If you buy an electric car, you have to have deep pockets. The simple rule has proven itself again and again in recent years, because customers often look in vain for really cheap electric vehicles. That calls loud critics on the plan – also from the own ranks.
E-cars in a dead end? Prices must fall
E-cars must finally become affordable. This is the demand that not only many customers would sign. she comes from ADAC President Christian Reinicke. The automotive expert accuses German manufacturers of setting the wrong priorities. They primarily sell expensive models.
A recent example: VW. CFO Arno Antlitz has just made it clear for Wolfsburg that customers are foreseeable no need to look forward to falling prices. Volkswagen wants to prioritize better margins over high sales. Or in other words: Expensive instead of selling lots of cars.
In the e-car segment in particular, the Wolfsburg-based company will work even harder to improve the profitability of the cars. Basically there are only two ways to do this: Prices up or production costs down.
According to Reinicke, however, e-mobility should not be reserved for “wealthy homeowners with a solar system and their own wall box”. Not only for less solvent customers Absence of affordable electric cars with time to the problem. In perspective, they should too manufacturers suffer. Because mainly from China, strong vehicles of the competition are on the way, with which the German brands cannot keep up in price.
Audi and Stellantis: Car bosses react so differently to China
A concern that voices from the industry also share. Audi boss Markus Duesmann recently made it clear: “We see one in China Technology battle like I’ve never experienced.” And further: “The German car industry has them Underestimated the strength of the Chinese competitors.” Audi itself is already drawing consequences from this and wants to completely stop selling plug-in hybrids in China. The local manufacturers are simply too strong.
Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares does not want to go down this path. For him it is now important to accept the competition from China, but also from Tesla with its aggressive price cuts. The boss of Europe’s youngest car giant warns against e-cars from other manufacturers to oust European brands.
Mobility – something is happening: E-cars, electric bicycles, e-scooters, the Germany ticket for 49 euros on the bus and train – all of this moves us in two ways. And what else has happened in terms of mobility?
“There is only one way to solve the problem. We have to accept the competition”, according to Tavares. Otherwise, Europe would quickly fall behind in the coming years. If European industry and politicians don’t set the right course now, it will be In ten years, Europe will only be a pretty holiday destination for Chinese and American tourists.
A class of its own? E-cars from China are not a cheap imitation:
However, he does not see the battle for the top spots on the international e-car market as lost: “It will be an exciting battle”according to the Stellantis boss.
Meanwhile, VW will continue to build on the popular – and usually expensive – SUVs for the next few years. VW is planning three new models. Among them at least one that, at least in terms of size, would be suitable for a not too steep purchase price: an SUV version of the planned cheap electric vehicle ID.2, called ID.2X. However, it is doubtful whether it will be what critics like Reinicke imagine an affordable electric car to be.
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