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Why is it so difficult for car companies to build good cars?

Tesla seem to build good cars, yet they are a smallish company, without any glorious tradition. I have spent much of my 67 years by reading about the magic of Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar and BMW. How much of the trouble of designing a good car stems from doing the engine and transmission? What about the suspension and packaging and seats and windshield wipers and what have you? Can they be left to the component suppliers and a fair bunch of engineering consultants?

Asked on 21 November 2016 by Jukka Luoma

Answered by Honest John
Sorry, answering this comprehensively would take a fortnight. The biggest hurdle all car manufacturers face is legislation and therefore designing a car that meets the regulations in as many markets as possible, without cheating, which is what has brought the VAG group down.
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