Volkswagen: Sales, Marketing, and Financial News
6G TLX-S
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From: YVR
Originally Posted by gavriil
With the new Avalon, one can make a case that they are. For sure you can make the case that more and more Toyotas approach the build quality and refinement of Lexus cars. The Sienna is another example. It could have just wore a Lexus badge and no one would've noticed.
They are. The RL is called the Legend in Europe and elsewhere. The TSX, although not identical, is the Euro-Spec Accord.
Now that has not happened yet, but one could make a partial case that the E-Class and the 300/C do have similarities. Same for the previous gen. SLK and Crossfire (better case can be made here). But I see what you're saying.
They are. The RL is called the Legend in Europe and elsewhere. The TSX, although not identical, is the Euro-Spec Accord.
Now that has not happened yet, but one could make a partial case that the E-Class and the 300/C do have similarities. Same for the previous gen. SLK and Crossfire (better case can be made here). But I see what you're saying.
Let say if you have $100K+ to spend all on a car, would you buy a VW, Toyota, Honda, or Chrysler ?
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From: Washington DC (NOVA)
Originally Posted by Edward'TLS
I think you missed my point. VW is senselessly trying to push a $130K car (equal or even above the Audi A8) to be sold in the VW division, and so far has failed. It is perfectly fine to sell a A6-class car, the Passat, in the VW division. Similarly, Toyota will sell an ES330-class car (Avalon) in the Toyota division, but not the GS/LS-class car. The Honda case is a bad example because the Acura name plate exists in only 4 to 5 territories on Earth. However, DaimlerChrysler will sell an E-class car (300/C) and SLK-class car (Crossfire) in the Chrysler division, but never the S-class, CL-class, and SL-class cars.
Let say if you have $100K+ to spend all on a car, would you buy a VW, Toyota, Honda, or Chrysler ?
Let say if you have $100K+ to spend all on a car, would you buy a VW, Toyota, Honda, or Chrysler ?
What is the 130K VW that VW is trying to sell? I do not know of one.
And if you think the PHaeton is equal or better than the A8, you need to re-examine both.
Though I agree with your initial point. Totally. I also disagree with VW about the Phaeton strategy and the W8 Passat.
But what I stated above is correct. The Legend is 95% an RL. Yes there is no Acura outside NA but they are selling it (I dont know what you mean by "4 to 5 territories on Earth"). Another example is the NSX. It's been sold as a Honda since its inception outside NA.
Also, the Avalon now is not an "ES class" car. You have to go out and see it live. It's as large as the LS and as roomy as the LS. Of course there are a billion differences between the two, but my point was that there are many Toyotas that are approaching LExus-level build quality. The Sienna proves that more than any example probably.
We agree on principle, we just disagree on certain secondary facts I guess.
6G TLX-S
Joined: Dec 2000
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From: YVR
Originally Posted by gavriil
What is the 130K VW that VW is trying to sell? I do not know of one.
And if you think the PHaeton is equal or better than the A8, you need to re-examine both.
Though I agree with your initial point. Totally. I also disagree with VW about the Phaeton strategy and the W8 Passat.
But what I stated above is correct. The Legend is 95% an RL. Yes there is no Acura outside NA but they are selling it (I dont know what you mean by "4 to 5 territories on Earth"). Another example is the NSX. It's been sold as a Honda since its inception outside NA.
Also, the Avalon now is not an "ES class" car. You have to go out and see it live. It's as large as the LS and as roomy as the LS. Of course there are a billion differences between the two, but my point was that there are many Toyotas that are approaching LExus-level build quality. The Sienna proves that more than any example probably.
We agree on principle, we just disagree on certain secondary facts I guess.
And if you think the PHaeton is equal or better than the A8, you need to re-examine both.
Though I agree with your initial point. Totally. I also disagree with VW about the Phaeton strategy and the W8 Passat.
But what I stated above is correct. The Legend is 95% an RL. Yes there is no Acura outside NA but they are selling it (I dont know what you mean by "4 to 5 territories on Earth"). Another example is the NSX. It's been sold as a Honda since its inception outside NA.
