Volkswagen (the Group [1]) was very late to the EV game, yet in 2020 they sold 231,600 EVs [2]. About the same numbers as Tesla in 2018 (254,530 EVs). So they a

Volkswagen (the Group [1]) was very late to the EV game, yet in 2020 they sold 231,600 EVs [2]. About the same numbers as Tesla in 2018 (254,530 EVs). So they are only two years late. We will see if they manage to catch up, but they are certainly planning to. I agree that Japanese auto makers are not yet very serious in all this. I shall know, I was in the market for an EV and bought an hybrid because I didn't find anything in my price range, and the charging infrastructure in Japan is still severely lacking. Maybe it's because they are king in hybrid technology? So don't want/feel the need to switch. Cars are not a social network, it's the opposite of a winner take all market, so it probably doesn't matter much if they are not early in the market. On the software side if Tesla masters the self-driving car aspect then it's a completely different story. On the other hands if the technology comes from Apple or Alphabet, I think all car makers will be able to access the technology. Especially if it's Alphabet. [1] Volkswagen Group includes the brands Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche. [2] https://insideevs.com/news/465956/in-2020-volkswagen-group-sales-plugin-cars/ https://insideevs.com/news/465956/in-2020-volkswagen-group-s...