Archives for February 2024

World’s top three automakers enter the new year with a very familiar ranking: Toyota Group #1, followed by Volkswagen Group, and then Hyundai Group, all three separated by a little more than 100,000 units.

Of the three, only Volkswagen Group achieved double digit increases, as it did for most of last year. Remarkably, some Volkswagen managers, notably Volkswagen Passenger Vehicle boss Thomas Schäfer, have been talking for most of last year as if the house is on fire. The result is considerable cognitive dissonance among the workforce.

Schäfer seems to style himself as the Anti-Musk: Musk continues making promises he can’t keep. Schäfer talks of doomsdays that won’t come. You figure it out.