2013 Audi A3

Porsche To Head Development Of Sports Cars And Luxury Sedans For VW Group

 
2 1,191 views Dec 8, 2010
Follow Viknesh

2011 Porsche 911 GTS

2011 Porsche 911 GTS

Enlarge Photo
As hard as it is to believe, there were higher ups within the Volkswagen Group that wanted to see the iconic Porsche 911 adopt a modular vehicle platform engineered by another of the Group’s brands, most likely Audi, to help reduce development costs and streamline production.

We can gladly report that such sacrilege will no longer occur as the man at the top, Volkswagen Group CEO Martin Winterkorn, has told Porsche that it will lead in developing new platforms for the Group’s next-generation of sports cars and luxury sedans.

The latest announcement will come as a major blow to Audi, which had lobbied significantly for the opportunity. It also quells fears that the role of the Porsche brand would be reduced now that it is under the control of the ever-expanding Volkswagen Group.

One of the new platforms Porsche is to develop is the future "modular standard matrix" that will underpin the next-generation Panamera and a new entry-level sedan for Bentley. With any luck it will also spawn a future Lamborghini four-door.

Porsche will also be responsible for the development of a sports car platform that will be capable of spawning front-mid- and rear-mid-engined cars for Porsche, Audi and Lamborghini.

To supplement its new duties, Porsche’s development center in Weissach, just outside of Stuttgart, will get a new wind tunnel, design center, electronics integration center and about 100 engineers.

As mentioned, another Volkswagen Group brand was originally meant to develop the sports car platform but this strategy faced strong resistance from Porsche engineers, who claimed the design would not be able to meet the strict criteria, namely stiffness and handling prowess, Porsche’s cars demand.

The additional vehicle platforms, both the modular standard matrix and the new sports car platform, will join existing designs such as the “modular longitudinal matrix” found in cars like the Audi A4, A5 and Q5 and “modular transverse matrix” that will underpin the next-generation Audi A3 and MkVII Volkswagen Golf.

For the Volkswagen Group, using a common modular platform helps reduce development and production costs by 20 percent and new models take about 30 percent less time to engineer. It also enables increased production flexibility, allowing even more models to be spawned from a single platform.

[Automotive News, sub req’d]



Tags:
Posted in:
 
Contribute
Send us a tip Comment Contact the editor
Follow Us

 

Have an opinion?Join the conversation!

  • Posting indicates you have read this site's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • Notify me when there are more comments
Comments (2)

  1. By SpawnyWhippet Posted: 12/9/2010 4:55am PST

    This would surely have been the death-knell of the reputation of Porsche as a sports car maker. They would have become just another 'Audi' and their brand would have lost the magic that makes it an icon.
    I would never buy a Porsche based on a common VAG platform.
    (I have bought 8 Porsches in my life and I am not yet 40)
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  2. By Mohammed Posted: 12/13/2010 11:04am PST

    A very interested decision, but what about the SEAT branch which announced by th VW group 3 years ago to be the sport branch of the group.
    would it be under a supervision of the porsche or SEAT will only focus on providing a medium level of sportive performance which is more convenient for a low budget such as colleges students
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

 

Have an opinion?Join the conversation!

Connect with Facebook

Motor Authority. Now with your friends.

Discover stories your friends read.
Share stories more easily.
You control what you share.
Learn more

Research New Cars

Go!

More from High Gear Media

 
 
MotorAuthority
  • Follow Us
  • Twiiter
  • Facebook
 
 
© 2011 MotorAuthority. All Rights Reserved. MotorAuthority is published by High Gear Media. Stock photography by Homestar, LLC. Send us feedback.