The way things have been going I think the ‘system’ is as big a myth as fabled ‘German efficiency’. I suspect they’re just building whatever they can with whatever components they can scrounge up.
IMHO, German efficiency - or more specifically VW efficiency - died many years ago, along with VW’s so called superior build quality compared to some competitor vehicle brands. There’s been a good selection of posts on various VW forums in recent years of interior creaks and rattles, misaligned body panels, poor durability of upholstery fabric, seat foam collapsing, leaking door / window seals, bodywork seams not sealed in the factory allowing water ingress into the cabin etc.
I’ve owned five brand new VW’s and all of them have had faults ranging from uneven panel gaps, scratches, a small dent and dirt in the paintwork. The worse one was a German built Golf and the best, a Spanish built Polo. Some of the above issues may have happened in transit between the factory and the dealership rather than being a factory build quality fault. However, IMHO they should have been picked up and rectified at post-build QC stage or during PDI.
With my current VW, I have an uneven panel gap between the bottom of nearside windscreen pillar and top of the nearside wing (gap is bigger than the corresponding gap on the driver’s side all other panel gaps on the car). I reported it to the dealer within a couple of days of taking delivery of the car and was told that to correct it would involve removing and refitting the front bumper, adjusting (possibly involving removing) both nearside doors and adjusting the bonnet and both front wings. I didn‘t want my new car extensively dismantled with the risk of inflicting paintwork and panel damage and potentially ending up with even more uneven gaps, so I told the dealer not to bother. I know the larger gap’s there but I don’t really notice it now. I did wonder if my car had sustained damage and been repaired before I took delivery (apparently it‘s not uncommon for this to happen). However, I have a paint thickness gauge and I’ve taken numerous paint thickness readings over the entire car and all paintwork is of uniform thickness, with no signs of repairs.
My brother owns a Vauxhall, and Vauxhalls often get slated on VW forums. However, the build quality of his car is on a different level (in a good way) compared to my VW.
I’ve owned VW’s for almost 20 years, and my current one may well be my last - it’s probably time to move on to another brand.
Apologies for my ramblings and for going off topic, but to anyone patiently waiting for their new car, please ensure you check it over very carefully for faults when it does eventually arrive. I thought I’d checked mine over thoroughly, but clearly not thoroughly enough.