Also, the Avalon now is not an "ES class" car. You have to go out and see it live. It's as large as the LS and as roomy as the LS. Of course there are a billion differences between the two, but my point was that there are many Toyotas that are approaching LExus-level build quality. The Sienna proves that more than any example probably.
We agree on principle, we just disagree on certain secondary facts I guess.
The 4.2L 335 hp V8 AWD Phaeton starts at $67K and $75K with massaging seats.
The 6L 420 hp W12 AWD Phaeton starts at $96K and $101K with massaging seats.
The 4.2L A8 Quattro starts at $67K.
The 4.2L A8L Quattro starts at $71K.
The W12 A8L Quattro starts at $118K.
So the Phaeton is positioned dead on the Audi A8 terrritory.
I have said the Honda/Acura case is a bad example.
Acura RL = Honda Legend; same skin, same engine.
The Acura name plate is only available in North America, Hong Kong,
Malaysia, and a few other places worldwide. It doesn't exist in Japan nor in Europe. Honda has no choice but to sell the Acura RL as Honda Legend whereever Acura doesn't exist. Acura has so little coverage worldwide that if it only sells the RL through Acura dealerships, it would have been bankrupted long since.
I agree that the Avalon has Lexus-build quality, is big, is as large, and is as roomy as the LS. But its price, its standard options, and its small V6 scream ES330 all over. It is never in the same league as the V8 LS430.
Master in Science
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Originally Posted by gavriil
VWs are not suffering from build quality. That's probably one of their pros for many years now.
The Jetta V looks really nice, but I doubt the Mexican mfg has improved that much recently.
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Moderator Alumnus
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From: Washington DC (NOVA)
Originally Posted by phile
I actually think the RL is 95% a Legend. Outside of the US, the Legend gets collision mitigation system, cooled seats, and night vision.
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From: Washington DC (NOVA)
Originally Posted by slo007
You kidding right? Every VW I've seen in the past 4 yrs has had problems.
The Jetta V looks really nice, but I doubt the Mexican mfg has improved that much recently.
The Jetta V looks really nice, but I doubt the Mexican mfg has improved that much recently.
Are you sure you're not referring to reliability instead of build quality?
The sizzle in the Steak
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From: Southern California
Volkswagen looks to MINI for marketing help
VW Hires MINI's Martin For Marketing Moxie
Volkswagen of North America said Thursday it hired Kerri Martin to the new post of director of market development, putting the former MINI executive in charge of advertising, promotions, marketing strategies, and public relations.
While at MINI, Martin was often mentioned as the guardian of "brand soul" for the small BMW-owned car line. She was instrumental in introducing the new MINI to the U.S. and directing a marketing effort that vaulted MINI to high brand awareness and over-achieving its sales targets.
The Volkswagen brand is run by Len Hunt, and he is trying to reverse a sales slide for the brand over the last two years that has Volkswagen AG worried. VW's business has been hurt by a weak dollar. But the brand has also lost much of the marketing and advertising pizzazz and momentum that was key to its late 1990s comeback from nearly having to exit the U.S. market.
VW in the next twelve months or so is launching redesigned versions of the Jetta, Passat, GTI and Golf. Unlike its comeback in the 1990s, it does not have the PR bonanza of the New Beetle to drive awareness of new models and the brand. A plan to re-introduce a modernized Microbus was scuttled.
In short, Martin's job is get people talking about Volkswagen again in a way that has been missing from the brand for about three-plus years. - Jim Burt
Volkswagen of North America said Thursday it hired Kerri Martin to the new post of director of market development, putting the former MINI executive in charge of advertising, promotions, marketing strategies, and public relations.
While at MINI, Martin was often mentioned as the guardian of "brand soul" for the small BMW-owned car line. She was instrumental in introducing the new MINI to the U.S. and directing a marketing effort that vaulted MINI to high brand awareness and over-achieving its sales targets.
The Volkswagen brand is run by Len Hunt, and he is trying to reverse a sales slide for the brand over the last two years that has Volkswagen AG worried. VW's business has been hurt by a weak dollar. But the brand has also lost much of the marketing and advertising pizzazz and momentum that was key to its late 1990s comeback from nearly having to exit the U.S. market.
