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Volkswagen wants to avoid another Herbert Diess situation at any cost
Volkswagen is planning to do anything it can to avoid another Herbert Diess situation. The company is taking drastic steps to avoid what it considers internal to be a turbulent past few years. As Diess pushed for the German automaker to prioritize electrification efforts, its most powerful figures are attempting to take back control at all costs to invoke a drastic change at a company that has been recognized by Tesla CEO Elon Musk as the second-best EV manufacturer globally.
Diess, who spearheaded VW’s push toward a lineup of fully-electric cars, did not win over many people during his tenure as the AG’s CEO and Chairman of the Board. His intense focus on keeping VW relevant by keeping up with EV industry leaders led to the release of several competitive electric models. The efforts helped boost the company to be seriously considered as one of the true disruptors of the automotive sector as we currently know it. Volkswagen, in reality, was the first long-standing automaker to make a firm commitment to EVs.
Ultimately, the move has paid off. Volkswagen has the second-best sales record in 2022 in the European Union, according to EU-EVs.com, only trailing Tesla. Its ID.4 has recently started rolling off of production lines in the United States, and it has several highly-attractive and heavily anticipated models already in production and even more on the way.
However, Diess’s abrasiveness as VW AG CEO has chased the Porsche and Piech families away from embracing the same management strategy once again. After we reported on the families agreeing that VW and its many brands would be kept on a short leash as they seek to reestablish control of the companies, Reuters is now stating that incoming CEO Oliver Blume, who currently assumes the role of Porsche CEO, may trim Volkswagen’s Board from twelve members to eight or nine.
Volkswagen AG families Porsche and Pieche regain control post-Diess
The report indicates Blum plans to surround himself with a “core team,” which would be comprised of CFO Arno Antlitz, Personnel Head Gunnar Kilian, Legal Chief Mandred Doess, and VW, Skoda, and Seat brand head Thomas Schaefer. Markus Duesman, who heads Audi, Lamborghini, Bentley, and Ducati, could also assume a new role but is expected to stay at the company.
Diess’s push for EVs and a more sustainable business outlook altogether not only cost him the trust of VW but his job as well. Interestingly, Diess made Volkswagen more competitive than nearly any company on the planet in terms of electric cars, which makes the Porsche-Piech strategy for the future questionable. However, ultimate control and more stabilized day-to-day operations are what they seek, and they may be looking for someone who fits the molds of the German standard: perfection, in every sense of the word.
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Elon Musk shed two new bits of detail on Starship following its 13th test launch, which was an overwhelming success.
SpaceX launched Starship for the 13th time last Friday after two delays: one on Monday when several Raptor engines did not ignite, and another on Thursday due to unfavorable weather conditions in Starbase, Texas.
The launch was overwhelmingly successful. SpaceX was able to complete a necessary test of the heat shield tiles by increasing the acceleration of Starship from launch throughout the flight; 20 Starlink v3 satellites were released with no issue; the Super Heavy Booster landed safely in the Gulf of America, Ship successfully reignited engines while in space; and it also splashed down without incident in the Indian Ocean.
SpaceX Starship just nailed something it’s never done before
Nevertheless, more details are coming out about Starship, and Musk is doing the talking.
Starship Will Be Retrieved in the Ocean
Musk revealed on Tuesday night that Starship would be recovered by a ship in the Indian Ocean. SpaceX routinely tries to recover Starship after splashdown in an effort to find out more about the flight by examining the spacecraft afterward.
We’re sending a ship out to recover Starship https://t.co/fUqUZTITO9
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 28, 2026
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This helps engineers find out more about why things might have happened, allows them to examine any potential damage or anomalies that might have occurred, and increases the chances of an even more successful flight next time thanks to the additional information recovered.
Ship Could Have Been Caught by Tower Arms, Musk claims
Musk has already indicated that SpaceX will plan to attempt a catch of Starship with the 14th test flight. While this would be a major accomplishment, it would be an expected next step, considering the fact that the Super Heavy Booster has already been caught by the chopsticks on numerous occasions.
