The Death of VW
It appears that people are going through Kubler-Ross’ five psychological stages of VW dying. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally, acceptance. Obviously, there are people in denial that VW is dying. And, looking at the recent flames, it is obvious that there are angry people. And bargaining: “Wait till all the new models come out. Sales will boom”. I’m sure that there are VW enthusiasts that are depressed. I’m depressed that I made the awful mistake (twice) of buying a VW. But I think everyone will be better off when they accept the fact that VW is dying. VW simply is not capable of competing in the twenty first century.
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VWVictim Said,
June 11, 2005 @ 3:25 am
The Death of VW – Observation, Peter, observation. And education. If I had come to a site like this before I bought my VW’s, I would have saved myself years of misery.
VWVictim Said,
June 11, 2005 @ 3:26 am
The Death of VW – Jasen, VW has already evolved into Fiat.
VWVictim Said,
June 11, 2005 @ 3:36 am
The Death of VW – Peter,
VW’s are dying much quicker in the US because there is a huge choice of alternatives. Why would you buy a VW when you can buy a much higher quality Hyundai for much less money? Competition will be the death of VW. VW cannot compete.
Because labor costs and labor contracts at VW are the highest in the world, VW has to sell their cars at higher prices. Or use cheaper materials to build the cars. It appears that VW is doing both. With VW’s most recent round of cutting material expenses, I shudder to think of what’s under the skin of the newest VW’s.
VWVictim Said,
June 11, 2005 @ 7:16 am
Acceptance – Well paul, my repeated “doomsaying” at least shows that I am past the denial stage. As a matter of fact I would say that I am in the acceptance stage. I welcome VW’s demise with open arms. VW had a good life, but it is painfully obvious that VW cannot compete in the twenty-first century.
297 Said,
June 11, 2005 @ 10:00 am
The Death of VW – I’m not quite sure you’ve gotten past anger. Otherwise, your repeated doomsaying would, well, stop.
peterd1965 Said,
June 11, 2005 @ 10:39 am
Re: The Death of VW – Damn that is depressing…. I am depressed now…
Are they dying faster in Europe and slower in the US? The US always has to wait until faults are well proven before the unfixed models arrive …
Perhaps VW is dying like a star in death phase; expanding mightily (Toureg, Phaeton) only to collapse back into itself, a black hole taking in all that had bought from it.
But I think that takes like a million years —
A moment of reflection please….
jasenm Said,
June 11, 2005 @ 11:34 am
the death of a salesman – CHICAGO IL- vw salesman kills himself due to beating his head against his desk after reading vwvictims redundant posts.
victim, what is the point? do you have one or is it just some bootleg psych 101 babble? maybe vw is gonna evolve into alfa romero? or maybe a 3 legged giraffe?
Post edited 06/11/05 2:05 PM by jasenm
Post edited 06/11/05 2:06 PM by jasenm
297 Said,
June 11, 2005 @ 11:45 am
The Death of VW – For sure you are past denial. I said so myself.
I was in Paris a few weeks back. Outside of French makes such as Peugeot, Renault, and Citroen, guess the dominant foreign make.
And remember, these things usually come in cycles. Stating that VW is in a slump is one thing, saying that they are doomed and will go out of business? That’s saying quite much more with very little evidence.
And remember, if your wish for the largest European car manufacturer to fail does, in that unlikely event, come true, you have effectively wished a lot of people working for VW, Audi, Seat, Skoda, Bentley, Bugatti, and Lamborghini out of a job.
How about wishing for something more productive? Like for VW to improve customer relations and product reliability in addition to their advanced auto technology (4 out of the top 10 fuel efficient cars in America are VW TDIs).
297 Said,
June 11, 2005 @ 11:46 am
The Death of VW – And this doesn’t make you think VW doesn’t suck. That’s the point. Wishing for VW to improve implictly impliess that VW presently sucks, so don’t feel like you’re making a compromise here…. unless you really, really, want VW to die.
That’s just plain wacky.
VWVictim Said,
June 12, 2005 @ 1:11 am
The Death of VW – How long does one continue to wish that VW improves? Year after year after year VW continues to have problem after problem after problem. And the horrible dealer network continues to blow off the customer. And VWoA continues to insult VW owners seeking redress. People looking to buy an automobile should be able to make an informed decision. They should know the continuing history of VW automobiles.
