Volkswagen will showcase its new platform for a range of future low-cost vehicles in a new concept car that’s planned for September’s Frankfurt Motor Show. CEO Martin Winterkorn previously pledged to launch a sub €8,000 VW model by the end of the decade, which would also form the basis of similarly priced models from sister brands Skoda and Seat. This latest announcement confirms that development work is already underway.

Company spokesman Andreas Meurer has said that the car will be on the market by 2009 and will be an efficient city car that retains the looks and feel of a VW branded car, reports The GCB. To differentiate the VW versions from the Skoda and Seat variants, developers will add extras such as air-conditioning and CD players.

The new platform will eventually spawn an ultra-cheap car designed for expanding markets such as Eastern Europe and India to compete with cars like the Dacia Logan and future budget-oriented models planned from the likes of Nissan and Fiat.