Volkswagen is Planning a $23,000 Tesla Competitor

AlphaAtlas

AlphaAtlas

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An anonymous source told Reuters that Volkswagen is planning a $23,000 electric car designed to compete with Tesla. The company publicly announced plans for a large electric lineup in 2020, but European cities are increasingly putting more pressure on the German manufacturer as they ban diesel cars over emissions concerns, which is allegedly forcing Volkswagen to accelerate their plans. The source also said that the entry level electric car could have "a production volume of 200,000 vehicles," that other electric electric cars like a mid-size sedan and a van are in the works, and that the company is moving mountains to free up production capacity for the new vehicles. Volkswagen is even exploring a partnership with Ford.

The November 16 strategy meeting will discuss Volkswagen’s transformation plan to shift from being Europe’s largest maker of combustion engine vehicles into a mass producer of electric cars, another source familiar with the deliberations said. VW's strategy shift comes as cities start to ban diesel engine vehicles, forcing carmakers to think of new ways to safeguard 600,000 German industrial jobs, of which 436,000 are at car companies and their suppliers. An electric van, the ID Buzz, is due to be built at VW’s plant in Hannover, where its T6 Van is made, the source said. To free up production capacity for electric cars in Hannover, VW’s transporter vans could be produced at a Ford (F.N) plant in Turkey, if German labor unions, who hold half the seats on VW’s board of directors, agree, the source added.
 
How many miles before the CEL, or should I say CBL comes on? :D
 
Zepharus said:
People sleep on VW. Ive been driving GTIs for 20 years and i wouldn't touch any other car. Once youve driven German, if you enjoy driving, there is no going back. Cant wait for an electric GTI!
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The acceleration on my buddy's eGolf is comically fast actually. I realize that to an extent thats the nature of most pure electrics, but it's something you wouldn't expect.

An eGTI should be even faster.
 
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Zepharus said:
People sleep on VW. Ive been driving GTIs for 20 years and i wouldn't touch any other car. Once youve driven German, if you enjoy driving, there is no going back. Cant wait for an electric GTI!
Click to expand...

The GTE is already available in some markets. They still have a lot of work to do to even get me to consider buying a VW after all of their antics trying to cover up the TDI scandal.
 
Hmm, wife had a new beetle. 6 ECUs before she got rid of it. A friend had a Golf for about a decade, during which all four lights worked fro maybe a month total.

VW does not have the best reputation for electrical systems, and they want to make an all electric car. Hmm.
 
IF.. they actually start mass producing electrics, it will be interesting to see the knock on effects, and how they are to be taken care of.

IE, the power grid for charging, being a BIG one.
 
I'm not on the VW bandwagon myself. Maybe an R8 if I could afford the attendant $15,000 clutch changes and the like.

I don't have much to say about them positive or negative, just not my flavor of driving machine.
 
Zepharus said:
People sleep on VW. Ive been driving GTIs for 20 years and i wouldn't touch any other car. Once youve driven German, if you enjoy driving, there is no going back. Cant wait for an electric GTI!
Click to expand...

While my wife's MK7 Golf R is brutally quick (DSG) and very comfortable on the highway it lacks pretty much any driving feel. Her MK6 GTI felt better to drive by comparison. My 2015 STI is, hands down, more satisfying to drive then the R.

She had a 2002.5 Jetta before that, a GLS with the AWP 1.8t. We had that car for 9 years. At around 60k miles it turned into a total money pit. By the time we got rid of it at 90k we had replaced every suspension component and bushing in that car. On top of burned out radiator fans, dead thermostats, etc, etc, etc. We were ready to swear off of VW but we ended up leasing her '13 GTI as a replacement. The GTI only had 13k miles when traded that in for the R. The MK7s are supposed to be fairly reliable so we'll see long-term.
 
Silly dumb Europeans still think that when you plug a car into a socket the power is generated by fairy dust and unicorn farts.
 
raz-0 said:
Hmm, wife had a new beetle. 6 ECUs before she got rid of it. A friend had a Golf for about a decade, during which all four lights worked fro maybe a month total.

VW does not have the best reputation for electrical systems, and they want to make an all electric car. Hmm.
Click to expand...
Old issues the newer VWs are MUCH more reliable not to mention the Best warranty in the business
 
ND40oz said:
They still have a lot of work to do to even get me to consider buying a VW after all of their antics trying to cover up the TDI scandal.
Click to expand...

I was thrilled that they bought back my JSW TDI for a crazy price. We had no major problems with it, other than it could have been bigger, but it was so nice to just drop off the car and get a check. Oh and the insert they put in the fuel input so you couldn put gasoline in was a pain in the neck, especially when some stations were using unleaded size nozzles for diesel.
 
Earlier this year I saw a rumor that VW was considering taking the "Beetle" name for a new entry electric. Assuming there's any truth to that, I guess this thing could be the next VW Beetle.
 
