BrandHistories
Compiling intelligence...
Volkswagen
The MEB electric platform was announced in 2016 but production vehicles did not reach consumers in meaningful volumes until 2020 and 2021, representing a four-to-five year development cycle that allowed Tesla to establish significant brand and software advantages in the premium EV segment that Volkswagen's ID. products have struggled to overcome despite competitive hardware specifications.
Despite significant financial settlements and an explicit commitment to rebuilding the US market, Volkswagen brand sales in America have not recovered to pre-Dieselgate levels. The failure to fully capitalize on the US SUV market shift — where Volkswagen's product lineup was slow to respond with competitive crossover SUV products — compounded the reputational damage and has left Volkswagen with a structurally smaller US market position than its global brand recognition warrants.