VW in the next twelve months or so is launching redesigned versions of the Jetta, Passat, GTI and Golf. Unlike its comeback in the 1990s, it does not have the PR bonanza of the New Beetle to drive awareness of new models and the brand. A plan to re-introduce a modernized Microbus was scuttled.
In short, Martin's job is get people talking about Volkswagen again in a way that has been missing from the brand for about three-plus years. - Jim Burt
I'm the Firestarter
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Volkswagen U.S. Sales Soar as Oil Prices Shift Demand
Volkswagen U.S. Sales Soar as Oil Prices Shift Demand (Update2)
Sept. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Volkswagen AG's U.S. sales of its namesake brand rose 72 percent in the first 10 days of September as record gasoline prices prompted buyers to trade in sport-utility vehicles for small cars and demand more diesel models, the brand's top U.S. executive said.
The U.S. unit is seeking more diesel engines for the new Jetta car than planned because gasoline price increases and scattered fuel shortages caused by hurricane Katrina are prompting buyers to ask for diesel cars, Len Hunt, the top U.S. executive for the Volkswagen brand, said in an interview. Diesel engines can get 40 percent better fuel economy than gasoline motors.
``There has definitely been a shift moving away from SUVs,'' said Rebecca Lindland, an analyst for Lexington, Massachusetts- based Global Insight Inc. ``People are also more motivated to learn about the new diesels now. There hasn't been a real reason before in the U.S.''
The U.S. misfortune from Katrina, which initially knocked out 10 percent of U.S. refinery capacity, might benefit Volkswagen, whose U.S. sales have dropped for three consecutive years and were down 17 percent through July. Volkswagen August sales rose 2.7 percent as buyers began to shun the largest SUVs and flocked to smaller cars.
Shares of Volkswagen rose as much as 77 cents, or 1.7 percent, to 45.85 euros and were up 0.6 percent at 2:20 p.m. in Frankfurt.
``There has been a massive interest in demand for the Jetta diesel,'' Hunt, 49, said. ``Initially we thought diesel demand might be 15 percent of the Jetta sales in the U.S. and it's more than 20 percent already and rising. It was under way before, but Katrina has accelerated it.''
U.S. Shift
Volkswagen, Europe's largest carmaker, last week said that Hunt will swap jobs next month with Adrian Hallmark, 43, the head of marketing for the luxury Bentley brand, as the company tries to reverse losses and sales declines in the U.S. Hunt is in Germany this week for the Frankfurt International Motor Show.
Volkswagen lost 1 billion euros ($1.24 billion) last year in the U.S., the world's largest automobile market. Chief Executive Bernd Pischetsrieder said Aug. 24 the carmaker is unlikely to turn a profit there until at least 2007 because of pricing pressures and the dollar's decline against the euro. The jump in gasoline prices will help the German automaker's new models, Hunt said.
Americans are paying more for their gasoline after adjusting for inflation than at any point since 1981, during the Iran-Iraq war, and prices may keep climbing, Charles Maxwell, senior energy analyst at Weeden & Co. in Greenwich, Connecticut, said last week.
Fuel Prices
The average U.S. retail price jumped 45 cents the week of Sept. 29 to $3.057 a gallon, according to AAA, the largest motorists' organization. Gasoline prices in 1981, after the revolution in Iran and during that country's war with Iraq, equaled $3.14 in today's dollars.
Oil refinery shutdowns initially idled more than 1.77 million barrels a day of capacity, or 10 percent of the nation's total, according to Energy Department data, after Katrina slammed into the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi on Aug. 29 with 140 mph winds. Four refineries were still down last week.
Buying trends indicate that people who don't normally consider diesel are switching, Hunt said. Volkswagen was caught short of diesel Jettas with automatic transmissions because traditional diesel buyers prefer a manual gearbox, he said. Many of the new buyers are first-time diesel owners, Hunt said.
In Texas, the state with among the largest U.S. concentration of pickup truck buyers, the percentage of Jettas sold with diesel engines has more than doubled in the last several months, to about 30 percent, Hunt said.
Diesel Mix
Volkswagen is also testing diesel models to see if they can operate properly using diesel fuel that is composed of 20 percent renewable components such as soybean oil, Hunt said. Current models are only approved so-called biodiesel with 5 percent of the crop additives, he said. Adding more vegetable oil to diesel would require less petroleum, he said.
