A vital new Volkswagen Group compact platform begins to roll out on VWs and Audis next year. The Geneva auto show gave a few hints, but Motor Trend has uncovered more details.
VW Group will build 30 models off the MQB, or Modularer Querbaukasten, which translates as modular transverse-engine kit. It covers everything above the tiny "New Small" series of cars (the VW Up! and relatives) and below the modular longitudinal cars, the smallest of which is the Audi A4. It can be built in 103.5-, 101.8- and 98.2-inch wheelbases, the last for the next VW Polo, Audi TT, and A1.
Flexibility and reduced production costs are key. VW claims 20-percent cost savings compared with the current generation of VW/Audi compacts. VW Group will use the savings to improve content and build quality while bolstering corporate profit.

Geneva's Audi A3 sedan and VW Bulli concepts both use the platform. They demonstrate tread width and seat height flexibility, the relatively compact overhang enabled by the new front crash structure, and the use of lightweight materials in more expensive models. The A3 is a pretty accurate preview of the real sedan launching in calendar 2013. It sits below the A4 in the range, but will have a wider body and track width than the A3 hatchback that is launching next year.
"The A3 sedan's design, being transverse-engined, is shorter and lower than the more elegant A4," says Audi Group design chief Wolfgang Egger. "The wheelbase is 103.5 inches. It also has a lower seating position than the other transverse cars." The next A3 sedan and cabrio will use the low and wide proportion, while the Sportsback and hatch will be narrower and taller.
The interior is a big step forward from the current A3's, Egger says. The climate control unit is broken down into subassemblies, the bulkiest of which are moved from the center stack outboard, to free up dash space, so the car will use a horizontal dash panel like the concept's. Lightened seat frames will free up rear space.