Volkswagen’s World Domination

The new innovative platform and engine series for their most popular models could help them become the world’s largest automaker.Car production is a very complex undertaking. Unlike electronic and digital equipment, cars are made of numerous components and diverse materials that are sourced from hundreds of suppliers. A few of the components are quite heavy; others are sizeable and not easily transferred from one placeto another. Compatibility of cars' components was limited in the past and less so nowadays. However, compatibility between assembly lines is still uncommon.This obviously causes quite a lot of headaches and head scratching, particularly to huge automakers such as Volkswagen Group.Volkswagen Group currently has seven brands in their portfolio (not including Porsche) and some 220 models that are produced in 90 facilities worldwide. The mainstream segments in that mix are called A0 to B. Models in the A0 segment include, for example, the VW Polo. Segment B is the Passat. In between there are multiple models, amongst them the Golf and Jetta. It goes without saying that all other brands in the group build their cars on those platforms.VW‘s goals in developing the system were the optimization of the efficiencies of the drive systems, the use of alternative and, in particular, renewable energy sources as well as development of CO2-neutral mobility concepts.The MQB can be produced in various length dimensions for the wheel base and car. However, there is one dimension that never changes: the measurement between the accelerator pedal and the front wheel's center. According to VW, that is the most crucial prerequisite for the successful implementation of the idea of modular component sets for uniform engineering dimensions.VW has adopted its gasoline engine series to suit the new platform with uniform mounting positions that obliged the engineers to change the engine head layout. In addition a new flange pattern enables the use of only one gearbox for all engine series in every torque class.A new gasoline engine series is comprised of 3 and 4-cylinder engines. The 3-cylinders are known as MPI while the turbocharged 4-cylinder engines are known as TSI. The TSI engine is the world's first 4-cylinder with a deactivation system: two of its four pots are shut down when the engine load is low. All told, output for the series ranges from 85 to 140hp.