What does it take to be Number One?

What happens when ego overtakes integrity?

When the quest for the title of ‘number one’ takes on more importance that the means of getting there? Well, in the case of GM and Toyota, it led to the ignition switch scandal and the unintended acceleration fiasco respectively. In both these cases, the quality control processes normally followed by these manufacturers was surpassed in the quest for numbers.

Well, now it seems, the same thing has happened at Volkswagen. They may not have unequivocally stated that their aim was to become number one, but they were certainly heading in that direction. Over the past decade, or two, the VW Group has demonstrated that it simply engineers cars better than the competition. An unstinting attention to detail, and single-minded focus on engineering has led them to develop some of the best machines that money can buy. The Bugatti Veyron is Exhibit A.

But it’s also symptomatic of the problem. The Veyron was seen by many as a four-wheeled manifestation of the ego of the former Chairman of the Board of management – Ferdinand Piech. No one doubted the engineering excellence of the machine, but many questioned the motivation that saw it culminate into reality.

But what I fail to understand is how a company that’s driven largely by engineers could have made a judgement call such as this – even if it was a small group that did so. These are people who are fiercely passionate about the machines they develop. Each component has to be the best it can be, and it has the proud stamp of the engineers who designed it – rather than the accountants who try and trim it. And this is, perhaps, why the VW emissions scandal is most surprising and disappointing. That being said, I believe that the VW Group will come through it – and they’ll learn from it as well.

On a slightly happier note, thank you to all of you who’ve supported us in the lead up to this 9th anniversary issue. We hope you enjoy it, because we’ve certainly enjoyed putting it together. We can only hope its integrity, rather than ego, that’s been the driving force in creating the copy that you’re holding in your hands.