Same country. Same engineers. Same unions.
Published on LinkedIn, 5 August 2026.
Claim
Same country. Same engineers. Same unions. Mercedes needed 53 months for one new car, decision to production. VW technical chief says their normal is 54. BMW is putting Neue Klasse into 40 new or updated models in 24 months.
So you cannot blame culture or unions or talent.
Part of the time is physics. Factory takes what it takes, same as pot on the stove. But the months before the factory, that is just how long the decisions took.
I saw the same in banking for 25 years. Two weeks to build, six months to approve. OR NEVER.
Last week BMW announced around 8,000 cuts. Production is exempt. The CEO came from production. He knows where the problem is not. And VW already did 36 months. In Hefei, China. Their own press release. Same company, two clocks. Where the fast clock runs, that is next week.
The speed exists. In Germany. Not just on the Autobahn.
Chart
Sources
- Mercedes CLA, 53 months (one new model, decision to production). Chart attribution: MMA programme, 2021-2025. Company context: Mercedes-Benz, next-generation CLA / MMA family.
- Volkswagen, 54 months (own stated norm). Kai Grunitz, Volkswagen technical development, September 2023, reported by Autocar: from 54 months toward a 36-month target. Autocar, 6 Sep 2023.
- BMW Neue Klasse, 24 months (40 new or updated models by end 2027, as stated on the chart). Programme context: BMW Group, Neue Klasse 2025 (at least six Neue Klasse models in the first 24 months after start of production).
- Volkswagen Hefei, 36 months (same company, China clock). Volkswagen Group press release: electric platform for the entry-level segment in China brought to market maturity in 36 months. Volkswagen Group, Hefei / VCTC.
Chart footnote checked 4 Aug 2026: Mercedes MMA 2021-2025; VW Grunitz Sep 2023; BMW 40 models by end 2027.
Method
Figures are development-cycle months taken from company disclosures and executive statements for the periods cited. Mercedes is decision-to-production for one CLA / MMA programme. Volkswagen's 54 is the company's own stated prior norm. BMW's 24 is the window attached to the Neue Klasse product push on the chart. The comparison is organisational tempo, not a ranking of factory-floor workers. Factory physics still takes time; the claim is that the months before the factory are decision time.
Outcome
Published on LinkedIn, 5 August 2026. Reach and engagement figures will be recorded here once the post has settled. No factual corrections were required at publication.
Corrections
None to date. If a number on this page is wrong, the correction will appear here, dated.