DaimlerChrysler AG's Dieter Zetsche, who will take over as chief executive in January when Juergen Schrempp retires, has said U.S. demand for Jeep Liberty SUV and Mercedes E-Class sedan with diesels was already exceeding initial expectations before the hurricane as gasoline prices rose. Zetsche was head of Chrysler and now leads the Mercedes Car Group.
Mercedes sold 470 diesel versions of the E-Class in August, a ``significant'' increase from the 250 to 300 diesel models it normally sells, U.S. Mercedes chief Paul Halata said in an interview today. He credits the oil shock of the 1980s with helping attracting U.S. buyers to Mercedes in the first place and at one point driving diesels to 70 percent of U.S. sales.
``Diesel has to be part of the answer and this will speed it up,'' he said, adding that he also plans to speed up plans to get more diesel engines in U.S. models. He didn't provide a timetable.
To contact the reporter on this story:
Jeff Green in a the Frankfurt International Motor Show 4470 or jgreen16@bloomberg.net;
Last Updated: September 12, 2005 08:25 EDT
Sept. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Volkswagen AG's U.S. sales of its namesake brand rose 72 percent in the first 10 days of September as record gasoline prices prompted buyers to trade in sport-utility vehicles for small cars and demand more diesel models, the brand's top U.S. executive said.
The U.S. unit is seeking more diesel engines for the new Jetta car than planned because gasoline price increases and scattered fuel shortages caused by hurricane Katrina are prompting buyers to ask for diesel cars, Len Hunt, the top U.S. executive for the Volkswagen brand, said in an interview. Diesel engines can get 40 percent better fuel economy than gasoline motors.
``There has definitely been a shift moving away from SUVs,'' said Rebecca Lindland, an analyst for Lexington, Massachusetts- based Global Insight Inc. ``People are also more motivated to learn about the new diesels now. There hasn't been a real reason before in the U.S.''
The U.S. misfortune from Katrina, which initially knocked out 10 percent of U.S. refinery capacity, might benefit Volkswagen, whose U.S. sales have dropped for three consecutive years and were down 17 percent through July. Volkswagen August sales rose 2.7 percent as buyers began to shun the largest SUVs and flocked to smaller cars.
Shares of Volkswagen rose as much as 77 cents, or 1.7 percent, to 45.85 euros and were up 0.6 percent at 2:20 p.m. in Frankfurt.
``There has been a massive interest in demand for the Jetta diesel,'' Hunt, 49, said. ``Initially we thought diesel demand might be 15 percent of the Jetta sales in the U.S. and it's more than 20 percent already and rising. It was under way before, but Katrina has accelerated it.''
U.S. Shift
Volkswagen, Europe's largest carmaker, last week said that Hunt will swap jobs next month with Adrian Hallmark, 43, the head of marketing for the luxury Bentley brand, as the company tries to reverse losses and sales declines in the U.S. Hunt is in Germany this week for the Frankfurt International Motor Show.
Volkswagen lost 1 billion euros ($1.24 billion) last year in the U.S., the world's largest automobile market. Chief Executive Bernd Pischetsrieder said Aug. 24 the carmaker is unlikely to turn a profit there until at least 2007 because of pricing pressures and the dollar's decline against the euro. The jump in gasoline prices will help the German automaker's new models, Hunt said.
Americans are paying more for their gasoline after adjusting for inflation than at any point since 1981, during the Iran-Iraq war, and prices may keep climbing, Charles Maxwell, senior energy analyst at Weeden & Co. in Greenwich, Connecticut, said last week.
Fuel Prices
The average U.S. retail price jumped 45 cents the week of Sept. 29 to $3.057 a gallon, according to AAA, the largest motorists' organization. Gasoline prices in 1981, after the revolution in Iran and during that country's war with Iraq, equaled $3.14 in today's dollars.
Oil refinery shutdowns initially idled more than 1.77 million barrels a day of capacity, or 10 percent of the nation's total, according to Energy Department data, after Katrina slammed into the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi on Aug. 29 with 140 mph winds. Four refineries were still down last week.
