Tata Motors And Volkswagen Joint Platform Development May Not Happen
Cyrus Dhabhar
1 min read
Jun 28, 2017, 09:35 PM
Key Highlights
- Tata Motors and Volkswagen had signed an MOU at 2017 Geneva Auto Show
- The two automakers were to work on a joint platform for next gen cars
- The new Tata AMP platform would have underpinned the new Polo in India
According to some media reports, the Tata Motors - Volkswagen Group joint development of a new platform that was meant to underpin the next generation mass market cars might get cancelled. Earlier this year at the 2017 Geneva Auto Show, Tata Motors and Volkswagen Group had signed a memorandum of understanding to explore a long term solution to platforms that would underpin the next generation of their small cars and smaller sedans and SUVs. The platform in question, the new Tata Motors Advanced Modular Platform or AMP would have underpinned the Indian version of the new Volkswagen Polo that has just been unveiled.
The media reports claim that the new platform, which would have been shared by Volkswagen, Skoda and Tata Motors for their next gen mass market offerings was turning out to be too expensive for the Volkswagen Group in terms of integration. Essentially, having the body structure and the interior along with the engines that Volkswagen and Skoda offers to the under body and chassis that will be made by Tata Motors would need a much larger commitment in terms of monetary investments.
Alternatively, the same sort of investment could also result in localisation of the MQB-A platform for India. Currently, the MQB platform is not made in India and MQB equipped cars are only assembled in India with a very small percentage of Indian content. The cars underpinned by the MQB platform currently in India include the likes of the Skoda Octavia and Superb, Volkswagen Tiguan and the Audi A4. The smaller cars like the Polo and the Vento are based on the Volkswagen PQ25 platform that also underpins the Skoda Rapid.
When contacted, a company spokesperson from both Tata Motors Ltd. and the Volkswagen Group said, "We are currently in the phase of evaluating the potential cooperation based on technical feasibility and adequate levels of synergies. We will communicate concrete details of the outcome at the right time. Till then, it will be premature to disclose any information or respond to such speculations."
The media reports claim that the new platform, which would have been shared by Volkswagen, Skoda and Tata Motors for their next gen mass market offerings was turning out to be too expensive for the Volkswagen Group in terms of integration. Essentially, having the body structure and the interior along with the engines that Volkswagen and Skoda offers to the under body and chassis that will be made by Tata Motors would need a much larger commitment in terms of monetary investments.
Alternatively, the same sort of investment could also result in localisation of the MQB-A platform for India. Currently, the MQB platform is not made in India and MQB equipped cars are only assembled in India with a very small percentage of Indian content. The cars underpinned by the MQB platform currently in India include the likes of the Skoda Octavia and Superb, Volkswagen Tiguan and the Audi A4. The smaller cars like the Polo and the Vento are based on the Volkswagen PQ25 platform that also underpins the Skoda Rapid.
When contacted, a company spokesperson from both Tata Motors Ltd. and the Volkswagen Group said, "We are currently in the phase of evaluating the potential cooperation based on technical feasibility and adequate levels of synergies. We will communicate concrete details of the outcome at the right time. Till then, it will be premature to disclose any information or respond to such speculations."
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