VW shifts away from minimal four platform strategy

[Ti Kan]

DeWitt Harrison writes:
> ...
> example, is used on no fewer than eight models, from the VW
> Beetle and Golf to the Audi A4 and TT, Skoda Octavia and
> SEAT Toledo."

Bzzzt.  Audi A4 isn't based on the A platform.  It's on the B platform.
However the A3 is an A platform car.

> A lot of new products are on the VW drawing boards. In fact,
> Herr Piech says 67 in all including a D1 (Audi I assume) to

Bzzzt again here.  The D1 is the VW model that's going to compete
in the MB S-class/BMW 7xx/Audi A8 level (not to be confused with
the D platform which the Audi A8 is based on).  Also, I'd expect those
67 new models to be based largely on the same platforms lines in
existence.  Perhaps the D1 would be a notable exception.

> "The first concrete example [of the new philosophy] may be the
> next-generation Passat, which reportedly will break away from
> it's Audi A4 twin by going to a transversely mounted, rather
> than longitudinal, engine and sharing more 'modules' [my ' '
> for emphasis] from the Golf/Jetta line."

As if this is anything new?  When the 80s Passat/Santana (Quantum) which
is based on the Audi 4000 B platform changed to its next generation,
it went transverse engine, based on a stretched A platform.  The current
Passat went back to being based on the B platform a la Audi A4.

Sorry about using the buzzer, but the author of that article needs
to do a bit more research and checking.  While VW did embark on
reducing platform redundancies, the existence of the A, B and C platforms
have been for more than two decades and the D platform was added in
the late 80s.  In addition there are distinct platforms today for models
like the VW Polo, VW Lupo and Audi A2.  So in reality there are more
than just four platforms.  Moreover, most of the platform strategy
changes were made in the Seat/Skoda brands where they were more assimilated
into the VW group.

-Ti
01 S4 2.7 biturbo quattro
84 5000S 2.1 turbo
80 4000 2.0
96 A4 2.8 quattro (sold but not forgotten)
-- 
    ///  Ti Kan                Vorsprung durch Technik
   ///   AMB Research Laboratories, Sunnyvale, CA. USA
  ///    ti at amb.org
 //////  http://www.ibiblio.org/tkan/
///