Auto expert Stefan Bratzel has leveled serious accusations of shortcomings against the Volkswagen Group, stating that the company should not rest on past successes. Speaking to the newspapers of “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland,” the Director of the Center of Automotive Management (CAM) criticized Volkswagen’s delayed recognition of market dynamics, particularly in China.
Bratzel pointed out that the Group was slow to grasp the speed of development among Chinese carmakers, the crucial importance of electromobility, and the central role that cost considerations play in the market. While the auto expert asserted that the Wolfsburg management cannot be held solely responsible for the 20 percent contraction in the Chinese market, he did blame the entire Volkswagen Group-including its management, shareholders, and works councils-for having reacted too late to the severity of the situation.
According to Bratzel, the company’s long-term, successful business in China effectively concealed significant structural issues within the German headquarters. He characterized the inadequate response to these internal problems as a “severe error.”
The expert also addressed the company’s financial troubles, noting that the recent billion-merket loss reported in the third quarter is not entirely due to internal mismanagement. Bratzel defended the Group to some extent, highlighting that Volkswagen is also impacted by changing external market conditions, specifically pointing to the burden placed on the company and its brands, Porsche and Audi, by new US tariffs.
