Europe’s largest economy is in trouble and Volkswagen is at the heart of the crisis.

The German carmaker is facing existential challenges due to mismanagement, competition from China and the rise of electric vehicles.

In December, about 66,000 workers across Germany abandoned their posts in the first wave of temporary walkouts. With announced job cuts and planned factory closures on the way, the pressure is on for Volkswagen to turn things around.

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00:00 – 01:00
1:00 – 2:00 – VW & Germany: A History
2:00 – 3:30 The Crisis
3:30 – 4:37 – China
4:37 – 5:40 – Cities & Workforce
5:40 – 6:33 – Employee Impact
6.33 – 9:30 – The Turnaround Plan

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41 Comments

  1. Maybe.. just Maybe nobody wants an electric car ?
    Sales are down across the board & it doesnt matter what Governments say we need to have electric by 2040 etc nobody likes or wants electric? & The sales of 2nd hand electric cars are terrible!! Plus how much does a new battery cost ?
    Stop making electric cars !!

  2. Problem is c class and Passat cost very similar money, where merc looks and feels much better, more nippy and has beautiful interior alongside with modern infotainment system.

    Vw is great but not for the price they are asking.

  3. They lobbied for all these unnecessary gadgets built into (radars, cameras, pressure sensors) to be mandatory mounted so they can increase price.
    When this wasn't enough they raised prices.
    When this wasn't enough they lobbied for electric autos to open new market.
    Now they beached themselves realising no one wants to buy overprices ICE and since china owns all the minerals and components to manufacture EVs they keep most of the profits.
    Congratulation to keeping your shareholders well fed instead of focusing long term business.
    You shot yourself in the leg 1 too many times.

  4. My first VW was a Golf which I bought in 1978. It was basic, but very stylish and fun to drive. I bought it new and it was very affordable. These days, VWs are very expensive. They are big and heavy and seem to be aimed at very rich people. Nothing like my Golf in 1978. My Golf was a people's car. Today VWs seem to be the executives' car. Not the people's car. In Australia where I live, there is only 1 basic Golf model sold, other than the GTI and the R model and its very expensive for a base model. There used to be thousands of Golf's on the road here. Nowadays, they are a rarity. Brand loyalty starts when young people buy their first car. It has to be affordable. I have owned 5 golf's over the years. Each one I bought new. But these days, I can't afford one and I particularly don't like touch screens and electronic dashboards. The basic Golf in 1978 was great. Volkswagen have lost their way.

  5. I do diagnostics and electrical / high voltage repairs in an audi vw garage.
    The EV’s are a curse and they frequently have expensive repairs and malfunctions.
    “Innovation” means more faults, in turn more repairs and expenses for the costumers. The best cars are the simplest ones, new cars last as much as new smartphones.

  6. VW has lost its mind. I just dont get it. For example VW Polo cost 20k just for base car. For 20k you can get Skoda Fabia almost fully loaded. And it is just basically the same car. THE SAME CAR.

  7. They forgot the meaning of "Volks" in Volkswagen. They invest crazy money in premium brands like Bugatti and Audi and cheats on basics models with diesel gate. They totaly deserve it.

  8. It's an interesting documentation. But why Volkswagen is where it is and What's the way forward is superficial, just repeating all the media. It's a bit more complex. Costs of wages and electricity in Germany, subsidies in china, material costs for EV batteries in china Vs in Germany, etc

  9. I've owned numerous VW's over the year (even owned and loved my TDI). However, the cost of a new VW is ridiculous nowadays. I'd love to own a new VW, but for now, my 2016 Jetta SE will have to stay and keep serving me well.

  10. I just think Cash for Clunkers and Dieselgate were scams introduced in order to ramp up the production of planned obsolescence products, such as electric vehicles entirely dependent on software, and enrich a select few even more and plan for a market in which buying will be the same as renting, since you can't really fix a modern car in your personal garage anymore unless you're a mechanic and an electrician, and even then it's a hassle. Just take a look at what John Deere is doing, for an extreme example. But that's just me.

  11. I had a 1982 Volkswagen Golf GTI for 23(!) years. Almost 300.000km at the end. My wife owns a 2007 Golf 5 with 1.4 petrol engine. Only minor problems and nothing mechanical. Volkswagen lost it when they start making MPV’s.

  12. This happens, when you produce absolute disgraces of cars (that won't last a minute) but charge the full price – stating that you are the best. Which is by far not true. It's absurd, how many issues those plastic boxes have.

  13. Every car company is chasing the semi-luxury market because those have the biggest returns. However most people don't upgrade cars every few years, they can't afford it and the car companies' guaging is catching up to them. No sympathy

  14. It seems all car makers get lazy and quit making well engineered affordable cars.
    Well engineered for the last 10 years means electric. Tesla model Y is 6 years old and VW still does not have a competitive vehicle. The did not electrify too soon they just made shifty cars.

  15. I had a Tiguan, omg what a pain in the oss, no one could fix a timming issue, turbo issue. I bought a 3k 91 Miata and a brand new jimny for 19K

  16. Seems simple, look at their line up, the prices don't make sense, I feel the designs are not quite up to mark and they have been plagued with software issues. Why get the ID.3 when I get 3x more options and more range on the Kia EV3. Same for goes for the Polo and Golf, the pricing is ridiculous especially if they priced it because "its a volkswagen". Look at Renault, they are doing a incredible job with the R5

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