This is how Tesla and Co. customers take their money out of their pockets

Tesla, VW and other automakers have had a successful year – even though it was characterized by production downtime and challenges. Despite this, the manufacturers continue to earn huge amounts, also thanks to a simple trick that costs customers a lot of money.

Tesla, VW and Co: Record profits in 2021 – thanks to this trick

Despite ongoing difficulties, large car manufacturers such as Tesla and VW have presented some excellent figures for 2021. The operating profit of the 16 largest manufacturers in the world climbed by 168 percent compared to the previous year, as determined by the management consultancy EY (source: dpa via Time). That corresponds in numbers around 134 billion euros.

It was not an easy year: Sales at many companies fell, according to Constantin Gall, EY expert for mobility in Western Europe. “The profit situation, on the other hand, has developed excellently in some cases.”

There is a simple solution to the apparent conundrum of selling less but making more profit: the automotive industry has opted for expensive, higher-margin models. It’s no secret that manufacturers do this. For example, last year the VW group gave the scarce chips to the Porsche brand. Other manufacturers have done the same. In the end, it is the customers who pay have little choice but to buy a more expensive car or none at all.

Inexpensive e-cars: customers still have to wait a long time

Order freezes and long delivery times, as with the entry-level models of VW’s ID series or the e-UP, show exactly that. Tesla customers too never wait as long as for the cheapest Model 3 also in the cheapest configuration. On the other hand, you can get to more expensive models or models with luxury equipment relatively quickly.

It’s better to buy e-cars now than hesitate – that speaks for itself:

According to Gall, they were lying Margins “at record level in 2021”. Tesla is at the forefront with its e-cars. With a margin of 12.1 percent, the electric car manufacturer is even just ahead of the German luxury traditionalists Mercedes and BMW, each with 12 percent.

For the current year, EY only dares to make one forecast due to the Ukraine war and ongoing delivery problems: New car prices will rise rather than fall explains EY partner Peter Fuss.