VW Wants To Beat Tesla

Sometimes I get sick of hearing about “Tesla killers.” It seems like too many people are focusing on knocking the California automaker off, instead of making the best cars possible. Sure, competition can be good, but sometimes it becomes ridiculous.

Stoking the flames of controversy is none other than Volkswagen. The company that brought us the worst vehicle emissions scandal in recent memory thinks it can beat Tesla at its own game. According to the Financial Times, VW’s brand chief, Herbert Diess, said during a recent press conference “anything Tesla can do, we can surpass.”

That’s great Volkswagen brass has such confidence. What would be even better is if it actually does surpass Tesla by making a killer electric car. Instead of whipping out some super-fast, ultra luxurious EV, the Germans would be wise to get back to its roots, creating a true people’s electric car. Something that retails for $30,000 or less, can go over 300 miles on a charge, and recharges fully in under 10 minutes. That would put VW on top for sure.

For now, VW has a goal of selling 1 million EVs by 2025. The hope is that as Tesla moves downmarket with the Model 3 and Model Y, Volkswagen can pull the rug out from under its competitor, carving out a good chunk of the more mainstream EV market for itself. The thing is, Tesla has more ambitious goals. It wants to start cranking out 500,000 cars a year starting in 2018.