Audi and Porsche have just announced that they will be working together on new vehicle architectures for future mobility, incorporating electric, digital, and autonomous technology.
“The best brains of both companies will together set the technical course for the future,” says Rupert Stadler, Audi’s Chairman, in a statement. “We are united by many shared values, above all, by our pursuit of the best solutions and the best offerings for our customers.”
Cooperation between the companies is by no means new. Porsche and Audi collaborated on the new 2.9-liter twin turbo V6 engine that powers the Porsche Panamera, the RS5 , and the coming RS4 Avant, but this new collaboration ensures that companies will share technology for years to come.
Not all of the details of the plan have been sorted out yet, the automakers admit. Those details, though, will be sorted out in the next couple of months, with teams from both companies coming together to figure out just how the partnership will work.
Although neither company referred specifically to VW’s TOGETHER Strategy 2025 plan for the future of electric vehicles at the company, the press release does indicate that the Porsche and Audi want to have a plan ready for how the cooperation will work until 2025.
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Volkswagen, remember, pledged to sell two to three million electric vehicles annually by 2025, across its many brands. Although both companies currently have electric cars in the works, a shared, premium electric platform (like VW’s humbler MEB platform) might be a great way to save some money and hit VW’s EV targets.
That said, Porsche is intent on keeping its brand identity, so a 911 and an Audi with a common platform probably won’t ever happen.
“We will cooperate wherever it makes sense,” said Oliver Blume, Porsche Chairman. “But we will also be very careful to maintain the differentiation between our brands. A Porsche is always a Porsche, and that will remain so in the future.”
