lukestern:
RC:

No, Audi (VW Group) hits the market when they think it could become profitable. Pretty simple reason.

Yeah, that's the definition of being a follower, not a leader...

 

This doesn't have anything to do with lack of vision but money. How much money did Elon Musk make with his "vision" again lately? Smiley


Not much money yet if you look pass the market value of Tesla and SpaceX...

In terms of vision Musk at least have had impact on the other automakers strategy the coming 5 years

The transition to electric is not because Musk is a visionary but instead by global regulations, especially the EU’s, China’s, and California’s, to limit carbon emissions.  Just like how Europe’s fuel tax policy had caused consumers to seek out diesel instead of gasoline powered cars.   Volkswagen made the decision to switch to EV development as its, and the regulatory bodies’ actions, tarnished diesels market appeal.   It was an economic decision based on cost, profit, and technology objectives only in the face of regulatory restrictions on carbon    Tesla is just an easy target to describe to the consumer, as the transition to electric would be occurring if that company existed or not.  General Motors was the first automaker with a modern EV, with that product decision based on California’s stringent regulations, but the car was released ahead of the lithium ion battery technology curve, so performance suffered.   As written here before, Tesla “borrowed” its technology from AC Propulsion, the company that worked on the GM EV project with AeroVironment.

Tesla’s Supercharge network is another easily reproducible asset but why would an automaker make that investment investment before it has many long range EVs in the marketplace?  The majors have plans, standards, and more importantly, alliances in place to build out networks.   For example, Volkswagen has allocated, in part as fines for violating U.S. and CARB emission standards, $350 million for a charging network in the States.  Compare that with Tesla’s investment in its Supercharger network.   Volkswagen can, and will, invest sums greater than Tesla’s entire development budget to date, on a charging network with nary a hit to its cash position.   Meanwhile, Tesla is hemorrhaging cash for a very limited pool.