La planta de Volkswagen en Zwickau dejó de producir autos Golf y se cambió a los vehículos eléctricos, dejando en evidencia los riesgos y oportunidades para los pueblos y ciudades industriales.
Mr. Musk, the chief executive of Tesla, has turned off many people with polarizing remarks on social media, and it may be affecting the automaker’s sales.
Volkswagen’s plant in Zwickau stopped producing Golfs and switched to electric vehicles, illuminating the risks and opportunities for factory towns and cities.
Sales of electric vehicles are sagging in part because they’re so boring to drive compared with their gas counterparts.
The automaker said it would delay new battery-powered models and shift its focus to hybrid cars, sales of which are rising fast.
Sales of the company’s electric cars dropped in the first three months of the year, even as other automakers sold more battery-powered vehicles.
Musk ayudó a crear la industria china de vehículos eléctricos. Pero ahora se enfrenta a desafíos allí, así como al escrutinio en Occidente por su dependencia al país.
Mr. Musk helped create China’s electric vehicle industry. But he is now facing challenges there as well as scrutiny in the West over his reliance on the country.
Tesla and China built a symbiotic relationship, with credits, workers and parts that made Mr. Musk ultrarich. Now, his reliance on the country may give Beijing leverage.
The auto giant lobbied hard against tougher pollution rules. This week, the E.P.A.’s new rules proved favorable to hybrid technology, an area that Toyota dominates.