this post was submitted on 09 Jan 2024
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Technology
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They have a knack for building cars that people want, are usually late to new developments, but then blow the competition out of the water in terms of sales, because their cars (prior to the infotainment debacles and cost-cutting measures of recent years) tend to be extremely polished, are comfortable, economical and handle very well. The Golf GTI in particular is perhaps the perfect embodiment of the company's capabilities.
Personally, I think some of their past clout, especially in regards to quality, has been overstated though. We've considered new VWs long before recent quality problems, but they left a worse impression than comparable French cars and in absolutely every way. Still, they have been very consistent for a long time and appealed to buyers with a "no experiments" kind of mindset, who just want a predictable rolling appliance.
Yeah I knew someone was going to respond to my rhetorical "I have no idea" and explain it like I actually care. It's like saying I have no idea why people buy Microsoft or use Twitter despite them being despicable. Obviously there are lot of things about them that a lot of people like. Obviously not everyone knows about all the despicable things these companies have done and continue to do. Obviously not everyone would care enough to stop using them even if they did know.
But it still frustrates me. I wish the world was a place where companies like VW couldn't possibly exist because their own employees would never let them do the things they did, much less their customers or the regulators who are supposed to protect us despite ourselves. But, alas, we do not. And I have no idea why. (<--- Rhetorical! Nobody has to try to explain why.)
I don't know about you, but someone who doesn't care doesn't write two paragraphs. My don't care limit is one paragraph max.