Why did Elon Musk surprise attendees at a rival automaker's conference?
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, addressed 200 Volkswagen executives via video chat following an invitation from Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess, who wishes to galvanise VW's top brass for a more rapid transition to electric vehicles. Musk's remarks to a VW management meeting in Alpbach, Austria, confirmed by Diess through Twitter on Saturday following a report in Handelsblatt daily, including praise for VW as a "icon" and Tesla's greatest rival. Diess noted in a LinkedIn post that he brought Musk in as a "surprise guest" to emphasise the importance of speedier decision-making and less bureaucracy for what he dubbed the largest transition in VW's history. Diess stated in a Saturday tweet that VW, which has emerged as the primary rival to Tesla for worldwide electric vehicle supremacy, would maintain contact with Tesla. "We will pay you a visit at Gruenheide soon," the CEO stated.
According to the publication, when Diess asked Musk why Tesla was more agile than its competitors, Musk stated that it was due to his management style and the fact that he is first and foremost an engineer with an eye for supply chains, logistics, and production.
Diess noted in a LinkedIn post that he brought Musk in as a "surprise guest" to emphasise the importance of speedier decision-making and less bureaucracy for what he dubbed the largest transition in VW's history.
"I'm delighted to learn that even our fiercest opponent believes we can succeed (in) the transition if we pursue the transformation with all our might," Diess wrote on LinkedIn.
As an illustration of Tesla's expertise, Diess stated that it took the competition only two to three weeks to rewrite software to enable a swap from one type of microprocessor to another that was temporarily unavailable.
Diess stated in a Saturday tweet that VW, which has emerged as the primary rival to Tesla for worldwide electric vehicle supremacy, would maintain contact with Tesla.
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"We will pay you a visit at Gruenheide soon," the CEO stated.
Diess warned last month that the planned establishment of Tesla's first European facility in Gruenheide, near Berlin, will require local industry to boost its game against the fast-growing electric vehicle producer in the United States.
Tesla is seeking final approval to begin construction on the 5.8 billion euro ($6.8 billion) German facility.
VW, for its part, intends to develop six huge battery plants in Europe by 2030 as part of a full-court press on electric mobility.
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