VW Sports Cars to Use Porsche Platforms

There is at least one good news coming from all the mess which we called last year the Porsche Wars: the tie-up between the two companies will mean that the future line of Volkswagen Group sports car will be based on platforms developed by Porsche.

The news is not all that new, as it surfaced for the first time in September last year. Back then, rumor was Volkswagen will take the Panamera platform and slap it's own car bodies on it. By own car bodies we don't necessarily mean VW cars, but also Bentley, Bugatti and even the Audi vehicles.

Now, thanks to a report by Automobilwoche, that rumor got a bit more substance to it. VW will use a platform developed by Porsche called Modular Standard Platform (MSB in German). The platform is a front-engined one, but can also be transformed to receive a longitudinal or transverse powerplant.

Word is the new platform will be shared across the VW group and will form the backbone of the next generation Panamera, Cayenne and an yet unspecified Bentley model.

The reasons behind this decision are the expertise Porsche has with such platforms for one, as well as the cost reduction which will be achieved by sharing only one platform for high end models. Apparently, this simple move will put Volkswagen years ahead of its competitors, if we are to trust the words coming from Automobilwoche's sources.

Good or bad, sharing one platform for several models has obvious financial advantages. On the other hand however, some might look at this like sacrificing the names of brands like Porsche or Bentley on the shrine of the almighty dollar. Sorry, euro...