The Dark Wob

Too many makes and models competing with each other?

Too many expensive factories?

Too many workers?

Discuss.

Certainly rings true. Fiat and Alfa competing with pug and Citroen/ds and each competing with each other. I don't get how it can work. Certainly didn't work for Wolsey/Austin/triumph /rover etc.

I thought it was a Hyundai model name

No. British Leyland made a variety of interesting cars as they headed for the frag-pile of history.

Are they not just doing the same as VAG. It is more economical for manufacturers to have one platform and add Peugeot, Citroen or Vauxhall bodies on top. They all have to make a profit and can only differentiate with brand identity. Mercedes and BMW are putting their badge on real tat at the lower end of their range, look at the A and B class abominations, BMW 1 and 2 series are FWD tat. Stellantis have increased the choice of company cars where I work and saved me on BIK so I welcome them, all new cars are white goods now, about as exciting as choosing a new fridge or dishwasher.
I think regulations are making it harder ( impossible) to produce anything interesting so manufacturers have to group together to meet the costs of developing hybrid and electric vehicles and continue to keep in profit.

I think that the difference is the chief exec.

Carlos Tavares is at the opposite end of the competence spectrum to Donald Stokes and has far less pressure from politicians.

I reckon it'll succeed, besides being very clever he's also pretty ruthless by what I've seen. He turned around Opel in record time for example.

Well the French won’t buy stuff that’s not made there unlike us where we refuse to buy anything made here - so it makes sense to keep the French brands and factories open. Maybe that is a decent strategy - like Ford used to do, make one car all over the world.

It’s not really like BL as that was mostly a UK outfit.

BTW I was reading that VAG is in bother over SEAT because they aren’t making money.

SEAT seem to have ignored the SEAT brand and focused on Cupra, to its detriment, seemingly trying to move upmarket with the associated higher margins.

They're trying to achieve in a few years what normally takes decades and without a U.S.P. like Audi with Quattro etc..

Quite - also if VAG has Cupra as an upmarket performance brand, what is the point of Audi?

I suspect the combination of different marketing departments strategies and CEO egoes will end badly for VAG.

At least with Piech you had a clear and strong leader, albeit one with an out of control ego.