VAG to pull out of Motorsport post 2016

[Mirek]

Of course but Your choice of words about one brand's decision to leave a sport they entered only 4 years a go is a bit over the top for me. It's not that long time a go when there was no VAG brand at all in the WRC and now after just four years it's being portrayed like an end of the world when they pack and leave? Everybody knew that VW is not in the sport for ever. They came in to squeeze as much as possible out of it before they throw it behind and go elsewhere just like they did with Dakar before. They don't give a fuck about heritage (which heritage by the way?), they care about money.

[N.O.T]

Of course but Your choice of words about one brand's decision to leave a sport they entered only 4 years a go is a bit over the top for me. It's not that long time a go when there was no VAG brand at all in the WRC and now after just four years it's being portrayed like an end of the world when they pack and leave? Everybody knew that VW is not in the sport for ever. They came in to squeeze as much as possible out of it before they throw it behind and go elsewhere just like they did with Dakar before. They don't give a fuck about heritage (which heritage by the way?), they care about money.

Its not the fact that VW leaves, its the reason that is plain retarded and stupid because of the man made tree hugging agenda.

[Rally Power]

Of course but Your choice of words about one brand's decision to leave a sport they entered only 4 years a go is a bit over the top for me. It's not that long time a go when there was no VAG brand at all in the WRC and now after just four years it's being portrayed like an end of the world when they pack and leave?

You’re not seeing the bigger picture.

By pulling out from LeMans and WRC and entering FE, besides a simultaneous announcement of a strong electric mobility development, VW is making a clear distinction between new clean forms of motorsport and the traditional petrol based ones.

Mass media and the general public, both dominated by political correctness, will take the message as a free pass for moral judgments on current motorsport activities, which are based on a rich culture and heritage that neither the mass media nor the general public wishes to understand and respect.

For sure VW its free to leave, but it shouldn't leave in such an outrageous way.

[JRodrigues]

By pulling out from LeMans and WRC and entering FE, besides a simultaneous announcement of a strong electric mobility development, VW is making a clear distinction between new clean forms of motorsport and the traditional petrol based ones.

You are correct.

Mass media and the general public, both dominated by political correctness, will take the message as a free pass for moral judgments on current motorsport activities, which are based on a rich culture and heritage that neither the mass media nor the general public wishes to understand and respect.

Well.. that's what they needed. These pullouts are not about the money. They are about cleaning their own face to that same mass media and general public. It's what they need. Like it's what they needed when they entered WRC and endurance racing with Audi. This is more of a message that they are doing than anything else.

[Ucci]

Of course but Your choice of words about one brand's decision to leave a sport they entered only 4 years a go is a bit over the top for me. It's not that long time a go when there was no VAG brand at all in the WRC and now after just four years it's being portrayed like an end of the world when they pack and leave? Everybody knew that VW is not in the sport for ever. They came in to squeeze as much as possible out of it before they throw it behind and go elsewhere just like they did with Dakar before. They don't give a fuck about heritage (which heritage by the way?), they care about money.

As much I disagree with Mirek on many occasions, here I stick with him 100%.
VW was nobody five years ago in WRC, they were in this circus yust for comercial reason, after four titles still nobody is and will think about VW personal cars on the same way we all associate Subaru and Mitsubishi (partly also Ford...) with rally. Maybe VW didn't want this, who knows.....Anyway, after few months we will forget them, Ogier&JML&Mikkelsen will get rich $$$ refunds, engineers will be focused on new technologies....and most important: already now we can say that the rest of the drivers have much more possibilities to become 2017 world champion.
Yes, it is a shock, which I don't like, but that is life...sometimes sucks.
Bring on 2017!

[Mirek]

You’re not seeing the bigger picture.

By pulling out from LeMans and WRC and entering FE, besides a simultaneous announcement of a strong electric mobility development, VW is making a clear distinction between new clean forms of motorsport and the traditional petrol based ones.

