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PHOTO: Reuters
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The German car group Volkswagen Group is focusing on developing a platform for cars with internal combustion engines with a focus on markets such as Russia, India and Brazil, where the growth of electric cars is expected to be slower than in Europe, reports Automotive News Europe. quoted by investor.bg.
The concern’s new MQB-A0 Global Platform will be at the core of a wide range of low-cost models with internal combustion engines, from small cars to 7-seater vehicles to be sold in emerging markets.
Volkswagen has commissioned the Czech unit Skoda to turn the MQB-A0-In, which is currently being built almost entirely with parts of India, into an extremely flexible architecture targeting price-sensitive markets in Russia, Latin America, India, Africa and Southeast Asia.
For the European market, Volkswagen has created the Scalable Systems Platform (SSP) architecture, which will be used in the construction of electric cars with autonomous control functions for cars from Volkswagen, Skoda, Seat, Audi and Porsche. The platform will appear on the market in 2026.
Volkswagen initially developed its platforms in Europe and then distributed them globally. According to Jiri Dietrich, Skoda’s project manager at MQB-A0, the new architecture will not be produced in Europe.
The creation of a platform for low-end conventional cars for the German group will allow Volkswagen to succeed in emerging markets, Dietrich told Automotive News Europe.
Skoda said sales of conventional cars in those markets are expected to grow 58 percent to 7.5 million in the coming years, followed by an increase of another 1 million vehicles within five years. that sales will reach 8.5 million by 2036, when the European Union (EU) ban on the production of cars with internal combustion engines enters into force.
Scale is key
The MQB-A0 platform will be flexible enough to support cars with a length of less than 4,000 mm and a length of 4,500 mm to 4,700 mm, Dietrich points out.
“This platform needs to be as scalable as possible,” he said, adding that 7-seater vehicles could be built on the largest version.
The first cars using the MQB-A0 will appear on the market after 2025, adds Dietrich.
The architecture will not target Europe or China, where small cars with internal combustion engines such as the Skoda Scala and VW Polo use the MQB27 platform, whose design will continue to evolve.
The refocusing on Russia, India and other emerging markets reflects tightening emissions regulations in Europe and China.
Possibility for hybrid cars
The MQB-A0 Global Platform will be developed with the ability to build hybrid cars according to local emission requirements, but will not be suitable for all-electric vehicles.
“We’ve combined electric and internal combustion engines on the same platform with Citigo-e, Seat Mii and VW Up before, but that’s not the most efficient option,” said Skoda.
The platform will be used by Skoda and VW, but other units of the group will also be able to take advantage of it.
The MQB-A0 Global Platform is the first time Volkswagen has commissioned Skoda to develop a platform with the perspective of global use.
Ralph Brandstetter, CEO of the leading VW brand of the same name, said that Skoda was in an ideal position to take responsibility for the development of the MQB-A0 platform due to its “significant experience in basic mobility”.
The strategy will bring economies of scale and synergies that will further increase profitability, “he said.
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