This is precisely the outcome that Thomas Schäfer, new CEO of Volkswagen Passenger Cars, has said he wants to avoid.
Speaking earlier this month to Autocar, Schäfer said he wants to make Volkswagen “a loved brand again”.
He added: “VW is on a steep learning curve with the likes of over-the-air software [updates]. It has been a challenge, but we’ve made good strides with new voice control and Travel Assist.”
For many owners of Volkswagen Group cars, though, progress can’t come quickly enough.
Another Autocar reader, Terry Osborn, who owned an Audi A3 Saloon, said: “On my journey home, it suffered from three system crashes. A couple of weeks later, it experienced more, plus various warning lights.”
Osborn said Audi had been unable to fix his car so he had rejected it, instead opting for a new Kia Niro.
He added that he was so dismayed by the issues that plagued his A3 Saloon that he would never buy an Audi again, having been a customer for decades. This was his 11th Audi.
Autocar forwarded readers’ letters to the Volkswagen Group for its response.