Reuters had access to a message published on Volkswagen's intranet site in which brand chief Thomas Schaefer admitted partial and early retirements are planned.
Well, first things first, don’t cut costs heavily to the point where you’re sacrificing profits and, eventually, the VW company’s well-being in the long term and as much as the accounting dept. won’t like the sound of this: Invest more into quality—especially the fit and finish/materials used.
THEN,
- Invest in the science of innovating, as while it may be costly, it can pay off as long as it’s done correctly. Innovation gives a company a serious competitive advantage. Try new things and let the engineers do the talking. Be ahead of that game.
- Make your cars feel like they’re worth the money, both on the inside and out. Focus on offering genuinely great vehicles with a solid bang for the buck. VW should refrain from overpricing and acting like they can command near-Audi money on some of their products. It’s a shame the Touareg (in the US) and Phaeton turned out the way they did. Great products that are otherwise let down by Audi-esque pricing. Also, make unique, genuinely fun & interesting offerings, as those are what draw more people into the brand, like the ID Buggy and whatnot. Bring back the Beetle as an Easy-to-work, stylish EV. Focus on value and punching above the weight. You guys are Volkswagen, after all, the people’s car.
- Don’t put all the eggs in the BEV basket, as the market for BEVs is uncertain. Still continue to experiment and develop alongside ICE powertrains. Focus on hybridization if need be.
- Design cars with more classiness and character in the exterior. Hire a fusion of talent and have them experiment. I suggest outsourcing the design to talent like Ian Callum or even ex-Bugatti designer Sasha Selipanov. Encourage and effectively use more talent.
- Make your interiors warm and comfortable, lovely places to be in. Your interiors should be ergonomically friendly, with no haptic buttons and slider control BS. Simple, genuinely well-built interiors that will stand the test of time.
- Do what Subaru is doing and eliminate markups, overpricing, and ADMs, which mainly turn off buyers from any brand.
Well, first things first, don’t cut costs heavily to the point where you’re sacrificing profits and, eventually, the VW company’s well-being in the long term and as much as the accounting dept. won’t like the sound of this: Invest more into quality—especially the fit and finish/materials used.
THEN,
- Invest in the science of innovating, as while it may be costly, it can pay off as long as it’s done correctly. Innovation gives a company a serious competitive advantage. Try new things and let the engineers do the talking. Be ahead of that game.
- Make your cars feel like they’re worth the money, both on the inside and out. Focus on offering genuinely great vehicles with a solid bang for the buck. VW should refrain from overpricing and acting like they can command near-Audi money on some of their products. It’s a shame the Touareg (in the US) and Phaeton turned out the way they did. Great products that are otherwise let down by Audi-esque pricing. Also, make unique, genuinely fun & interesting offerings, as those are what draw more people into the brand, like the ID Buggy and whatnot. Bring back the Beetle as an Easy-to-work, stylish EV. Focus on value and punching above the weight. You guys are Volkswagen, after all, the people’s car.
- Don’t put all the eggs in the BEV basket, as the market for BEVs is uncertain. Still continue to experiment and develop alongside ICE powertrains. Focus on hybridization if need be.
- Design cars with more classiness and character in the exterior. Hire a fusion of talent and have them experiment. I suggest outsourcing the design to talent like Ian Callum or even ex-Bugatti designer Sasha Selipanov. Encourage and effectively use more talent.
- Make your interiors warm and comfortable, lovely places to be in. Your interiors should be ergonomically friendly, with no haptic buttons and slider control BS. Simple, genuinely well-built interiors that will stand the test of time.
- Do what Subaru is doing and eliminate markups, overpricing, and ADMs, which mainly turn off buyers from any brand.