Earlier this year at the Geneva motor show, we saw VW announce how Audi’s new A3 will be the platform for around 40 â€" 60 car models in the VW group. VW group which encompasses 11 different car and truck brands emphasized the importance of the A3 and how it will be crucial to the carmaker’s future success. This week however, there have been talks between other manufacturers.
Modularity
Car manufacturers have been sharing car parts for decades, the first platform being created in the 1960′s. Car platforms now cover numerous component aspects but originally, the car platform referred specifically to a shared chassis only. GM for example used the same platform for the development of the Pontiac LeMans, Oldsmobile Cutlass, Chevrolet Chevelle and Buick Skylark in 60’s. Renault and Nissan, although autonomous manufacturers have been extensively sharing and manufacturing mutually beneficial components for the last 13 years since Carlos Ghosn became CEO of both companies at the same time. Other manufacturer conglomerates all have their own respective car platforms
Sharing is caring
Recently, efforts to modularize parts have increased substantially. Renault-Nissan has announced it is now joining forces with Daimler AG to create a close partnership and with an announced increase in modular parts from 200,000 to 1.6 million, you may well see many more shared components between the Mercedes A Class, a Renault Megane and a Nissan Juke for instance. BMW and Toyota has also reached a mutual agreement, with BMW supplying engines to some Toyota cars and Toyota is helping BMW develop some petrol-hybrid vehicles. Toyota is also keen to learn from BMW with respect to how to make their cars more ‘exciting’ and ‘fun’ to drive. PSA Peugeot Citroen are also planning an alliance with GM, in the hope of boosting suffering European markets.
The benefits for us?
The advantages of such modularity have been numerous, including reducing development costs, global standardization, ease of repair, increased product variety as well as better quality. This should in translate into more affordable and more reliable cars, thus saving costs on repairs and in theory your motor insurance premium. Whether there will be any real choice left in the car industry is quite another matter however.
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