And, people are finding out the truth about VW’s. They are staying away from VW’s in droves. VWoA sales are well on their way to a fourth year of declining sales. VAG management is telling their stockholders that they are trying to cut costs every way possible. VWoA is losing massive amounts of money. How long do you think VAG’s stockholders are going to stand for this?
VWVictim Said,
June 12, 2005 @ 1:23 am
The Death of VW – In the grand scheme of things companies that cannot build a quality product that matches the competition go out of business on a regular basis. It is called competition. The jobs are taken up by competitors that have better engineers, better assembly lines, and produce a better product. VW cannot compete in the world market in the twenty -first century. For the time being they are competing in their own insular market but VAG’s profits are dwindling down to nothing. VAG is run by the most incompetent idiots that I have ever seen.
297 Said,
June 12, 2005 @ 2:10 am
The Death of VW – Think of it like this. How long was the American auto industry in a slump before beginning a recovery?
You’re making a very grand, broad sweeping statement; one which at this time, really cannot be made.
jasenm Said,
June 13, 2005 @ 4:20 am
stubborned – vw is this.
VWVictim Said,
June 15, 2005 @ 5:12 am
The Death of VW – Due, in part, to the fact that the state of Lower Saxony controls shares in VAG, VAG has the highest paid, LOWEST PRODUCTIVITY, workers in the world. American carmakers worked with the UAW to streamline the carmaking process and increase quality and productivity. The Japanese and Korean carmakers have listened to the American car buyers and built quality cars at a price point. When Americans complain about the crap that VW is foisting on them, VW holds their nose up in the air, sniffs, and says it is the car buyers fault. They don’t deserve to be driving a VW. That’s not competing in the twenty-first century. As a result, the American car buying public is staying away from VW in droves. Americans are telling VW to take their POS cars and stuff them.
297 Said,
June 15, 2005 @ 6:07 am
The Death of VW – And you are making this analysis only several months in to VW’s 21st century model lineup… somehow, I don’t think you’re going to be able to make a case for at least another two years of market research.
VWVictim Said,
June 15, 2005 @ 9:22 am
Denial – It’s 2005! At the turn of the century VW was selling cars whose windows were falling into the doors. They were selling cars with defective ignition coils. And countless other problems. Then they brought out the Touareg, which is at the bottom of everyones quality list. Then they brought out the Phaeton, which is failing miserably. The new Jetta is a sales flop. The people in denial are saying: ” wait until they bring out the full model line. Wait until they come out with the model that has the polished walnut shift knob” I would say that VW has been giving the car buying public the polished knob for years. During the 70’s and 80’s VW was saying that it was normal to use a quart of oil every couple of hundred miles. VW sales dropped to 40,000. Then the cycle of new cars came out, including the new Beetle. Then the cycle of massive problems. And, once again, sales are dropping dramatically. The cycle continues. And, once again, VW is bringing out the shiny new baubles. The car buying public is becoming better informed. You can only screw people so many times. People are realizing that VW foists junk onto the buying public.
VWVictim Said,
June 16, 2005 @ 6:27 am
The Death of VW – Europe is a very insular market. However, the Japanese and Korean carmakers are making inroads into the market. VAG’s profits are dwindling to nothing. VAG’s shareholders are screaming bloody murder. VWoA lost 1.6 Billion Dollars in the American market last year trying to foist overpriced junk onto the market. The same scenario is beginning to play out in Europe.
Post edited 06/16/05 6:27 PM by VWVictim
297 Said,
June 16, 2005 @ 6:47 am
The Death of VW – You really need to provide links to news reports if you want your scenario to play true.
Something like me saying:
Sales are down as the MkIVs leave the showroom. VW expects sales to stabilize by the end of the year — but regardless of sales, at this point in time, VW is operating in the black.
VW’s Bottom Line
Volkswagen Group operating profit of 464 million (previous year: 329 million) improved year-on-year, despite the difficult market situation, reported the company yesterday, 20 April.
VW Interim Report January-March 2005
Sales Slump, Recovery, Results and Expectations
GM and VW post sales increases in China (6/3/05)
VW sales to rise in U.S. (6/3/05)
Post edited 06/16/05 6:47 PM by paultakeda
297 Said,
June 16, 2005 @ 6:55 am
The Death of VW – As for the European market:
West Europe car sales post rare rise (5/12/05)
Volkswagen’s group registrations gained 6 percent, boosting its western Europe market share to nearly 19 percent, aided by strong showing its its Audi luxury arm and Czech-based entry-level brand Skoda.