So is it going to be ugly like a leaf and have just as useless a range at that price?
 
katanaD said:
IF.. they actually start mass producing electrics, it will be interesting to see the knock on effects, and how they are to be taken care of.

IE, the power grid for charging, being a BIG one.
Click to expand...

Well it depends on how the load is distributed, doesn't it?
As in, avoiding peak hours shouldn't do anything to the power grid, but if everyone decides to charge their electric car at the same time, you will see blown transformers and whatnot.
It's not so different on hot summer days, when everyone turns on their AC at the same time, after they get home from work.

Cyraxx said:
Silly dumb Europeans still think that when you plug a car into a socket the power is generated by fairy dust and unicorn farts.
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I thought it was generated by human stupidity? The one resource that is never ending.
 
They are reporting a top speed of 234,898.7 Kph, a battery life of 3,333,467 Kilometers and plan to produce 4,559,320 cars in the first month.
 
Hostile said:
While my wife's MK7 Golf R is brutally quick (DSG) and very comfortable on the highway it lacks pretty much any driving feel. Her MK6 GTI felt better to drive by comparison. My 2015 STI is, hands down, more satisfying to drive then the R.

She had a 2002.5 Jetta before that, a GLS with the AWP 1.8t. We had that car for 9 years. At around 60k miles it turned into a total money pit. By the time we got rid of it at 90k we had replaced every suspension component and bushing in that car. On top of burned out radiator fans, dead thermostats, etc, etc, etc. We were ready to swear off of VW but we ended up leasing her '13 GTI as a replacement. The GTI only had 13k miles when traded that in for the R. The MK7s are supposed to be fairly reliable so we'll see long-term.
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Glutton for punishment, I see. Are you into BDSM?
MrDeaf said:
Well it depends on how the load is distributed, doesn't it?
As in, avoiding peak hours shouldn't do anything to the power grid, but if everyone decides to charge their electric car at the same time, you will see blown transformers and whatnot.
It's not so different on hot summer days, when everyone turns on their AC at the same time, after they get home from work.
Click to expand...
That is exactly what the issue will be. Not everyone is going to think about maybe plugging the car in when they go to sleep instead of right when they get home.
 
I could be interested if they make it look like an ordinary car.

If it's some sort of quirky looking efficiency hatch like a Prius or a Bolt count me out.

Give me a car that is like a normal car in every single way, except for the fact that it has an electric drivetrain, and I'm on board.

If it looks anything like the pictured concept car, I want no part of this.
 
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Zepharus said:
People sleep on VW. Ive been driving GTIs for 20 years and i wouldn't touch any other car. Once youve driven German, if you enjoy driving, there is no going back. Cant wait for an electric GTI!
Click to expand...

I'm on my second GTI and love it to death. Next up though, Golf R.
 
Hope this winds up being a decent car. More competition and options good.

Armenius said:
. . . .
That is exactly what the issue will be. Not everyone is going to think about maybe plugging the car in when they go to sleep instead of right when they get home.
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They shouldn't have to worry about it. Just plug it in and let the charger and grid figure the best way to get it charged by the next morning. Include an override in case you need a fast turnaround like going out for date night or such.
 
Yeah ok, VW. 23K car will be a shit car especially when you are trying to compete with Tesla. They can't even build a 23K car to compete with a Corolla or something like that.
 
raz-0 said:
Hmm, wife had a new beetle. 6 ECUs before she got rid of it. A friend had a Golf for about a decade, during which all four lights worked fro maybe a month total.

VW does not have the best reputation for electrical systems, and they want to make an all electric car. Hmm.
Click to expand...

My dad tried a VW Jetta once, warned him about it. At 45,000 miles sensors start to go and got rid of it at 55,000. The cat was start to go also. This was a 2013, not some old VW.
 
Armenius said:
Glutton for punishment, I see. Are you into BDSM?

That is exactly what the issue will be. Not everyone is going to think about maybe plugging the car in when they go to sleep instead of right when they get home.
Click to expand...


You assume an electric car starts charging as soon as it is plugged in, and doesn't have a settable feature to determine a schedule for when it charges.
 
Zepharus said:
People sleep on VW. Ive been driving GTIs for 20 years and i wouldn't touch any other car. Once youve driven German, if you enjoy driving, there is no going back. Cant wait for an electric GTI!
Click to expand...

I've driven a few VW's. Golfs, Passats and Jettas mainly. I was never impressed.

Couldn't adjust the seats comfortably, wasn't impressed by the steering response and they kind of just felt cheap.

Strangely enough, I did not feel the same way about the Audi's I've driven, even though the A4 I drove was essentially the same car as the Passat I drove, and the A3 I drove was essentially the same car as the Golf.

Not sure what they do differently, but it worked. I liked the Audi's. I didn't like the VW's.
 
