knew it; trouble at the top for VW group

[jjm51]

http://www.wsj.com/articles/volkswagen-faces-fight-over-future-leadership-of-the-company-1428868982

curious what you guys think?

vw is in trouble. and, a power struggle has been probably going on for several years.

hope this doesn't come-off as a 'hate' deal. i really like my gti. and, i will still be getting a 2016 pp gti. but...

i posted something when i first came here;

it was about how i could not figure VW out. this might just be in the states? sales are down, when other manufacturers are way up. the general USA population does not have much faith in the cars they make. (right or wrong.) vw's warranty is weak to put it mildly when compared to it's asian and american rivals. the roll-out of the mk 7 has been lame. dealers are confused and misinformed. (again; my experience here in los angeles. multiple dealers. my one sales guy even opened-up to me about his frustration working for corporate vw.) plus, more stuff i could tell you from my personal experience.

i have had several issues the past 4+ years since i got that 2011 gti and waiting for the mk 7 gti. not just talking about reliability. just the overall 'relationship' on almost all levels has been disappointing. still dig the car, as i have said.

hoping that doesn't come-off as a rant.

i drove SAAB's for over 20 years. it was amazing to see them die. my first notice of problems was when GM bought 50%? of SAAB in the 90's. the car eventually lost it's 'soul' and the dealerships/salesman were just were terrible. still; i bought the cars until the end. luckily i found a great local shop to take care of me until i realized it was time to move-on.

no way will VW die. but, i think their multiple issues really stem from the top.

i know we are enthusiast for the golf. that is why we are here.

again, i am curious what you guys think?

articles like this make me continue to think about leasing versus buying.

maybe some new direction at the top will sort stuff out for them. i hope so.

safe driving everyone.

 

[Sandman GTI]

Direction for a company comes from upper management.
This may be VWoA's problem or the German leadership will not let them do what they need to in order to compete in USA. If you have a history of quality issues but now build good cars, then management needs to make a decision the help market share. KIA and Hyundai have not been big players in past and do not have a history of great cars, but they worked on new designs and management decided to offer the longest warranty in market as a way to pull in new customers. If the cars perform well, then buyers will come back. If they do not then a 10 year warranty may not bring them back again.

Maybe VWoA needs to hire Mitt Romney to help turn them around!

VW wants to be number 1, well they need to make decisions like they really want it. With the Golf line being COTY, VW should have no problems selling them. And if they are, then make some changes and motivate to customer. Offer 4 year and 40,000 mile warranty. Still not the best, but some people would take a look.

But they are not the only ones not making the best decisions. I think Ford missed the mark on the new Mustang. It was a very good effort at a new design, but the car should have been lighter as most new cars are becoming.

 

[ripped]

The Gti is vws big selling car right now it's helping vw allot

 

[PGT]

I was shocked at how heavy the Mustang felt behind the wheel. I started out planning to buy one until I drove it. Very disappointed....

 

[Stage2Sasquatch]

They have to understand the average american buyer is uninformed and they have to market in accordance to that. Americans hear "Hondas are cheap and reliable" and they will buy it no matter what; the american consumer goes with a lot of Hear/say and the VW higher ups need to understand that.

 

[jeffkro]

They have to understand the average american buyer is stupid and they have to market in accordance to that. Americans hear "Hondas are cheap and reliable" and they will buy it no matter what; the american consumer goes with a lot of Hear/say and the VW higher ups need to understand that.

Honda cars ARE reasonably priced and reliable, not sure about cheap though.

oops

 

[jjm51]

maybe?

The Gti is vws big selling car right now it's helping vw allot

not sure about this.

i may be wrong.

yes, the golf is winning all sorts of awards. and, has had a 'increase' in sales. but, the sales of golfs the past few years have been very low. that is one reason for 'improved' sales. and, compared to other cars in it's class (i may be wrong) i still believe the #'s are behind with the mk7 when comparing car in the same class.

finally, the golf and/or gti/r do not make-up a huge portion of vw sales in this country.

somebody correct me if i am wrong on all of the above.

might go look all that up...

