Volkswagen Targets Toyota with 4 New Platforms
10 by 2018
November 26, 2007 2:40 PM
Filed Under: Corporate/Financial, German, Volkswagen
Four new architectures
Volkswagen has big plans, really big plans. So ambitious that even the mighty Toyota get caught in between the crosshair's of VW's board. VW hopes to catch up to Toyota by 2018 with 10 million sales. Volkswagen tallied up 5,7 million sales in 2006.
Key to the VW plans are four new architectures, of which the transverse-engined MQB platform will be a cornerstone. The MQB platform will be used for small, lower-medium and upper-medium models, possibly totalling a grand total of 6 million cars, and is rumoured to be the logical platform replacement of up to 20 models. Current record holding platform is the VW PQ35/46 platform with 2,3 million units, underpinning, amongst others, the VW Golf.
According to an insider, the first model based on the new MQB platform could be launched by 2010 as the next generation VW Touran. Ulrich Hackenberg, VW Board Member, was quoted: “MQB is planned for a broad application, from small cars up to and including upper-medium. The first model to emerge can be expected in 2010.”
The second architecture will be called the rear-engined MHB platform and is destined to underpin VW's New Small Family minicar range, of which the Up! concepts are forerunners.
VW also has a mid-engine sports car platform in mind for the R8 and Lamborghinis. There are even some rumours floating around that Bugatti may come with a more-affordable model.
Last, but certainly not least, is the MLB platform with longitudinally mounted engines taken over from Audi. The MLB is currently used for the new Audi A4 and A5. Hackenberg said: “But MLB could be used for models up to the largest in our group.” Which would not just be the larger Audis (A6 and A8) but also the VW Phaeton and even the Bentley's.
All this sounds very logical, but besides that it will also be highly efficient. Four major platforms to cover every model in the VW Group can cut development costs by up to 40%, for instance safety technologies like crumple zones can be shared across many models. But besides cutting costs, it will also enable Volkswagen to develop new and niche models very quickly in order to respond to market demand.
Related Content
- VW Announces New Small Family of Vehicles to be Produced in Slovakia (11 comments)
- Volkswagen to Invest 9.5 Billion Euro until 2010 (3 comments)
- Volkswagen Ends Talks with Proton (31 comments)
Comments
Also, how in the unholiest of the furthest nether regions of hell does it show I think highly of myself if I supposedly, according to your highness, "constantly take apart" everything you say?! That's just irrational. One doesn't have to think highly of themselves to prove that something being said doesn't hold up or make any sense. Likewise, one might think highly of themselves and still not be able to take apart anything the opposing side of the argument says (like yourself, for instance). You started a stupid argument that you know is based on absolutely nothing and have admitted to just arguing for the s*** of it on more than one occasion, and yet you're intent on proving - despite your "I'm not trying to prove anything..." remark - that you're not a troll or a random spammer. And you might also want to scroll up and read what I've said again, because at no point did I tell you that you clearly need to have the last word in, but funny enough, that's exactly what it is, so thanks for finally bringing up a proven point that's true and makes sense: you seemingly just like to have the last word in, regardless of whether or not you're proving anything, or even making any sense, for that matter. Whether or not that's the case (!) I'm still able to rip apart everything you're saying because you started this with stupid, childish, and unfounded accusations that you probably think of as counter-accusations, and you were proven wrong on all counts and arguments made by yourself (which, might I add, you still haven't answered). So before you go into a "NO YOU'RE THE ONE WHO HAS ILLUSIONS OF GRANDEUR!" and "MY DADDY CAN BEAT UP YOUR DADDY!" I'd advise your high and mighty graciousness to look at everything I've written and then look at everything you've written, and then bring specific examples of how I'm the one who's acting "high and mighty", when in fact as I showed before you're the one who seems to think of themselves as better than everyone. Of course, what's really funny is how you call what I've written in response to your typical one-liner nonsense replies "LONG-WINDED EXPLANATIONS AND POINTS", and even link your counter-accusations of illusions of grandeur against me to that same claim, without even TRYING to prove how or why that's the case. Logical fallacy much?
Lastly, I have to remind you that (internet argument or not), an empty accusation based on the chain of replies that constitutes our back-and-forth posts is just weak and desperate. Similarly, I could just as easily accuse you of trying to get the last word in, although, in this case, based on everything I've said and everything you've said, it's pretty easy to see who is simply trying to get the last word in, despite not having a point or anything to add at all. For that reason, and on the whole hypocrisy claim which reflects back on yourself for the aforementioned reasons, your last sentence just adds fuel to the backfire.