…
South Korea’s Kia once again led growth by all manufacturers, with registrations leaping 43 percent last month despite harder year-on-year comparisons. Its market share rose to 1 percent from 0.7 percent a year earlier.
Other Asian carmakers turned in mixed showings.
Toyota’s registrations, including its luxury brand Lexus, rose 4.7 percent, boosting the world’s number two carmaker’s market share to 5.2 percent.
Mazda sales plunged 17.6 percent, but Honda grabbed more market share.
Looks like there’s room for everybody… except Fiat.
Post edited 06/16/05 7:42 PM by paultakeda
297 Said,
June 16, 2005 @ 11:59 am
The Death of VW – From what you are saying, I take it being the largest European car manufacturer means people have been completely and utterly fooled by VW for over 30 years.
You’re not getting by with that argument.
rick Said,
June 17, 2005 @ 1:17 am
NIce to see y’all… – Just stopped by to put out some flames…
Nice to see ya, peterd1965, paultakeda, and the ever-present VWVictim!
VWVictim Said,
June 25, 2005 @ 11:54 am
Good To Hear From You – As long as there is a VW there will be a VW Victim.
VWVictim Said,
June 25, 2005 @ 12:12 pm
The Death of VW – VAG’s profits are very poor compared to their overall worth. Their stock is down. The stockholders are screaming bloody murder. VAG is in the midst of a major cost cutting drive. ( Are they buying cheaper window regulators and ignition coils? ) The cost cutting measures are reflected in the relatively small increase in profits.
VWoA lost 1.6 Billion dollars in the American market last year. And sales continue to go down.
A press release from VW saying that sales will increase by the end of the year is probably biased and not based on the sales that they are reporting. It is wishful thinking from someone in denial. VWoA is fighting for its life and is losing. Nobody is buying their overpriced junk.
VWVictim Said,
June 25, 2005 @ 12:23 pm
The Death of VW – http://uk.biz.yahoo.com/050623/323/flv4x.html
297 Said,
June 27, 2005 @ 11:39 am
The Death of VW – That actually sounds like good news.
Reward bonuses linked to improvement of quality versus improvement of sales, reduce night shift hours.
No word about layoffs, so it looks like their trimming the bonus and overtime fat. With rewards linked to the quality of manufacture and an attempt to cut down expenses, that sounds like a goal towards making VW cars cheaper and more reliable again. No?
VWVictim Said,
July 9, 2005 @ 9:24 am
The Death of VW – From the looks of things VW’s management got a good running start before they rammed their heads up their own posteriors. The fallout from this scandal will be felt for years. If VAG is to survive, they will have to completely reinvent themselves. Maybe paultakeda will get his wish and VW will get back to making simple, dependable cars. I wouldn’t hold my breath in the meantime.
I must repeat myself. Now would be an incredibly stupid time to be buying a VW.
jasenm Said,
July 16, 2005 @ 5:45 am
WOLFGANG SAYS: – AND I QUOTE “THE JIG IS UP, I’M A NO BULLSHIT GUY. AND I’M TIRED OF THE BULLSHIT. FROM THIS POINT ALL VW EXECUTIVES, INCLUDING MYSLEF WILL NO LONGER BE BASED ON SENIORITY OR SALES, BUT SOLEY ON QUALITY CONTROL AND THE OVERALL IMPROVEMENT THEREOF.”
VWVictim Said,
August 1, 2005 @ 1:49 am
Between a Rock and a Hard Place – VW lost 596 million Euros ( $720 million )in the US the first six months of 2005. They lost $1.6 Billion last year. VAG is in the midst of a major cost cutting drive. VAG is desperately trying to keep from sliding into the red. I cannot envision VAG stockholders continuing to dump money into VWoA. It is a losing proposition.
297 Said,
August 1, 2005 @ 2:27 am
The Death of VW – VWOA doesn’t seem to mind, considering the first six months of 2005 mostly involves the MkIV, not the new MkV, which is apparently picking up speed.
Volkswagen of America Reports June 2005 Sales Results – Best Jetta Month in a Year: All-New Jetta Sales Up 33% From May 20, 2005
New Jetta Sales Results since March Introduction
March: 2402
April: 4410
May: 6204
June: 8007
VAG itself is expecting things to be fine:
Volkswagen’s profit surges; restructuring said on track
By Sarah Turner, MarketWatch
Last Update: 8:07 AM ET Jul 29, 2005
LONDON (MarketWatch) –Volkswagen AG’s shares climbed on Friday after the German automaker said that first-half results met most expectations and that restructuring efforts were on track.