 

[jjm51]

They have to understand the average american buyer is stupid and they have to market in accordance to that. Americans hear "Hondas are cheap and reliable" and they will buy it no matter what; the american consumer goes with a lot of Hear/say and the VW higher ups need to understand that.

you have a point about vw management.

not sure i agree 'the average american buyer is stupid.'

we love our cars here.

sometimes that makes it harder to objective.

i really dislike Japanese cars. mostly due to design elements. but; i think they make some excellent cars for people who just want safe and reliable transport.

which i would say is the majority of consumers in our country. nothing wrong with that i also think.

 

[jjm51]

Honda cars ARE reasonably priced and affordable, not sure about cheap though.

agree with this.

 

[farcyde11gti]

Pure opinion here: I would rather keep the VW brand relatively specific and undiluted, satisfy a slice of the market, and be reasonably profitable than to try and set mass-market sales goals. The VAG has a whole stable of cars and SUVs they can leverage to satisfy respective segments including providing an appliance-like boring means of conveyance which is essentially what Honda and others have devolved into. That brings me to the broader issue I take with aggressive growth strategies driven by boards and shareholders demanding market-beating growth year-over-year, consequences be damned.

I honestly considered trying to form an investor's voting pool for several of the larger automotive groups that are publicly traded and using periodic gains (hopefully) to send a representative to shareholder meetings to speak as the voice of the enthusiast faithful. Money talks but I quickly discovered a few hundred or even thousand shares won't get you a microphone.

I slept at a Holiday Inn Express last night so forgive the rant.

 

[pcr]

As a mere consumer it is of no matter to me, if VW were to fold completely I would just buy from someone else, it's only a car.

 

[Sandman GTI]

not sure about this.

i may be wrong.

yes, the golf is winning all sorts of awards. and, has had a 'increase' in sales. but, the sales of golfs the past few years have been very low. that is one reason for 'improved' sales. and, compared to other cars in it's class (i may be wrong) i still believe the #'s are behind with the mk7 when comparing car in the same class.

finally, the golf and/or gti/r do not make-up a huge portion of vw sales in this country.

somebody correct me if i am wrong on all of the above.

might go look all that up...

Most dealers carry a ton of Jetta's.
Also a lot of Bettle cars. Not sure why they have a lot of them. I see this car as more of a fun car and do not see as many on road as they have on lots.
Passat - not as many but will have more on lot comoared to Golf.

America still does not love the hatch back.
I think the 1.8L Golf is a good solid car for the money compared to all others in the class.

I never do see many Golf's on lot. I would think you would have as many as Jetta's. Unless Golf's sell as fast as they come in or they are slow on production.

 

[Genegenie]

Honda cars ARE reasonably priced and affordable, not sure about cheap though.

Indeed. I'm reliably informed the VTEC engine is an excellent unit but the rest of the package isn't that great....

 

[Vitt]

Indeed. I'm reliably informed the VTEC engine is an excellent unit but the rest of the package isn't that great....

Disagree. Even the Accord is actually frequently touted for its sporty handling for a bread and butter sedan. Not as good as the Mazda 6, which is highly praised as well (and IMO it is a great design, although not selling well), but still a fun car to drive for what it is. Just as the Golf won MT's COY, the CRV won their SUV of the year. If I was in the market for a small SUV I would probably buy the Mazda CX-5 or CRV over the Tiguan. Let's see what the next Tiguan will bring to the table.

 

[jeffkro]

Disagree. Even the Accord is actually frequently touted for its sporty handling for a bread and butter sedan. Not as good as the Mazda 6, which is highly praised as well (and IMO it is a great design, although not selling well), but still a fun car to drive for what it is. Just as the Golf won MT's COY, the CRV won their SUV of the year. If I was in the market for a small SUV I would probably buy the Mazda CX-5 or CRV over the Tiguan. Let's see what the next Tiguan will bring to the table.

Mazda 6 mixed sporty styling and handling with marginal power.