers that have positions of power as government bureaucrats.

The fact of the matter is that 98% of the consumer market has no interest in buying an EV.

ctsang - 4/29/2020 11:57:29 AM

+2 Boost

VW is not lying this time.

MDarringer - 4/29/2020 12:09:55 PM

0 Boost

Well, there is that I suppose.