Post edited 08/01/05 2:28 PM by paultakeda
VWVictim Said,
August 1, 2005 @ 2:49 am
The Death of VW – VWoA initiated a massive ad campaign to introduce the new Jetta. Sales of the Jetta are up, but they are nowhere near what VWoA needs them to be. VW is dangling the shiny bauble out there and some people are buying it, but there is a growing number of people that want nothing to do with VW. Over all, sales at VWoA are down from last year, which was down from the year before, which was down from the year before.
Profits for the most recent quarter were down for VAG.
VAG is facing a massive restructuring and is looking at a fundamental change in their way of operating. The current scandal is going to lead to changes across Germany.
I can only repeat. Now would be an incredibly stupid time to be buying a VW.
297 Said,
August 1, 2005 @ 3:27 am
The Death of VW – The shiny bauble tactic is used by all manufacturers. I’ve already mentioned that I personally don’t buy into a new model until it’s at least the third year version.
I still fail to see the massive restructuring and fundamental change in corporate policy as a bad thing; wasn’t the concern that VW as a company needed to change?
I would not recommend buying a new MkV VW right now, but an ‘05 wouldn’t be a bad thing. With the new model on the sales floor, the MkIV’s very affordable and all major recalls for the platform are not an issue with the last year version. You’ll have the niggly little things to deal with, such as plastic parts etc., but all in all, not a bad choice (I’d maybe get an ‘04 Jetta, the ‘05 has that weird Passat-like chrome trim, looks horrible).
jasenm Said,
August 2, 2005 @ 4:19 am
maybe – a much higher quality hyundai? lol!
VWVictim Said,
August 2, 2005 @ 6:40 am
MUCH Higher Quality – Why yes, much higher quality. While you wait around the dealership staring out the window, people are going to the Hyundai dealership to buy cars. They know that they will get a much better car at a much better price. They know that they will get much better service. And if they have a problem, they know that Hyundai will make an effort to take care of the problem, unlike VWoA.
VWoA continues to report declining sales. And massive financial losses.
VWVictim Said,
August 2, 2005 @ 6:58 am
The Death of VW – With all the people that VWoA screwed, it is becoming common knowledge that VW has a massive quality control problem. People in the know are avoiding VW like the plague.
How long can VWoA continue to sell cars at a loss?
VWVictim Said,
December 6, 2005 @ 5:20 am
The Death of VW – Rather than repeating all the statements in this thread, I thought that I would resurrect it. it gives a good perspective on activities of the last six months.
DDW12Phaeton Said,
December 6, 2005 @ 5:25 am
The Death of VW – Dude, it’s not going anywhere. Trust me on this one. You posted this in June, but um VW is still ticking. I doubt that a third party website would have kept you from buying a volkswagen. If i were making my decision, I would look at what experts and journalists are saying.
Post edited 12/06/05 5:28 PM by DDW12Phaeton
VWVictim Said,
December 6, 2005 @ 7:30 am
The Death of VW – I’m looking at what the people are saying about their VW’s. They are saying take your pos cars and your arrogant attitude and shove them. Sales are down for the fourth year in a row. VWoA is losing money on every car that they sell. Losses are going to be over a billion again this year.
You cannot continue to foist overpriced junk onto the public. You cannot continue to insult and screw your customer base. People talk. Word gets around. This is the age of the internet.
297 Said,
December 6, 2005 @ 7:32 am
The Death of VW – Considering VW is undergoing major restructuring from top to bottom, I am, as I mentioned before, still waiting for the up-cycle. I’m thinking 2007.
VWVictim Said,
December 11, 2005 @ 5:09 am
The Death of VW – And I should say this again. With all the upheaval and turmoil that VW is gong through, now would be an incredibly stupid time to be buying a VW.
297 Said,
December 12, 2005 @ 6:00 am
The Death of VW – I never said that that was a false statement.
Oh, except I did add that buying a MkIV might not be so bad. Big discounts on a prior model and all, not to mention an ‘05 model would have all the big kinks worked out (no falling windows, no bad coilpacks, etc.)
