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Can VW Overtake Toyota and GM To Become #1?

288 messages,  Last post on May 02, 2013 at 5:16 PM

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What is this discussion about? Volkswagen, Toyota, Automotive News

    

Messages Page 21 of 29

#201 of 288 Re: Priced right? [gagrice] by nippononly

Jul 04, 2011 (11:24 pm)

Replying to: gagrice (Jul 04, 2011 3:46 pm)
As far as VW/Audi diesels that is a huge part of their current success. I would assume they will play on that. VW TDI over 20% of vehicles sold. Audi A3 46% diesel. Audi monster SUV Q7 with 34% diesel.
 
 
And all of them combined are less than 80K vehicle sales per year, or 10% of the goal they hope to hit in four short years. And diesels are by far their hottest product! Nope, diesel helps a little and gives them something green to point to, but they will need a whole heck of a lot more than that to have any hope of getting near this crazy goal.
 
You should take the Golf TDI for a good long test drive. You will not be satisfied with a gasser again.
 
I have watched diesel in my county go from $0.40/gallon more than regular unleaded (in the winter) to $0.80/gallon more now. With unleaded at $3.80, that is a 21% premium in price for the fuel. While I might like the Golf TDI and while I might talk mysef into one despite the rumors of failing fuel pumps which VW will not cover under warranty, the math alone would never pencil out. At 50 mpg in the Golf, I wouldn't even be breaking even.
 
While I can appreciate the benefits of diesel for some folks, I will never be one of those folks. And either way, VW cannot put all its eggs in that basket. It needs four or five more really attractive baskets. I don't see any others yet though.

#202 of 288 What's good for the UAW by anythngbutgm

Jul 07, 2011 (6:23 pm)

Is good for America
 
Report: UAW hopeful it can unionize VW's Chattanooga plant
 
 

#203 of 288 Re: What's good for the UAW [anythngbutgm] by gagrice

Jul 07, 2011 (9:14 pm)

Replying to: anythngbutgm (Jul 07, 2011 6:23 pm)
I cannot imagine VW being that stupid. They had a horrible experience with the UAW years ago. They did not build in Michigan because of the UAW and it not being a Right to Work state. With the UAW they would not have much chance of reaching their goal of 800k VWs by 2018. I seriously doubt the UAW could win an election in TN. Not known for strong union sentiment.

#204 of 288 Re: What's good for the UAW [gagrice] by robr2

Jul 08, 2011 (7:51 am)

Replying to: gagrice (Jul 07, 2011 9:14 pm)
I cannot imagine VW being that stupid.
 
It's not like VW has a choice to say no to a union. All they can do is treat their employees well so that they aren't interested in a union - just like what Toyota, Honda, MB, BMW, Hyundai and Nissan have done. None of those transplants are unionized.

#205 of 288 Re: What's good for the UAW [robr2] by anythngbutgm

Jul 08, 2011 (8:01 am)

Replying to: robr2 (Jul 08, 2011 7:51 am)
Surprisingly, the Mazda 6 is was until this year and Mitsubushi has a few as well...
 
Cars, Trucks & Vans by Union Members
in the United States (UAW) and Canada (CAW)

#206 of 288 Re: What's good for the UAW [robr2] by gagrice

Jul 08, 2011 (8:22 am)

Replying to: robr2 (Jul 08, 2011 7:51 am)
You are exactly right. Treat employees decent and the chances of a union coming in is small. There will always be those that infiltrate and stir up dissension. That is why VW would be wise to cull out any applicant with UAW in his background. I think VW had something like 1000 applicants for every job opening. They can be real picky and should be. If they want a team that will build cars to beat the tough competition, better hire the best they can find. And treat them well.

#207 of 288 Re: What's good for the UAW [anythngbutgm] by robr2

Jul 08, 2011 (9:56 am)

Replying to: anythngbutgm (Jul 08, 2011 8:01 am)
Surprisingly, the Mazda 6 is was until this year and Mitsubushi has a few as well...
 
I forgot about those two. But weren't both of them joint ventures so the union had to come in?? Mazda at Flat Rock with Ford and Mitsubishi at Normal with Chrysler?
 
It seems none of the stand alone transplants are unionized. Heck even when Chrysler was part of MB, Daimler managed to keep Alabama non-union even though the union in Germany wanted to see it unionized.

#208 of 288 Shades of Henry Ford? by steve_ HOST

Aug 01, 2011 (8:55 am)

Fun YouTube tour of the VW factory in Dresden.
 
