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Audi do? VW thank you!

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Beerpig
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Audi do? VW thank you!

#179005

Postby Beerpig » November 8th, 2018, 3:27 pm

Everywhere I look these days is a German car.
Audi, VW, BMW Mercedes, Porche.
If you walk down any street one in 3 cars seems to be a German one.

The Germans will not want to suffer any reverses in this lucrative market come Brexit.
Seems to me its not all one way doom if there is no deal.

Howard
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Re: Audi do? VW thank you!

#179028

Postby Howard » November 8th, 2018, 4:58 pm

I heard an interview with a German Car expert the other day and he said that Brexit was rated around 10th in order of importance for the issues facing German car manufacturers. A long way behind their expansion in China and the massive implications of the demise of diesel and the rise in demand for electric vehicles.

If you look at the "Musk Endeavours" thread you will see some pundits forecasting the imminent death of the German manufacturers as they struggle to compete with Tesla. I personally don't agree with that view but it is a major issue for the German marques as they begin to produce competitive electric vehicles. My guess (as a long-term customer of the Germans) that we will go back to the "bad old days" when it cost 15% more to buy a Mercedes in Britain than it did in Germany or Belgium. Sadly, Jaguar and some other UK manufacturers don't look in the best of health and they will welcome the increase in price of imported cars, so won't compete too hard.

So, in my view, the exaggerated importance of the UK car market is a myth. It's not a big deal for VW, Mercedes, Audi and BMW if they have to put their prices (and margins) up a little to satisfy the British consumer who likes their quality products.

I may be wrong, but have put my money where my keyboard is and covered this possibility in the short term by changing our two German cars in the last three months.

regards

Howard

UncleEbenezer
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Re: Audi do? VW thank you!

#179032

Postby UncleEbenezer » November 8th, 2018, 5:24 pm

There is a bottom line here: it's 50% of UK trade that's at stake (excluding partners like Norway and Switzerland, let alone what we get with the rest of the world through their trade treaties with the EU), vs 5% of rest-of-EU trade.

And the UK is much more reliant on trade than most EU countries, with the possible exception of the Netherlands.

BobbyD
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Re: Audi do? VW thank you!

#179050

Postby BobbyD » November 8th, 2018, 6:04 pm

The German car industry is far more concerned about the continuation of the Single Market than selling cars in one ex-member.

It's nice to see the German Autoworkers run the EU and won't let anything bad happen theory given another airing though, I've rather missed it since it became so lacking in credibility that it even stopped being used in polite discussions...


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