You are correct.

VAG didn't leave WEC. Audi did but Porsche remains and Porsche is the most powerful body in the VAG structure. This point is more related to the internal struggle between Audi and Porsche but for sure dieselgate played a role as the sole reason why Audi was in WEC was to promote diesel engines. What if somebody starts to ask if maybe Audi cheated there as well?

Mass media and the general public, both dominated by political correctness, will take the message as a free pass for moral judgments on current motorsport activities, which are based on a rich culture and heritage that neither the mass media nor the general public wishes to understand and respect.

We should not look at them as on some sort of evil. They have all the rights to disagree with traditional forms of motorsport just like we have right to disagree with anything else (in my case it's for exampler self-driving cars although it's my colleagues who are developping them). The fundamental change in the perception of mobility in the society is something unstoppable. Dieselgate accelerated the process but it didn't start it. It's the whole society which changes itself and no matter if we like it or not the change must have sooner or later hit traditional motorsports.

Well.. that's what they needed. These pullouts are not about the money. They are about cleaning their own face to that same mass media and general public. It's what they need. Like it's what they needed when they entered WRC and endurance racing with Audi. This is more of a message that they are doing than anything else.

Yes and as such it is logical decision although it is strangely timed. The true petrolheads make only small percentage of VW customers. For majority of the society VW is a giant cheater and a symbol of arrogant business entity whose only concern is money no matter what. The reason why the decision came now may be in internal changes and internal fight between various lobbies.

[Fast Eddie WRC]

I wonder what VW actually gained overall from their time in the WRC ?

WRC still means very little to the public and general car buyers... VW's rally success therefore cant have done a lot for their image.

For the actual rally fans, VW's total domination has made the series less attractive as the winner was rarely any doubt. Plus Ogier, due to this and his attitude, has been about the least popular champion I can remember for many years..

I dont see the real benefit for all their success.

[Francis44]

I think you guys underestimate how much of an impact a WRC project can have, when I talk to friends/fellow workers about rally, even a casual, not really interested in cars and motorsport person, knows that VW dominated the championship, they might not even know fully what Rally but they know it was VW win fest, either by casual headlines on sites or the ads on TV.

Plus, I know many examples of people who did not consider VAG and specially VW cars as "sporty" or particularly "durable and effective" machines, a successful WRC campaign can do wonders on that.

I am also very skeptical about electric cars. Selfdriving cars will be the thing sooner or later but thats understandable because safety is number 1, however there will ALWAYS be a market for people who enjoy driving.

[Mirek]

Selfdriving cars will be the thing sooner or later but thats understandable because safety is number 1, however there will ALWAYS be a market for people who enjoy driving.

This is sadly contradicting. Either the whole road traffic goes automatic or not at all. Some automatic cars among man-driven cars cause only huge problems mainly in accountability for accidents. There are way too many situations which can not be solved on automatic basis and for which there is no time to just warn the driver and let the decision upon him. In my opinion there will be first some zones with completely automatic traffic (for example in city centers) and slowly they will get everywhere. It will definitely take many years to come but as of today there is no legislative capable of taking care of accidents with automatic cars in non-automatic traffic (and I doubt it's even possible to make one).

Sorry for off topic.

[Francis44]

This is sadly contradicting. Either the whole road traffic goes automatic or not at all. Some automatic cars among man-driven cars cause only huge problems mainly in accountability for accidents. There are way too many situations which can not be solved on automatic basis and for which there is no time to just warn the driver and let the decision upon him. In my opinion there will be first some zones with completely automatic traffic (for example in city centers) and slowly they will get everywhere. It will definitely take many years to come but as of today there is no legislative capable of taking care of accidents with automatic cars in non-automatic traffic (and I doubt it's even possible to make one).

Sorry for off topic.

Absolutely, I dont know much about the technology but I suspected that aswell. There will always be tracks and roads for people to drive on, I hope so anyway .