The ship landing was precise, meaning that it would have been caught by the tower arms https://t.co/6nbNrRfX9P
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 29, 2026
A ship catch would be a great indication of where SpaceX stands in terms of reusability and launch cadence. A successful catch with relatively no incidents would be a good sign that SpaceX is nearing a more frequent launch of Starship, but also that the reusability of the massive rocket would be something many would expect in the near future.
It is a necessity to make life multiplanetary.
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Elon Musk has updated his timeline for when humans will walk on Mars and for when ships will simply get there.
The objective of getting to Mars has been one of Musk’s biggest goals since becoming a serial entrepreneur and realizing that time on Earth is limited. Musk has said several times he hopes to die on Mars, and not by impact.
Musk now believes that people will be on Mars in “roughly 5 to 7 years.” He said that a Mars lander will get there “a few years sooner.”
People on Mars in roughly 5 to 7 years.
Mars lander a few years sooner.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 29, 2026
The response from Musk comes after NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said that SpaceX’s biggest priority is the Moon and not Mars. Because of this, Isaacman conceded that he believes nuclear power and propulsion investments will provide “potentially the pathway with the fewest miracles required to put four people on Mars in the next 10 to 15 years.”
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Of course, this is what NASA can do through taxpayer funding and nuclear investments, he added.
Musk’s grand ambitions are much more optimistic than most, and it is certainly a double-edged sword. This is not the first time timelines for Mars have been somewhat lofty, especially to those normal thinkers like you and me, not super geniuses like Musk.
In fact, the SpaceX and Tesla frontman has said on at least a dozen occasions that we could be on Mars in the coming years. Musk said 2020 would be the big year as early as 2009. In 2020, he was “highly confident” of a landing in 2026, and had even said 2024 in a best-case scenario.
The point is, the range has varied, and it’s anyone’s guess when we’ll get there. This latest adjustment to the timeline is typical of Musk, and while the Moon has seemingly taken priority over Mars, it is still worth mentioning that the ultimate goal is to make life multiplanetary, and it starts potentially with the Red Planet.
SpaceX (NASDAQ: SPCX) got an absolutely crazy price target rating from Raymond James after the company experienced a tough first few weeks following its Initial Public Offering (IPO).
Despite the tumultuous start, SpaceX has plenty of believers, and the company’s massively successful Starship launch last Friday, its 13th test flight of the massive rocket, went so smoothly that Raymond James analysts pushed its price target on the company to roughly 7 times its current trading level.
SpaceX Starship just nailed something it’s never done before
The firm officially put a “Strong Buy” rating and an $800 price target on the stock. It currently trades at around $113. Its all-time high is $225.64, reaching this trading level shortly after shares first went public.
Raymond James’ price target is tied to the firm’s confidence after Starship’s 13th test flight. Analysts at the firm said it was an incremental step that reduces engineering risks, citing the widely successful heat shield test that CEO Elon Musk recently detailed, the smooth deployment of Starlink V3 satellites, and a successful in-space engine relight.
SpaceX also managed to see Starship splash down safely in the Indian Ocean, while the Super Heavy Booster fell down to the Gulf of America with no incidents.
It is interesting to see these launches have such a tremendous impact on the stock and what investors think of it. After SpaceX initially delayed the Starship launch last week, shares fell tremendously. Most probably did not realize that the stand-down is a standard practice, especially if everything is not perfect.
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The mission was initially aborted due to an issue with Raptor engines. This was resolved, and Starship launched last Friday after another delay on Thursday, which was caused by weather.
Now that analysts have seen what SpaceX launches are capable of and how impressive the feat is, firms are adjusting their price targets accordingly, making it known that they have high expectations for the space exploration company.
Elon Musk sheds two new bits of detail on Starship after 13th test launch
Elon Musk updates the SpaceX timeline for Mars
