The Volkswagen Group had quite a decision on its hands: Considering the company owns both Porsche and Audi, which should have the honor of designing future Volkswagen-branded sports cars?

According to The Truth About Cars (which translated from German site Automobilwoche), Porsche is not only the choice to engineer VW sports cars, but just may be in charge of designing the powertrain for all future VWs.

Autoblog explains it well:

The real coup, however, is in what Porsche plans to provide: a Modular Standard Platform that will place the engine directly over the front axle and fit both longitudinal and transverse engine arrangements. The MSB, as it’s called, will be put into use for the next Porsche Cayenne and Panamera as well as a future Bentley, and its flexibility could quickly see it spread throughout the Volkswagen portfolio of brands. Group CEO Martin Winterkorn called it an advantage that would put VW “years ahead of the competition.”

So Porsche could develop a basic platform for not only Volkswagen, but all of the VW Group’s brands. Is that really an advantage, as Winterkorn says?

All this doesn’t make much sense and reminds me of the path GM went down, which culminated in watered-down brands and overlapping products. Here’s my two cents:

• Volkswagen doesn’t need sports cars, because VW Group already has the Audi and Porsche brands. I mean, the Bluesport concept is seriously cool, but with a Porsche platform it’ll still be so expensive it might as well just be a Porsche. Or an Audi.
• The VW Phaeton is one of the most luxurious cars available, but it shouldn’t wear a VW badge. It should be the Audi A8.
• The VW CC should have been developed as an Audi.
• The world really doesn’t need a Volkswagen Touareg, Audi Q7, and Porsche Cayenne. Just like the world didn’t need a Saturn Outlook, Buick Enclave, and GMC Acadia.

There’s a reason the Saturn brand isn’t around anymore.

I’m beginning to think VW Group is getting too big. With all this consolidation, can it possibly keep its brands as individual entities?

-tgriffith

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