Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess is pushing executives at the automaker to come up with solutions to match Tesla’s software expertise.
Diess says Tesla’s competitive edge in electric cars and software is a threat to VW. In a recent webcast to VW executives, he voiced his concerns. “What worries me the most are Tesla’s capabilities in assistance systems,” Diess said.
Tesla are the only automaker with a software system that is constantly learning, he said. “500,000 Teslas function as a neural network that continuously collects data and offers the customer a new driving experience every 14 days, with improved features,” Diess said. “No other car manufacturer can do that today.”
VW have struggled with software problems in its ID3 compact EV, a Tesla Model 3 challenger, according to German press reports.
Diess said that the integration of powerful new software into new models is a much higher hurdle for VW than electrifying its fleet.
Diess praised software updates with which Tesla “increases the range of its cars from 300 miles to 318 miles.”