VW Transparent Factory

#209 of 288 From today's Automotive News... by hpmctorque

Oct 24, 2011 (5:57 pm)

"BERLIN (Bloomberg) -- Volkswagen AG will probably become the world's biggest carmaker this year, vaulting past Toyota Motor Corp. and General Motors Co. on gains in emerging markets.
 
VW Group's sales, third among carmakers in 2010, will probably rise 13 percent to 8.1 million vehicles this year, based on the average of three analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.
 
GM sales will gain about 8 percent to 7.55 million, while Toyota will drop 9 percent to 7.27 million, according to the survey.
 
Volkswagen sales in China may rise almost 20 percent this year and more than double in India, according to estimates at researcher J.D. Power & Associates.
 
That's a contrast to Toyota, which is suspending plants in Southeast Asia because of floods in Thailand, months after an earthquake crippled production in Japan.
 
"Emerging markets are at a stage of car-adoption by consumers and there is still a large space for sales to grow. said Jenny Gu, Shanghai-based senior markets analyst for J.D. Power. ''VW realized this and put a lot of effort on emerging markets.''
 
Estimates at J.D. Power, IHS Automotive and PwC Autofacts were used to calculate the average projections.
Next year's lead
 
Toyota may regain the lead from VW next year as the recovery of the Japanese company's facilities from the March earthquake will pave the way for Toyota to sell 8.4 million cars, or half a million units more than VW, according to research firm IHS.
 
J.D. Power projects VW will retain its lead in 2012, outselling Toyota by about 50,000 units.
 
VW, which also owns the Audi and Skoda brands, focused on boosting capacity and its network of dealerships as it built its brand in markets such as China and India, Gu said.
 
Automakers are turning to developing economies for growth as sales in mature markets slow.
 
China is already the biggest auto market globally, with sales exceeding 18 million in 2010. VW sales in China will probably reach 2.3 million units and 116,000 in India this year, with the two markets accounting for about a third of the company's sales, according to J.D. Power estimates.
Record investments
 
VW, which operates more than 60 factories worldwide, plans to spend a record 62.4 billion euros ($87 billion) -- excluding its ventures in China -- over the next five years to raise annual production to 10 million by 2018.
 
VW's Chinese joint ventures, which are not consolidated, will invest another 14 billion euros through 2016.
 
The German company may reach the target three years ahead of schedule, according to a person familiar with the matter. The company has forecast its global sales will increase 5 percent this year after posting a record 7.2 million deliveries in 2010.
 
VW's Audi luxury unit overtook Mercedes Benz as the world's second-largest maker of high-end vehicles earlier this year, trailing only BMW.
 
First in China
 
VW, the first overseas carmaker to enter China three decades ago, is planning to add two plants and double production to 3 million cars annually.
 
Audi is considering a new factory there to expand annual manufacturing to as high as 700,000 vehicles by 2015 as luxury demand increases, Dietmar Voggenreiter, its China president said on Oct. 20.
 
Still, VW faces hurdles with its partnership with Japanese carmaker Suzuki Motor Corp., whose venture in India is the top seller in the market.
 
The German carmaker is also facing delays in a planned merger with Porsche SE. Suzuki is seeking to end an alliance with its German partner after accusing it of violating a cooperation agreement by not sharing technology. VW has said it plans to keep its stake.
 
Ending the partnership with Suzuki would undermine the German automaker's credit assessment, Moody's Investors Service said in a statement today.
 
Toyota would be relinquishing its lead after last year's record recalls, which has led President Akio Toyoda to say his key priorities will be focusing on customer satisfaction and restoring Toyota's reputation.
 
Back-to-back disasters
 
Toyota temporarily halted all its plants to assess the impact of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
 
Seven months later, the automaker is facing factory closures across Southeast Asia, triggered by Thailand's worst floods in half a century. Toyota's shortfalls paves the way for GM, the biggest U.S. automaker, to gain market share.
 
GM is relying on sales in developing nations including China, Brazil and India for growth in the future, CEO Dan Akerson said Sept. 21.
 
GM, which makes Buick and Chevrolet-branded sedans with Chinese partner SAIC Motor Co., sells more cars in China than in its home market. Sales in the nation has topped 2 million vehicles in 2011, the carmaker said on Oct. 17.
 
Growth in the global auto market will probably accelerate next year, rising 6.5 percent in 2012 after expanding 3.5 percent this year, according to estimates at Moody's Investors Service."

#210 of 288 Re: From today's Automotive News... [hpmctorque] by steve_ HOST

Oct 25, 2011 (4:16 pm)

Replying to: hpmctorque (Oct 24, 2011 5:57 pm)
Wonder where they'd be without all the natural disasters hitting Toyota?

Messages Page 21 of 29

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