VW specific problems are oid. Exacerbated by a major scandal and costs. The product line is old and they have not good reliability overall. VW has 70000 vehicles unsold per the press last week. Sales at Audi are low even more at VW.
Why do you think VW ( and Stellantis, Renault, Nissan etc ...) have plenty of vehicles unsold ? Nothing to do with Dieselgate or reliability. People don't buy them because of the uncertainty. The EU politicians wanted a switch to EVs, and manufacturers began building them, but they are 1/3 dearer than ICEs. To help sales, governments started to dish out subsidies to entice buyers: 3, 4 or 5000€ per car. Once the EV sale started to pick up, governments found the scheme was too costly for their budget and closed the incentive. People stopped buying EVs, and ... ICE cars (new or second-hand); they don't know what to do. Now isn't a good time to buy a car ! Sales have fallen spectacularly, and many dealers are left with unsold stock on their hands. Some will go bankrupt. The manufacturers are in debt, having invested heavily on both EV and ICE tooling: they start closing down factories. This fine mess started with the EU Commission in Brussels, and countries will have to pick up the pieces. .
The factor in much of this to include Porsche is weaker demand in China. German makers became tooooo dependent on that. Again the simple blame Brussells is not at all the total truth. Management has not done a good job to insulate itself from market downturn overall. Unfortunately its multiple markets that are not thriving for sales. Costs are also not inline with production. Over capacity and a general weak economy in the EU, certainly here in Germany. Also the post covid boom for makers is utterly gone. The market has restabilized. All timed with higher interest rates etc. One can order a new 911 Carrera and receive a discount lol. I have the offer from my dealer in Stuttgart! Thanks China! VW's net return on sales for years has been low. They are spending too much to make their products. This is nothing new. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Image Unavailable, Please Login T
Qatar poised for buy-in of Audi’s F1 team A partial sale of the Audi-owned Sauber team could be announced imminently Qatar poised for buy-in of Audi’s F1 team Audi is on the verge of selling a shareholding in its Formula 1 Sauber team to Qatar – with an announcement potentially coming ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix. Despite repeated denials, the first speculation about a potential deal was revealed by veteran F1 journalist Joe Saward, while Motorsport.com sources have suggested, however, that the deal could go through as early as next week. There is also said to be the possibility of an investment that is much larger than originally anticipated. It was only back in March this year after the start of the F1 season that Audi announced it would be buying 100% of the Sauber team from former owner Finn Rausing. This was for an estimated purchase price of around €650 million. But the situation for the German manufacturer appears to have changed in recent weeks with Volkswagen AG, which also owns the Audi brand, in the throes of an economic crisis. In Germany, there is talk of plant closures and the loss of up to 30,000 jobs. A crisis that is also leaving its mark on the Audi brand, which is facing similar challenges on the world market. Audi and industry insiders are saying privately that it is currently very difficult to justify the expenditure of a large-scale F1 development programme with the group, which is necessary if the company wants to be competitive in the medium-to-long-term from 2026.
Audi needs to sort business not F1 lol - A meeting between Audi bosses and union representatives over the future of a plant in Belgium was crashed by more than 150 protestors
There is nothing to "sort out". Audi is like many European companies: uncompetitive !!! In any business, you can only sell what the public is ready to buy. Buyers want simpler, more affordable cars in transition times. Cars around €20K like those from China are in high demand, not the luxury Audis. Between decarbonisation, the dithering of westen governments and the Chinese competition there is no choice for European manufacturers than to reduce production, close factories and increase unemployement.
After all, maybe Sainz did not make such a bad choice to go to Williams instead of a team with an uncertain future and a questionable management... German companies were always assumed to be serious, but that could have been a preconception.
Yep, Williams is still an independent team, a modest garagist. Audi is the branch of an industrial complex in the eye of an economic storm at the moment.