Camry Said,
December 15, 2005 @ 12:06 pm
not evidence, but anecdotes eventually add up to statistics – Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
19001 South Western Avenue
Department WC11
Torrence, California 90501
To Whom It May Concern:
Dear Sir/Madam:
I am writing to beg Toyotas forgiveness. I have committed a grievous error. In 1986, I bought a wonderful Toyota Camry, DLX model, my first brand new, off the dealer floor automobile. I bought this car, in part because of the rave reviews Consumer Reports had for the automobile, and more importantly, it seated 5 people in comfort, had 4 doors and a large trunk. The most important factor in my decision then as it is now, is that the car got 36 mpg fuel economy, and it was reliable. I still own and drive this car, which now has well over 300,000 miles on it.
I also own a 1983 Toyota Camry, which was my late wifes. I drove it occasionally after she died, and even after sitting for months at a time, having to dig mouse nests out of the air intakes and yes, even the intake manifold and intake valves, it started, ran, and has been trouble free at nearly 180,000 miles. The sum total of non-scheduled maintenance on both of these cars was the replacement of an alternator and a water pump on the 86 somewhere around the 225,000 mile mark. Thats it. (Oh, and it does tend to chew exhaust systems, but thats minor and relatively cheap to fix).
Then I read Consumers reports review of the Volkswagen Passat TDI. I test drove it and it was a good road car. It also got 50 mpg on diesel. Consumers said it was a good car. So, I bought a two year old model at what I thought was a reasonable price, and set out to get my 50 mpg. It is this error that I ask for forgiveness. To date, I think I have spent more on maintenance and certainly more on aggravation than I have in all the years Ive driven the two Camrys. It has experienced failures in every single non-drivetrain component on it. 1 week after I bought it the alarm system failed. The next week the window regulator failed. The window regulator has been replaced now six times. I finally went to our machine shop and milled out a part for it since VW clearly thinks its proper to overcharge for underdesigned and poorly constructed parts made of substandard materials. Then I had problems with the main electrical bus relays and found VW had undersized every single power relay in the car. I replaced them all, not just the one that failed. Then the cabin electrical system failed. It had clearly been repaired before by bypassing a shorted wire caused by a poorly designed cable routing. Then the CD changer failed gain due to poor materials in the components. It also seems to eat lights for lunch. More than four times I got stopped by Colorado Highway patrol for burned out bulbs in one winter alone. I now keep a complete set of spare lightbulbs in the car, which is somewhat difficult since they burn out so fast. The charging system voltage always measures 13.5 VDC, with no measureable ripple, but these lights are burning out for some reason. In contrast, the 83 Camry still has the one of the original Kyoto headlights in it. And then theres the door handles which have been replaced numerous times. Tonight I spent an hour in the snow trying to make the latest new door handle work, since the last one failed less than 80 days since I last replaced it. And this list goes on and on and on.
So, I hope you will forgive me for this mistake, and I promise you, in two years when I have completed my medical residency, the first move I will make is to take this piece of junk Volkswagen to the nearest Toyota dealer and trade it in for the best fuel economy Toyota you have on your lot. I will also never again believe a word Consumer Reports says about any VW. Could you please bring a high mpg Camry to the states? I really like the 50 or so mpg the VW gets and would certainly miss that mileage, so, perhaps a diesel electric that gets even better mileage than the gas-electrics (my driving is 110 miles/day 99% at 70 mph, so the regular gas-electrics dont do as well as Id like economy wise).
In closing, I ran into a man at the fuel pump who bought a brand new VW Toureg. It looked very pretty. As he was fueling his car, he looked at my Passat with its freshly broken door handle. He said, that he has had very similar experience with his Toureg and hes only owned it for six months. His next car will be a Toyota too.
You have my permission to publish any and all of this letter in any way you want so that others may not waste their money and stress on owning a good for nothing VW.
Now, if only I could afford a Camry today….
Sincerely,
VWVictim Said,
December 21, 2005 @ 4:12 am
Things Don’t Look Good for VAG – Another losing year in North America. Losses in China. Financial problems in South America. Scandals in Germany. And now, conflicts between the board and management.
Doesn’t look good at all.
Now would be an incredibly stupid time to be buying a VW.
Post edited 12/21/05 4:12 PM by VWVictim
VWVictim Said,
December 21, 2005 @ 5:35 am
Seat in Spain – Seat in Spain also appears to be losing money.
dankvwguy Said,
January 31, 2006 @ 1:43 am
The Death of VW – u guys are all idiots. Sit in VW’s position and have ur wallet on the line and tell me wat u would do. We all humans. you guys act like VW is person. A bad person, and buy bitching ur goin to make this person feel bad..obviously not enough people are pissed off or VW would listen