By Matt Posky on November 5, 2020
As the U.S. election devolves into deciding which political party committed the most fraud, Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess said a victory by Democrat Joe Biden would be the ideal outcome for any German automakers seeking to mass-produce electric cars. Hardly surprising, considering the Biden-Harris campaign website says it would regulate the dickens out of fossil fuels, moving aggressively toward alternative energy sources and electrification while pressing other nations to do the same.
“A Democratic program probably would be more aligned with our worldwide strategy, which is really to fight climate change, to become electric,” the CEO told Bloomberg on Thursday.
Though he couldn’t commit himself fully with the election still undecided, Diess made sure to mention that VW had also established a “really a trustful relationship with the Trump administration and government … We did a lot also to contribute [sic] to build America.”
But VW has more global ambitions. Following the monstrous Dieselgate scandal of 2015, where the automaker was caught using illegal software to cheat emissions testing and was subsequently fined into oblivion, Volkswagen pivoted hard toward electrification. It now hopes to become the world’s largest EV manufacturer with the most diverse lineup of electrically driven cars.
Diess noted that the United States had the weakest market share for battery-electric vehicles when compared to China and Europe. Putting a Democrat in the White House would undoubtedly encourage the U.S. to adopt similar policies as global rivals — likely placing new restrictions on gas-driven vehicles while incentivizing electric vehicle purchases. While Trump has made it clear that he wants to deregulate the automotive industry wherever possible, Biden has repeatedly signaled that he intends to add regulations and push the country toward EVs as part of an extremely broad “infrastructure and environmental justice” program.
Volkswagen Group seems to have shrewdly determined that having the government gradually discourage people from buying anything other than electric vehicles will ultimately increase their sales. However, it’s going to have to wait a while to see which old guy wins the election because it’s presently an utter mess. Though that could be said at practically every stage of this particular election.
“At the end, this is a decision America has to take,” Diess said. “We only can watch and we have to adapt.”
No comments:
Post a Comment