Photo: Audi
The fact two companies under the Volkswagen umbrella are joining forces shouldn't come as a surprise, especially since numerous platforms are already shared between the various VW Group brands.
Still, those platforms were usually developed by one member, only this time we're talking about full cooperation between Audi and Porsche right from the off. The goal of their get-together is to come up with the best electric vehicle platform that would benefit both brands using as little effort and resources as possible.
Traditional manufacturers recognize the need to show EVs more attention, but after decades - in some cases, over a century - of perfecting the internal combustion engine, the switch can be quite costly. Which is why any decision that could cut the costs is welcome
Both Audi and Porsche are about to launch their first battery-powered vehicles designed from the ground up with this propulsion system in mind - the Audi quattro crossover and the Porsche Mission E sporty sedan - so this joint venture is aimed at unspecified future models.
Porsche is fresh off announcing it would invest six billion euros (nearly $7.5 billion) in its EV efforts, essentially doubling the initial sum. Oliver Blume, the company's CEO suggested the R&D budget was just about two billion euros, with the rest going into building new manufacturing capacities or modifying the existing ones.
Now, though, talking to German publication Stuttgarter-Zeitung together with Audi CEO Rupert Stadler, the two revealed that each company is expected to spend over one billion euros in the joint project, making Porsche's split of the €6 billion seem a bit confusing.
Thanks to the wonder of Google Translate, we can now reproduce the part of the interview where Blume offers some details on how the project works: “We have founded two project houses, one of them at the Audi headquarters in Ingolstadt," the Porsche CEO says. "The second in Weissach, where Porsche has its development center. Audi currently has about 550 developers, Porsche 300. We have introduced two occupancy days per week. Otherwise, the teams work together via video conferencing and Skype. We have distributed the responsibility so that every brand has the vehicle modules that best suits them.”
They say the platform they aim for would work on any type of vehicle, which should be helpful considering Stadler said Audi is looking to follow its first two EVs that are nearly completed with two sedans and two more SUVs. Porsche might focus on SUVs as well next, but should be looking at a battery-powered sports car if it wants to remain credible.
Traditional manufacturers recognize the need to show EVs more attention, but after decades - in some cases, over a century - of perfecting the internal combustion engine, the switch can be quite costly. Which is why any decision that could cut the costs is welcome
Both Audi and Porsche are about to launch their first battery-powered vehicles designed from the ground up with this propulsion system in mind - the Audi quattro crossover and the Porsche Mission E sporty sedan - so this joint venture is aimed at unspecified future models.
Porsche is fresh off announcing it would invest six billion euros (nearly $7.5 billion) in its EV efforts, essentially doubling the initial sum. Oliver Blume, the company's CEO suggested the R&D budget was just about two billion euros, with the rest going into building new manufacturing capacities or modifying the existing ones.
Now, though, talking to German publication Stuttgarter-Zeitung together with Audi CEO Rupert Stadler, the two revealed that each company is expected to spend over one billion euros in the joint project, making Porsche's split of the €6 billion seem a bit confusing.
Thanks to the wonder of Google Translate, we can now reproduce the part of the interview where Blume offers some details on how the project works: “We have founded two project houses, one of them at the Audi headquarters in Ingolstadt," the Porsche CEO says. "The second in Weissach, where Porsche has its development center. Audi currently has about 550 developers, Porsche 300. We have introduced two occupancy days per week. Otherwise, the teams work together via video conferencing and Skype. We have distributed the responsibility so that every brand has the vehicle modules that best suits them.”
They say the platform they aim for would work on any type of vehicle, which should be helpful considering Stadler said Audi is looking to follow its first two EVs that are nearly completed with two sedans and two more SUVs. Porsche might focus on SUVs as well next, but should be looking at a battery-powered sports car if it wants to remain credible.
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