Buying trends indicate that people who don't normally consider diesel are switching, Hunt said. Volkswagen was caught short of diesel Jettas with automatic transmissions because traditional diesel buyers prefer a manual gearbox, he said. Many of the new buyers are first-time diesel owners, Hunt said.
In Texas, the state with among the largest U.S. concentration of pickup truck buyers, the percentage of Jettas sold with diesel engines has more than doubled in the last several months, to about 30 percent, Hunt said.
Diesel Mix
Volkswagen is also testing diesel models to see if they can operate properly using diesel fuel that is composed of 20 percent renewable components such as soybean oil, Hunt said. Current models are only approved so-called biodiesel with 5 percent of the crop additives, he said. Adding more vegetable oil to diesel would require less petroleum, he said.
DaimlerChrysler AG's Dieter Zetsche, who will take over as chief executive in January when Juergen Schrempp retires, has said U.S. demand for Jeep Liberty SUV and Mercedes E-Class sedan with diesels was already exceeding initial expectations before the hurricane as gasoline prices rose. Zetsche was head of Chrysler and now leads the Mercedes Car Group.
Mercedes sold 470 diesel versions of the E-Class in August, a ``significant'' increase from the 250 to 300 diesel models it normally sells, U.S. Mercedes chief Paul Halata said in an interview today. He credits the oil shock of the 1980s with helping attracting U.S. buyers to Mercedes in the first place and at one point driving diesels to 70 percent of U.S. sales.
``Diesel has to be part of the answer and this will speed it up,'' he said, adding that he also plans to speed up plans to get more diesel engines in U.S. models. He didn't provide a timetable.
To contact the reporter on this story:
Jeff Green in a the Frankfurt International Motor Show 4470 or jgreen16@bloomberg.net;
Last Updated: September 12, 2005 08:25 EDT
Originally Posted by Bill Hook
I predict fuel cost savings will be eaten up by repair costs, and then some.
deisels tend to be more reliable and run A LOT longer!
If you properly maintain a diesel, the car will fall apart way before the engine does.
No doubt about it.
misanthropist
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From: Tyson's Corner
Originally Posted by Loseit
deisels tend to be more reliable and run A LOT longer!
old volvo diesels > vw products
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2003
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From: Orlando, Fl
It's sad that it took a disaster induced gas price spike to wake up the general population to this issue.
Some time ago there was a poll that indicated that people's car buying patterns will be altered once gas hits $3/gal - we're there now and this is the result.
Europeans figured this stuff out a long time ago.
As I mentioned before, look for the diesel flood gates to open next year when low sulfur diesel will be available.
I sure hope who ever makes any gas guzzlin vehicle is ready for some really bleak times ahead.
Some time ago there was a poll that indicated that people's car buying patterns will be altered once gas hits $3/gal - we're there now and this is the result.
Europeans figured this stuff out a long time ago.
As I mentioned before, look for the diesel flood gates to open next year when low sulfur diesel will be available.
I sure hope who ever makes any gas guzzlin vehicle is ready for some really bleak times ahead.
Instructor
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From: Dixieland
Originally Posted by Loseit
deisels tend to be more reliable and run A LOT longer!
I know that, but VW has a history of reliability issues and even if the engine needs no spark, I expect electrical gremlins will still manifest themselves elsewhere. Moreover, diesels cost more to fix when they do need fixing; their timing belt change interval is siginificantly less than my integra, which only manages to rev to 8100rpm (does the TDi even rev beyond 5000, let alone normally operate at such high revs?). Personally, I'd wait for a diesel accord to show up here by the end of the decade.
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Moderator Alumnus
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From: Washington DC (NOVA)
Originally Posted by biker
It's sad that it took a disaster induced gas price spike to wake up the general population to this issue.
That's because it was not...an "issue" before gas prices doubled essentially. The public was not..."asleep", they were able to afford SUV gas mileage consumption.
Originally Posted by biker
Some time ago there was a poll that indicated that people's car buying patterns will be altered once gas hits $3/gal - we're there now and this is the result.
Europeans figured this stuff out a long time ago.
Europeans had to figure this stuff out a long time ago because they were at 3 bucks a gallon way before us due to extremely heavy taxation on gas, as you very well know.
One adapts to the occasion accordingly, is all.
