Launched with a huge fanfare in 2011, Volkswagen’s MQB vehicle architecture has become as close to a household name as any automotive platform could ever hope to be.
However, six years on, progress has not been as straightforward as VW bosses might have liked. Yes, the MQB ‘matrix’ is now the basis of 18 VW Group vehicles, with another 10 or so to come in the medium term, but it has proved a more difficult and costly project than many expected.
The creation of a components set that would be capable of underpinning vehicles from the Volkswagen Polo to the Volkswagen Passat large car (and, latterly, the even bigger US/ China-market VW Atlas SUV) was a huge task. On top of that, MQB powertrains, from petrol and diesel to electric and gas-powered, had to fit into the same structure. It was a monumental programme, occupying thousands of engineers and costing many billions.
2017 Volkswagen Polo officially revealed
Earlier this year, Herbert Diess, the VW brand chief, told a German newspaper the company had made “significant progress” on reducing the cost of the MQB platform. He added that the MQB had “high technical content” and would now be used for the next two generations of vehicles “without major investments”.
Being able to stretch the life of the MQB towards the end of the 2020s is impressive. Reducing costs so that the Polo family can finally be part of the MQB family is also a notable achievement. But then getting the MQB right has not only occupied VW for a decade, but it has also been costly in terms of refitting factories worldwide.
But VW — while firefighting the idiocy of Dieselgate — seems to have managed to finally bring the MQB project to a conclusion. Many common car architectures have been designed before and they have usually ended up mutating into numerous, rather more loosely related and more costly spin-offs. It will be VW’s challenge to stick with the newest version of the MQB for the next 13 years or so, without diluting the rigour of its concept.
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The economics may be short
I think Autocar should do a group test of all the Golf derived VAG products, and write exactly the same thoughts and conclusions for each. Because that is how it actually is.
Where will it end? VW could sell the architecture to other manufacturers - Peugeot, Fiat, Toyota etc, and it could go on for ever, until there is only one car.
I keep seeing Yetis, and get very angry that one of VAG's few distinctive products has been devoured by this tedium.
@ eseaton
The sad thing is that although petrolheads find the VW group rebranding of models tedious, the vast majority of the buying public don't give a shit, and are quite happy to believe an Audi is worth a premium over a Skoda/SEAT/VW.
Its a shallow world where badge/label is everything.
Why don't you just call Autocar Volkswagen World?
Two days, two major articles on the Polo
There have been umptean articles written about the MQB platform already, so why another?
Other manufacturers have platform sharing, anyone would think VW had invented platform sharing, they haven't.
VW haven't done anything, new or revolutionary for years.
VW are a bunch of cheats and sharlatons, they're nowhere near as good as they are made out to be.
The constant pushing of their products only discredits Autocar further,
@ Richard H
Because Richard, whilst many brands share platforms VW's MQB platform is totally unique in that it can be built in a variety of lengths to suit models in disparate segments.....it appears that this masterstroke is coming of age now and giving proper returns on investment. Dieselgate has overshadowed the brilliance of the engineers who designed the MQB platform.
I am glad that Hilton has chosen to speak about it....this is not a VW press release.
Hilton, welcome back, where have you been. I have missed your industry comment.
"Other manufacturers have platform sharing"
"Other manufacturers have platform sharing"
Bored with hearing all the time about VAG average products
Got a bone to pick?
Got a bone to pick?