This resonates and is utterly sobering. After a lifetime of buying BMWs (I loved that 325i coupe, the cup holders were magnificently over engineered), Mercedes, VW (a golf was the first new car I bought) and more recently JLR cars, I now own a fabulous cute Volvo EX30 - owned by China, made in China and the most fun car I've ever had.
This matches what I keep saying in conversations with automotive executives at industry events: European carmakers will not make this jump alone.
Your point about patient money is the one that stays with me. Tesla needed 17 years to make its first yearly profit. Most European investors, and many boards, would have walked away long before that.
I would add one thing from the operator side. A partnership gets signed on a stage, but the customer judges it years later, in service, in the workshop, on a support call. The partners who understand that will be the ones who last.
Your last line is the hard one: if Europe does not build its own new car industry, the old one follows. Do you see any realistic way for governments to stay patient for 15 years?
To me it seems like car versus tech, or robot. I loved my Audi, great car for over 20 years. Then I got the test left, but it's not a car, I have no feelings for it, as much as you would on mobile phone. It's an amazing work of technology, infinitely practical, but has none of the elegant design and quality the Audi did.
This resonates and is utterly sobering. After a lifetime of buying BMWs (I loved that 325i coupe, the cup holders were magnificently over engineered), Mercedes, VW (a golf was the first new car I bought) and more recently JLR cars, I now own a fabulous cute Volvo EX30 - owned by China, made in China and the most fun car I've ever had.
This matches what I keep saying in conversations with automotive executives at industry events: European carmakers will not make this jump alone.
Your point about patient money is the one that stays with me. Tesla needed 17 years to make its first yearly profit. Most European investors, and many boards, would have walked away long before that.
I would add one thing from the operator side. A partnership gets signed on a stage, but the customer judges it years later, in service, in the workshop, on a support call. The partners who understand that will be the ones who last.
Your last line is the hard one: if Europe does not build its own new car industry, the old one follows. Do you see any realistic way for governments to stay patient for 15 years?
Germans missed the new Car race, because they missed the Tech race.
To me it seems like car versus tech, or robot. I loved my Audi, great car for over 20 years. Then I got the test left, but it's not a car, I have no feelings for it, as much as you would on mobile phone. It's an amazing work of technology, infinitely practical, but has none of the elegant design and quality the Audi did.
Germany 😂😂😂 What is that?
Try to be on-topic & respectful. Tendency to riot? Use X!
Try to be on-topic & respectful. Tendency to riot? Use vaseline!
Lecture your kids, if you have some…😂