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Moderator Alumnus
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From: Washington DC (NOVA)
Originally Posted by Bill Hook
I know that, but VW has a history of reliability issues and even if the engine needs no spark, I expect electrical gremlins will still manifest themselves elsewhere. Moreover, diesels cost more to fix when they do need fixing; their timing belt change interval is siginificantly less than my integra, which only manages to rev to 8100rpm (does the TDi even rev beyond 5000, let alone normally operate at such high revs?). Personally, I'd wait for a diesel accord to show up here by the end of the decade.
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From: Washington DC (NOVA)
Originally Posted by JesusJuice
I never understood why America never made many diesels
Many reasons but certainly it was not because they did it poorly.
First reason, CHEAP GASOLINE! That in itselft makes alternate fuel not even an option to R&D. Why "break something that's working fine"?
Second reason, emissions. Europeans have been claiming that diesel engines are as clean as gas engines but that's not even close to the truth. They may be cleaner on specific pollutants but not others like for example soot which American research shows it's very bad for the lungs and causes a myriad of health issues eventually. To this day this is a problem and hence the third issues comes along:
Third reason legislation about diesel composition which leads to emissions performance. This is now almost a done deal and what's left is the execution. It will take about another 2 years but we will eventually have "clean enough" diesel that will meet US emissions regulations and that's when you will see the big two jump in the diesel thing aggressively.
There are other reasons...
Instructor
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From: Dixieland
Originally Posted by gavriil
Max HP for the 1.9TDI comes at 4000 rpm, so redline should be a little above that.
All the more reason to wonder why VW can't get more than 75 or 80K miles from their timing belts.
FWIW, everyone should check out the honda.uk website and look at the accord diesel and the interactive diesel demo there.
Senior Moderator
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From: Swansea, MA
Originally Posted by gavriil
First reason, CHEAP GASOLINE! That in itselft makes alternate fuel not even an option to R&D. Why "break something that's working fine"?
http://www.ford.com/en/vehicles/spec...al/ethanol.htm
I'm more interested in what going on with flex-fuel vehicles, but diesel (and bio-diesels) is another interesting option.
Safety Car
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From: philly
Originally Posted by Bill Hook
my integra, which only manages to rev to 8100rpm (does the TDi even rev beyond 5000, let alone normally operate at such high revs?). Personally, I'd wait for a diesel accord to show up here by the end of the decade.
What kinda torque does your car make at 2000 rpms, any? You realize power is utilized around town and in daily driving at low rpms, correct?
Fahrvergnügen'd
Joined: Mar 2001
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From: Maryland
Originally Posted by gavriil
There are other reasons...
While Americans may not have continued with diesel cars because gas became plentiful again, with the exception of diesel truck engines, our record has not been good with ones for cars.
Race Director
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From: Orlando, Fl
Originally Posted by gavriil
That's because it was not...an "issue" before gas prices doubled essentially. The public was not..."asleep", they were able to afford SUV gas mileage consumption.
.
.
The average soccer mom who had a minivan in the 90s, an SUV till recently, would have been just fine with an Accord all along but it took high gas prices to force people into that realization.
Honda has the perfect answer when the diesel demand mushrooms - the 2.2L I4 iCTDi from Europe. The only question is when they start using it. With so much competition (Sonata and others) no amount of fixing to the Accord will bring back the great sales. The diesel might, especially if the other are slow to offer it.
Imagine Honda sales if it could corner the market with a 40+MPG Accord? If could pass Prius sales in one year.
Biker, who thinks diesel engine availability might rescue VW in the short term, but poor reliability numbers will still haunt them.
Instructor
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From: Dixieland
Originally Posted by heyitsme
Are you trying to say your car is somehow superior because it has to rev high to makes its peak power?
What kinda torque does your car make at 2000 rpms, any? You realize power is utilized around town and in daily driving at low rpms, correct?
What kinda torque does your car make at 2000 rpms, any? You realize power is utilized around town and in daily driving at low rpms, correct?
The sizzle in the Steak
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From: Southern California
Volkswagen CEO resigns...Audi CEO to replace him.
Volkswagen CEO resigns
Bernd Pischetsrieder agrees to leave automaker at the end of the year, Audi CEO to replace him.
