In the electric car market, China is years ahead of the European industry in this area. To avoid going under, the German giant Volkswagen is undertaking to model its production model on Chinese competitors.
Volkswagen will try to copy the Chinese on electric cars
The development of an electric car takes on average three to five years. However, this time frame is now considered too long by Volkswagen. Chinese giants such as BYD and NIO, with lead times reduced to 18-24 months, impose an almost military pace in innovation. In comparison, Volkswagen is struggling to keep up, as evidenced by the difficulties encountered with its ID range. Thus, the German giant announces that it wants follow the Chinese pace to try to catch up.
In an industry where the evolution of batteries and electric motors is rapid, a model that takes too long to come out risks becoming obsolete even before its launch. Thus, Volkswagen aims to establish a new internal standard: design a vehicle in just 30 months. This deadline, although ambitious, remains higher than that of Chinese manufacturers, who have already proven that accelerated development can be crowned with commercial success.
However, this rush is not without risk. The experience of the first ID.3 demonstrates that rapid execution can harm quality. Finishing issues and software bugs tarnished the reputation of the electric range, requiring costly updates.
Chinese inspiration: a model to follow or a calculated risk?
Chinese manufacturers know how to capitalize on their agility and a lower cost structure to dominate the market. They favor an iterative approach, combining advanced digital testing and a drastic reduction in physical testing. Renault, by opening a branch in China, has also adopted this logic for its own electric models. So, all the European giants are starting to look at what the Chinese are doing in order to survive at the dawn of a new era for electricity.
Volkswagen is taking a similar path by reducing its physical tests by 40%, in favor of faster and less expensive virtual simulations. Always with the aim of reducing the time to offer a new model on the market.
Business