It is hard to believe anything coming out of Audi/VW Corporate Comms at the moment. The wording of this sounds like Audi was short of capital to really energize the final developments this effort needs. --Qatar is the third largest shareholder in the Volkswagen Group, Audi’s parent company. A statement from Audi said Qatar’s investment would “provide a substantial capital injection and pave the way for increasing infrastructure and team buildout, positioning the team for long-term success in Formula 1”. The deal is said not to be related to financial problems being suffered by the wider Audi company. In November, Audi reported a 91% slump in earnings on the back of Chinese sales collapsing, amid a 42% drop in profits for VW. Audi chief executive officer Gernot Dollner said: “The investment by QIA reflects the trust and confidence the Audi F1 Project has already garnered, underscoring unwavering commitment of Audi to the initiative. “This additional capital will accelerate the team’s growth and is yet another milestone on our long-term strategy.” Mohammed Al-Sowaidi, the chief executive officer of QIA, said: “As a long-standing investor in the Volkswagen Group, we believe in Audi’s vision and direction when entering F1 and our investment will support the realisation of this goal. “QIA believes that Formula 1 is a sport with significant untapped investment potential.”--
The traditional markets for big Audis (A6, A7, A8, Q7, Q8 , etron, etc ...) are shrinking at the moment. Soon China will put high tariffs on them in retaliation, and Trump threatens to follow, closing access to the US market. That's where the risk comes from for Audi, Mercedes and BMW. Only the Middle East buys high end cars in quantity now. That's why Middle East investors put money in manufacturers of luxury models, and will support those brands.
Yes and it wasnt either driver's problem but you fired the one who has 10 wins and big team experience rather than pair him with Nico and help move the struggling operation forward. Audi will not be having fun early possibly. Good luck Binotto! --When former Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto accepted the call to head up Audi's Formula 1 operations earlier this year, he knew it was going to be a tough task. It is one thing honing an established team as he did at Maranello into fighting for world championship glory; it is quite another building something up from the back of the grid. But even he admits that the Audi challenge has been greater than originally anticipated, as the reality hit home of a team struggling to score points and without a proper strategy to move itself forward.-- https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/binotto-on-audis-f1-reality-check-after-finding-team-frozen-with-no-plans/10683687/
Renault's long-time Formula 1 engine partner Mecachrome will remain involved in F1 in a new collaboration with the incoming Audi works team in 2026 after Alpine switches to Mercedes customer engines. https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/alpine-f1-engine-partner-mecachrome-audi-deal/ Created in 1937, Mecachrome, with its recognised DNA in automotive sport and F1, has become a world leader in high-precision mechanics. Specialising in the machining of mechanical parts and high-precision assemblies, its traditional area of expertise, the group has the capacity for sheet metal working and boiler making, and assembly of larger assemblies (batches). Mecachrome is present in the aeronautical (aerostructure, aeroengine), automotive (premium and motorsport), defence, naval, energy and space (DNES) industries. Its industrial potential and cutting-edge technologies, such as nanomechanics and HVOF thermal spraying, have enabled the group to forge an international reputation with its customers, which include Airbus, Bombardier, The CEA, Dassault, Embraer, Ferrari, Renault Alpine, Safran, Airbus Atlantique, Spirit, Thales, Porsche and Rolls Royce. The company employs more than 5000 people and has a global turnover of around €600million. Today, Mecachrome has 22 different sites, with branches in Morocco, Tunisia, Portugal and Canada. However, its motorsport activities are mainly based at Aubigny-sur-Nère. In motorsport, Mecachrome is involved in F1, F2 and F3 (with engines designed entirely in-house), the WEC and MotoGP. The automotive premium & motorsport department accounts for more than 18% of the company's total turnover. Over around 40 years, Mecachrome's teams have manufactured more than 7500 engines. In endurance racing, in addition to being behind the V6 turbo engine for the Alpine A424 hypercar, Mecachrome was also the engine manufacturer for Ginetta in 2019, albeit without much success.
The scandals have absolutely nothing to do with sales. Consumers have no interest in any of these scandals. They only want the ROI when they buy cars. For me, the only reason why so many european giants are doing so badly is because the switch to EV. It's the biggest con in automotive history. They are paying the price today.
The EV development certainly does not help, but it is not the root cause of the difficulties, not even close to be honest. That's exactly what happened to the European automotive industry: focussed on process, lost focus on content.
The switch to EV wasn't their choice; it was something they were forced to do by governments. European carmakers are heavily fined if they don't sell a certain percentage of EVs in their production.
And look how things are reversing now. They should all stuck it in together and screw the governments. Governments at the end of the day are made up of old corrupt politicians.
