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>The reason so many of the mid-sized market leaders come from Germany can be traced back to post-WW2 policies to ensure that Europe could be at peace. Some of t
by MrFoof 9y ago
>The reason so many of the mid-sized market leaders come from Germany can be traced back to post-WW2 policies to ensure that Europe could be at peace. Some of these policies were undoubtedly exploitative in the short term, but long term have achieved their goal.
Hilariously, the Volkswagen designs (The Type 1/Beetle), factories, etc. were actually offered as a free war reparation to both the US and to Britain. However, neither party was interested... in what would end up being the most profitable automotive concern on the planet. It is considered the single greatest blunder of the entire automotive industry.
James May makes a mention of it in his Cars of the People series: https://youtu.be/6pmp0Oxg520?t=11m54s https://youtu.be/6pmp0Oxg520?t=11m54s
- PretzelFisch 9y agoThere is no guarantee that under different management the same success would have resulted. So blunder?
- MrFoof 9y agoAlthough I'd agree that the Volkswagen Group as a whole may not be the same as it is today if it were under different management... ...it remains that passing up a robust, reliable, and simple car design -- and the factories/tooling to produce it -- for an acquisition cost of zero is still a blunder.