EbS-P
Minister of Fire
VW wants in on the big EV SUV /truck market. That’s probably enough to get somewhere on the RS2.
EV developments
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I have a seen couple Rivians on the road around Southeastern Wisconsin. Including one transport unit with 4 of them on it heading north on I41. I have also seen delivery vans for UPS -electric being hauled north along I41 a coulpe months back. I can not remember the make on ups units. Just rememberd Rivian
If BYD truly wants to sell cars stateside, based on history of Japanese imports , they will have to build plants here. I do not know how the taxes are set up. Japanese assembly here started by bringing in sub assemblies to beat those in the 70/80's era
If BYD truly wants to sell cars stateside, based on history of Japanese imports , they will have to build plants here. I do not know how the taxes are set up. Japanese assembly here started by bringing in sub assemblies to beat those in the 70/80's era
Yes, they have bought the Scout brand and are building a big plant to make them in the US. An equal if not primary interest however sounds like VW need of Rivian's software expertise. This is an area where they have fallen behind and it's holding up development.
I think their software department is quite capable, but has focused on other things than managing EVs...
(diesel test faking)
It's been lagging for their EVs. The lack of promised updates is a common complaint amongst ID.4 owners. Evidently this is also holding up Porche and Audi product development according to the article.
Over-the-Air Updates (or lack thereof)
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Moves like this don't happen overnight. Looks like some cloaked Audis have been testing Rivian gear since early this year.
Nice blend, Rivian's really needs a company that can get their mass production skills down and apparently VW and Audi needs the software skills. Hope it works out.
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EbS-P
Minister of Fire
It's been lagging for their EVs. The lack of promised updates is a common complaint amongst ID.4 owners. Evidently this is also holding up Porche and Audi product development according to the article.
Over-the-Air Updates (or lack thereof)
www.vwidtalk.com
lets just say they started very late into the software game. i was recruited to join their team around 2021 at the early stages of building their architecture. i had some good conversations, but i declined as their pay was not competitive compared to rest of the industry and also required a move to seattle.
My former employer was based of Redmond WA area. They really wanted a few engineers to work out of the home office. I was out there for training and spent an hour or two looking at the cost of housing. For what they were charging for rent in the area I could be making house payments for less. One of the only remaining engineers at the office had just bought a house about 45 minutes away that cost more than double of what a similar house in my area would cost.
True that. Housing prices out here have gotten very high in the past decade. With Amazon, Microsoft, T-Mobile, Boeing, etc. as top employers, wages are higher. The minimum wage in Seattle is $20/hr vs the national $7.25 (unchanged since 2009).
EbS-P
Minister of Fire
Not the news I was hoping for but it shouldn’t be news to anyone.
Its gonna get worse for the legacies before it gets better.
In other news, the bolt fora have lots of folks switching to the new Equinox, and only a few rejecting it, mostly because they don't want that large of a vehicle.
Which is an argument that should get more traction in this country imo.
Large vehicles are useful when needed, but when only needed 5 times a year, it's cheaper and better to have a work-around (rental, trailer, etc.) rather than lugging all that steel (and battery weight!) around using energy that could be used elsewhere.
I know there are folks that need larger vehicles regularly, and I know I'm in the minority. Still, this is my soap box issue
I think trucks have taken the place of the station wagon. They have gone from no back seat to larger and larger back seats at the expense of bed size. I saw some videos of a (possible prototype) 3rd row of jump seats on a truck.
Remember the Dodge Magnum? I thought that was pretty sharp looking. I wish it could have stuck around.
Remember the Dodge Magnum? I thought that was pretty sharp looking. I wish it could have stuck around.
Yes, the mindset of the American car companies is to focus on the highest profit cars. This has cut out cars more suitable (and affordable) for urban situations and first time car buyers. GM has stopped selling sedans. Ford has focused on big vehicles too. Stelantis has the Fiat division but is largely focused on Jeep and RAM now. If one wants a sedan, the only option is a non-American car. Same thing for a wagon. SUVs are the rage here even though they are basically a wagon with attitude and an AWD option.Which is an argument that should get more traction in this country imo.
Large vehicles are useful when needed, but when only needed 5 times a year, it's cheaper and better to have a work-around (rental, trailer, etc.) rather than lugging all that steel (and battery weight!) around using energy that could be used elsewhere.
I know there are folks that need larger vehicles regularly, and I know I'm in the minority. Still, this is my soap box issue
They are far from the same. The contents are not weather protected and most are too big. I've had several pickups. For me, a pickup with a short 4' or 6' bed has reduced value and negative fun for urban situations. Jump seats in the smaller pickups are just for short (crammed) trips. Instead of a wagon, I now have a Dodge minivan. It can carry 7 comfortably, has great all around vision, and in a couple of minutes it has a flat floor that can hold a 4x8 sheet of plywood. It's not a wagon, but gets better gas mileage than my old Volvo did.
worried about weather on a pickup then put a cap on the bed. I move some large items. I have had minivans in the past ok for some and the time period for me as well. Doesn't fit now days. the smaller suvs cant get a 4 ft wide piece in there , thats a problem for me, and the height restriction. Most of my pickups have been the exra cab not the full 4 door version- 6.5 bed although some were available with an 8ft.
The Hyudai group (Hyundai/Kia) is breaking records with new car sales. Rather than providing limited choices, they provide a broad selection of cars ranging from small to large and from hybrid, PHEV, to BEV.
Volvo is scaling back their "all electric by 2030" approach to a "90% of sold cars should have a plug" (i.e. hybrid is fine, and not 100%).