November 7 2006: 1:38 PM EST
FRANKFURT (Reuters) -- Volkswagen's Chief Executive Bernd Pischetsrieder will leave the company at the end of the year, to be replaced by the head of its premium unit Audi.
"The presidium of the supervisory board of Volkswagen AG and the chairman of the board of management, Dr. Bernd Pischetsrieder, have agreed upon his resignation effective from Dec. 31, 2006," the company said Tuesday.
Volkswagen (Charts) said the six-man steering committee of the supervisory board has unanimously proposed to appoint Audi CEO Martin Winterkorn to replace him starting next year.
November 7 2006: 1:38 PM EST
FRANKFURT (Reuters) -- Volkswagen's Chief Executive Bernd Pischetsrieder will leave the company at the end of the year, to be replaced by the head of its premium unit Audi.
"The presidium of the supervisory board of Volkswagen AG and the chairman of the board of management, Dr. Bernd Pischetsrieder, have agreed upon his resignation effective from Dec. 31, 2006," the company said Tuesday.
Volkswagen (Charts) said the six-man steering committee of the supervisory board has unanimously proposed to appoint Audi CEO Martin Winterkorn to replace him starting next year.
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Some speculation...
Source: Leftlanenews...
Source: Leftlanenews...
Porsche may be behind Volkswagen CEO Bernd Pischetsrieder's forced resignation, according to analysts cited by Reuters. "We conclude that his departure could be the result of significant differences on group strategy or resistance to the growing influence of Chairman Dr. Piech and Porsche CEO Dr. (Wendelin) Wiedeking," Goldman Sachs wrote in a research note.
There is speculation Porsche may be trying to secure a third seat on VW's board by raising its stake to just below 30 percent. "A combination of Porsche's shareholding and supervisory board seats, together with Piech's continuing clout at VW, may have forced VW to accept deals on the Cayenne 2 or Panamera production contracts for Porsche that were not 100 percent acceptable to VW operational management," Credit Suisse wrote.
Some analysts say Piech and Wiedeking may be plotting to swap Porsche's stake in Volkswagen for control of Audi. It's unclear what the purpose of such a move would be, but the consensus seems to be that Porsche has something up its sleeve.
There is speculation Porsche may be trying to secure a third seat on VW's board by raising its stake to just below 30 percent. "A combination of Porsche's shareholding and supervisory board seats, together with Piech's continuing clout at VW, may have forced VW to accept deals on the Cayenne 2 or Panamera production contracts for Porsche that were not 100 percent acceptable to VW operational management," Credit Suisse wrote.
Some analysts say Piech and Wiedeking may be plotting to swap Porsche's stake in Volkswagen for control of Audi. It's unclear what the purpose of such a move would be, but the consensus seems to be that Porsche has something up its sleeve.
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Porsche says nein! to takeover...
From Forbes.com:
FRANKFURT (AFX) - Porsche AG is not planning a complete takeover of peer Volkswagen AG, German weekly Focus said in a report to be published tomorrow.
Focus reported that VW supervisory board chairman Ferdinand Piech has told fellow VW supervisory board members that the Porsche and Piech families, which control Porsche, have decided against a takeover.
Focus said the decision was taken mainly because of financial risks.
Porsche said on Wednesday it had increased its stake in VW to 27.4 pct from 21.2 pct and that its supervisory board had given the green light to raise the stake to a maximum of 29.9 pct.
Under German law, Porsche must launch a takeover bid once it gains a 30 pct holding.
On Thursday, Porsche spokesman Anton Hunger said 'there are definitely no plans at the moment to raise the stake of Porsche in VW to 30 pct or above'.
Focus reported that VW supervisory board chairman Ferdinand Piech has told fellow VW supervisory board members that the Porsche and Piech families, which control Porsche, have decided against a takeover.
Focus said the decision was taken mainly because of financial risks.
Porsche said on Wednesday it had increased its stake in VW to 27.4 pct from 21.2 pct and that its supervisory board had given the green light to raise the stake to a maximum of 29.9 pct.
Under German law, Porsche must launch a takeover bid once it gains a 30 pct holding.
On Thursday, Porsche spokesman Anton Hunger said 'there are definitely no plans at the moment to raise the stake of Porsche in VW to 30 pct or above'.