We should boycott Audi. Not because they’re building the plant in the U.S. It doesn’t matter whether the SUVs are built in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, or Georgia, as they have been up to now. But the fact that they’re helping Trump with his campaign in one of the most hotly contested states is absolutely unprofessional and shows just how poor the entire management team at the VW Group is. It’s a crisis of their own making, and they’re rightly in the bad light they’re in. You can’t help but feel sorry for the employees.
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@Multibagger I don’t quite see it the way you do. Economic policy is never apolitical. And whether it supports Trump, the Democrats, or anyone else shouldn’t really matter to us. As long as the American president is democratically elected, we have to deal with it (and, by the way, the same goes for all other political representatives). After all, no one complained when German business leaders were lining up to visit China—what were human rights again?
I also don’t see the crisis as merely homegrown, but rather as primarily politically driven. There’s no other way to explain why it’s affecting all German manufacturers and brands equally. The politically mandated shift to electric mobility has destroyed our only competitive advantage. With our cost structure, we can’t compete against the heavily subsidized Chinese manufacturers (most of whom, by the way, are operating at a loss—unlike the German ones). Ultimately, German manufacturers have lost both the U.S. and China as markets at the same time. There’s just not much you can do about that...
I also don’t see the crisis as merely homegrown, but rather as primarily politically driven. There’s no other way to explain why it’s affecting all German manufacturers and brands equally. The politically mandated shift to electric mobility has destroyed our only competitive advantage. With our cost structure, we can’t compete against the heavily subsidized Chinese manufacturers (most of whom, by the way, are operating at a loss—unlike the German ones). Ultimately, German manufacturers have lost both the U.S. and China as markets at the same time. There’s just not much you can do about that...
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@Part_Time_Joe Audi even has a rule in its own Code of Conduct stating that it should not take a political or partisan stance. I don't know why that's supposed to be a matter of taste 🤷🏼♂️
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•@Multibagger I totally agree 💯
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•@Part_Time_Joe That’s factually incorrect as far as internal combustion engines are concerned. The trend toward electric mobility in China has been foreseeable for decades. But German manufacturers have always assumed that “Made in Germany” would prevail. However, that was only possible as long as there were enough Chinese consumers who were willing and able to pay the premium. And in Germany, they failed to continue working on developing small, affordable electric cars.
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•@Creutzfeldt_Jakob Well, in that case, we have to be just as consistent and critically scrutinize any political involvement on the part of every corporation. It’s usually only when we support the “right” ones that everything seems to fall into place again. And that’s just classic double standards.
In the end, this is all about business interests. The plant is also intended to facilitate negotiations for subsidies and tariff relief, and Germany, in particular, stands to benefit from this.
In the end, this is all about business interests. The plant is also intended to facilitate negotiations for subsidies and tariff relief, and Germany, in particular, stands to benefit from this.
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•@Multibagger That may be true. But on the one hand, more internal combustion engine vehicles are still being registered in China than electric vehicles (... yes, hybrids are also internal combustion engine vehicles), and on the other hand, people tend to forget about the rest of the world. The rest of the world will continue to drive internal combustion engine vehicles for the foreseeable future.
The problem isn’t the shift to EVs, but rather the pace of that shift. Manufacturers in China are heavily subsidized (incidentally, 90% of them are insolvent again) and were able to start from scratch. German manufacturers received no subsidies and had to build around existing structures.
This idea that “Germany failed to develop affordable internal combustion engine cars”... sorry, but that’s populist nonsense. It’s not possible to offer a car for under 20,000 in Germany and sell it profitably. The cost structures simply don’t allow for it (thanks to the unions). The affordable models are all produced abroad.
The problem isn’t the shift to EVs, but rather the pace of that shift. Manufacturers in China are heavily subsidized (incidentally, 90% of them are insolvent again) and were able to start from scratch. German manufacturers received no subsidies and had to build around existing structures.
This idea that “Germany failed to develop affordable internal combustion engine cars”... sorry, but that’s populist nonsense. It’s not possible to offer a car for under 20,000 in Germany and sell it profitably. The cost structures simply don’t allow for it (thanks to the unions). The affordable models are all produced abroad.
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•@Part_Time_Joe A quick addendum: The shift toward electric mobility—and this was clear to anyone who had looked into it—goes hand in hand with massive job losses. It starts with the fact that EVs are less complex. I just don't get why people are complaining now...
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•@Part_Time_Joe Yes, I also question every instance of political involvement by a corporation—no double standards. I’m especially skeptical when the corporation itself prohibits this kind of political involvement.
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@Part_Time_Joe I did say that I don’t condemn the decision to build a factory in the U.S. based on economic interests. That’s just the way things go. But whether one has to announce this decision at one of the incumbent president’s largest campaign rallies—especially since he’s the one who forced this move through his tariff policy—is another matter entirely. By doing so, I’m rewarding the blackmailer twice over. I’m giving in to his ransom demand and making it clear that I view blackmail as a perfectly acceptable option.
It doesn’t matter whether the blackmailer is a Democrat or a Republican.
It doesn’t matter whether the blackmailer is a Democrat or a Republican.
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•@Creutzfeldt_Jakob I don’t necessarily mean you. But just look at who’s getting upset about this now. Where are all these people when BMW terminates the lease agreement with the AfD candidate? Where are all these people when, out of a sense of “free courage,” the logo is once again colored in rainbow hues (but of course only here and not in Islamic countries)? And where are they when it’s time for yet another economic summit in China?
I also don’t see Audi getting politically involved in the U.S. or actively campaigning. Trump is the president, after all. So you talk to the president—it’s about economic interests. Incidentally, it’s about our economic interests.
I also don’t see Audi getting politically involved in the U.S. or actively campaigning. Trump is the president, after all. So you talk to the president—it’s about economic interests. Incidentally, it’s about our economic interests.
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