Carpokes

will/can he do this

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/ ... 026-01-28/

Good overview of the challenges which are quite large. Huge risks too.

Very tough. We do not see much of the Chinese vehicles on this side if the pond and many people have a gut reaction that they are low quality just as they did in the early days of Japanese and Korean vehicles .

Not true. In particular the software is at another level and the cars are much cheaper.Further the Chinese companies such as Polestar run on a globally integrated basis so development moves from location to location in real time 7/24 which mean 3x the speed.

China does not need the US market to dominate in Asia,South America and Africa and is already making inroads in Europe.

I wish VW (and of course Porsche) every success but this will be very tough. GM,Ford and Stellantis here have nothing for the global marketplace either in terms of cheap affordable vehicles. They will be very dependent on just domestic sales and have little at the entry level.

This will be a pivotal time in the marketplace and VW will need to revolutionize its business to survive.

There's an editorial in this month Pano suggesting (kind of) that Porsche should tart up a Golf R for a quick 'affordable' entry car. If they did it as a 2 door, offered actual color options, and Porsche'd it up a bit, I'd be interested.

Tom wrote: Thu Feb 19, 2026 8:01 am There's an editorial in this month Pano suggesting (kind of) that Porsche should tart up a Golf R for a quick 'affordable' entry car. If they did it as a 2 door, offered actual color options, and Porsche'd it up a bit, I'd be interested.

I would be very interested. I had a 2016 Golf R and I loved it. It was fast, handled well, had a back seat and excellent fit and finish. For 2027, VW is planning on placing the wonderful 5 cylinder engine, from the Audi RS, in the R while beefing up the brakes and suspension.