What is actually going on in the automotive industry?
08/04/2017
Diesel-gate, diesel summit, diesel ban - almost every day you read new negative news from the automotive industry. And the problems of the modern age are also affecting the cars of the past, because with the ban on combustion engines and the restrictions on their sale and use, sooner or later classic cars with petrol or diesel engines will also be pilloried. The recent calls for driving bans and environmental zones will once again raise questions about the special status of the old car.
In fact, the (local) car industry is not exactly doing itself any favors at the moment. While half a million orders for the Model 3 are piling up at Tesla, Mercedes-Benz, the Volkswagen Group and BMW are engaged in trench warfare. The future of diesel is being fought over and instead of forging ahead with really clean cars, the car manufacturers are increasingly being held hostage by short-term thinking politicians (elections always come around).
Perhaps everyone has now learned something from the misery and instead of the negative reports, there will soon be breakthroughs and exciting innovations from the car manufacturers again? I wish them and us the best of luck.
P.S. The latest information on how the various car manufacturers have dealt with the AdBlue problem is particularly thought-provoking. It is sad that it was not technical problems and framework conditions that led to Diesel-Gate, but a false sense of economy and a one-sided (and short-term) understanding of "shareholder value".
P.S.2 Anyone who remembers the very special exhaust and noise regulations AGV82 and AGV86 in Switzerland, which were enforced single-handedly because of the dying of the forest, may also remember that even then cars were optimized for acceptance tests and less for everyday use. Even today, the consequences of interventions in carburetors and engine control systems give many classic car owners and mechanics pause for thought.