Also, as I said before, it would be just as easy for me to say "don't bulls*** me, I know you think you're better than me", but again, as I said before, in this case, at least what I said would be more believable based on your own track record here. You just don't seem to understand why your accusations aren't getting anywhere. You don't man up to anything by admitting you're a jackass - it's called playing it tough when you've lost the innocence play. My brother did it al the time when we were kids, and kids do it all the time when they're growing up. You simply resorted to the whole "I just like to f*** with people thing" when you realized that you couldn't possibly pass your original BS as fact. Being proven wrong and THEN having to change your tactics isn't "manning up" and "admitting" anything. I don't act humble, but in some aspects of how I deal with people I AM humble, because that's how I was raised. But please, since you're probably going to say "bulls***" to that too, do provide some proof or logical explanations for what you're saying, because so far you've done no such thing. I have a right to be defensive, and even then I'm not that defensive in this case. But I'm more than glad to prove you wrong and point out that your pointless jibber-jabber style counter to what I said to Lexakis won't go anywhere because I've at no point been racist towards anyone, whereas he has, and by claiming that I'm also being racist and hypocritical without ANY proof whatsoever (and having me prove that claim and accusation to be false), you've basically made yourself look like you're fighting with ulterior motives for something else. Whether you like it or not, you've set yourself up for the fall and now you're complaining. I have a right to care about what someone might accuse me of in a car forum or any other forum, for that matter, because for one, it's my right to care, and two, I'm not racist, and the person I was criticizing at least somewhat seemed to be, and if I'd simply not answered back and proven you wrong, the next person who read the comments might not ave realized how you were BSing. And what's funny is that you're bothered (though not entirely admitting it) to the point where you have to et the last word in despite not having a point at all or having anything original to add at any point in time here, which makes YOU hypocritical for asking why I care about what someone says about me on a car forum.
Now, if I may be allowed to ask, do you actually understand what high and mighty means?! Because as I said before, you don't have to think you're BETTER THAN SOMEONE ELSE to "continuously post" (even though that's what you yourself have also been doing, albeit without making sense or making a point) about how illogical something is?! Let's put it this way, you say 2+2=5, and then when I prove that 2+2=4, you change the subject and talk about how the square root of 17 is 3000, and then I point out that you're illogical. Does that make me HIGH AND MIGHTY?! I guess anytime anyone proves someone else wrong or proves that the opposite of something someone else said is true, they're really just being high and mighty.... That doesn't make any sense. Yes, clearly I've tried to prove certain things, and have done so. But whether you know I'm not trying to be high and mighty and that you yourself are, or you're just paranoid, the fact still remains that what I've been proving hasn't had anything to do with me being better than you; rather, it's been about how you started out by saying something completely irrelevant that you couldn't prove, and when you were called out for it and proven wrong, you took the low road. And I still don't give a s***, what you do or say or how you choose to respond, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to show that you're wrong when you make unfounded accusations against me just because it tickled your fancy or because you had nothing better to do, or because for all I know you yourself may be a ricist who can't deal with facts and has to counter them with accusations and personal attacks.... And I love how you finally admit why you really started all this (or claim as such), and are wrong right off the bat. Go back and read again: at what point in time did I CLAIM that lexakis was clearly a ricist? Exactly. I didn't. I simply pointed out that his style of argument was that of such a person, which is seen often in car-related discussions and forums and other circles. The same exists (though not to the same extent) with just about any other kind of extreme fanboy who might identify with Europe or North America or wherever else, but the fact remains that the person making the argument here was so off on what he said and so clearly just speaking out of pride and fanboyism that he reversed all the facts. And it's not fun to make assumptions, but when enough evidence exists, I can point it out given that I present the evidence from my viewpoint. Then if others disagree, they can discuss it or disagree in a rational and sane manner, which isn't at all what you did. As I said before, I don't know you in real life, and I have nothing against you, or anyone else for that matter. For all I know, lexakis and you and everyone else here could be perfectly normal, nice people in real life. But given the faceless nature of the medium, anyone would be inclined to disagree where they see something completely unfounded and irrelevant that goes against facts. Now, what the facts are, again, can be discussed and reviewed politely, maturely, and intelligently, but it has to start out that way. As you can see, with Lexakis, it didn't start out that way, and you yourself chose not to start that way either (at least after I showed that your tit-for-tat argument was nonsensical). Now you can start out fresh or continue being childish. Your call.









Receive an email each time a new
comment is posted to this article