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A $23k car to compete with a base Leaf sure but Tesla I don't think so. The one I'm most interested in but it may come out too late for me is the Microbus. I wish they would push that out faster. We have little electric hatch backs we need electric vehicles in the segments Americans buy that aren't stupid (looking at you Tesla Model X).
 
Hostile said:
While my wife's MK7 Golf R is brutally quick (DSG) and very comfortable on the highway it lacks pretty much any driving feel. Her MK6 GTI felt better to drive by comparison. My 2015 STI is, hands down, more satisfying to drive then the R.

She had a 2002.5 Jetta before that, a GLS with the AWP 1.8t. We had that car for 9 years. At around 60k miles it turned into a total money pit. By the time we got rid of it at 90k we had replaced every suspension component and bushing in that car. On top of burned out radiator fans, dead thermostats, etc, etc, etc. We were ready to swear off of VW but we ended up leasing her '13 GTI as a replacement. The GTI only had 13k miles when traded that in for the R. The MK7s are supposed to be fairly reliable so we'll see long-term.
Click to expand...

I'm just curious in what ways the STI is more satisfying to drive? The R has Dynamic Chassis Control so you can tweak the ride. Are you going between Standard/Sport/Comfort/Custom modes or did you set it and forget it (maybe in comfort)?
 
My wife had a 2007 Jetta. To say it was a POS would be being kind to it. It was a never ending money pit. Finally the key switch went out. VW wanted over 1000.00 dollars to fix it which was more than the car was worth. That was the last straw. Went and bought her a loaded 2018 Accord. I wouldn't piss on a VW. Awful car.
 
RinkiDInk said:
My wife had a 2007 Jetta. To say it was a POS would be being kind to it. It was a never ending money pit. Finally the key switch went out. VW wanted over 1000.00 dollars to fix it which was more than the car was worth. That was the last straw. Went and bought her a loaded 2018 Accord. I wouldn't piss on a VW. Awful car.
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The thing is, that VWs sold in the US, are very different cars to those sold in Europe. I don't know where do they put those things together, but they are awful. There is a huge difference in quality. The US models might have some faint external resemblance to some EU models, but they're definitely not the same cars. Maybe except for the GTI models. They aren't even priced the same. Cars in the US seems to be one category cheaper than in EU. Ex: a mid-sized car costs as much as a compact car here in europe.
 
A lot of dissenting feelings on VW in here I see.

I don’t know all about that, I just know my 66’ beetle dune buggy is fun as fuck to drive and throw around.

Cheaper electric cars are good though. Competition fuels innovation and drive prices down for the masses. Gas is fun but electric is the future. Power is a lot cheaper and cleaner (some sources of power) to create than refining petroleum.
 
Nolan7689 said:
I don’t know all about that, I just know my 66’ beetle dune buggy is fun as fuck to drive and throw around.
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Over half the roads in my county are washboard dirt roads. An old Beetle, including the Beetles made in Mexico, is a great car, second only to a Subaru for being able to take horrific amounts of punishment. And they're surprisingly good in snow, as long as you drive them like a maniac.

Sadly, if you drive an original Beetle on the back roads of Idaho for too long you'll probably suffer bladder damage. And they're good in snow until you freeze to death.

And I wish people would stop saying that they're making a 'Tesla competitor' or a 'Tesla killer'. The two companies that compete directly with Tesla, Nissan and Chevrolet, do not say that they are making Tesla competitors. They say that they are making electric cars.
 
toast0 said:
I was thrilled that they bought back my JSW TDI for a crazy price. We had no major problems with it, other than it could have been bigger, but it was so nice to just drop off the car and get a check. Oh and the insert they put in the fuel input so you couldn put gasoline in was a pain in the neck, especially when some stations were using unleaded size nozzles for diesel.
Click to expand...

Yeah, all the VW/Audi/Porsche owners made out like bandits. The rest of us with German diesels now can't buy replacements since it isn't worth it to bring them over and get them certified. BMW have dropped all their diesel models because of what one of their competitors did even though they did everything correctly. They were the ones that pioneered the passenger car DEF system back in the E90 335d which VW suspiciously didn't need...
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
You assume an electric car starts charging as soon as it is plugged in, and doesn't have a settable feature to determine a schedule for when it charges.
Click to expand...
You're further assuming people will know about this feature and use it correctly.
 
ND40oz said:
Yeah, all the VW/Audi/Porsche owners made out like bandits. The rest of us with German diesels now can't buy replacements since it isn't worth it to bring them over and get them certified. BMW have dropped all their diesel models because of what one of their competitors did even though they did everything correctly. They were the ones that pioneered the passenger car DEF system back in the E90 335d which VW suspiciously didn't need...
Click to expand...

Yeah, I was kind of suspicious about that, but the mileage. Maybe the E-VWs will have a suspiciously labeled 'go juice' container, that you can only fill at a dealer, and has to be filled up about every 400 miles or so and smells suspiciously like diesel fuel. Just ignore the engine sounds -- those are just there to remind you of what a car used to sound like :)
 
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