Scoop! VW Group looks to 2050
VW is war-gaming its 20302050 line-up – which should include the final generation of combustion engines.
A key idea is K1: a totally flexible components set with one lead R&D team and a single production site. It could be used by Porsches, Audis and Bentleys using internal combustion, plug-in hybrid, battery electric and fuel-cell electric powertrains.
An early manifestation of this thinking was a seven-seat Cayenne, but it was heavy, ungainly and deemed likely to damage the Porsche brand. Thinking has now switched to a replacement for the long-wheelbase Panamera Executive. Meanwhile, Audi is thinking laterally for its A8 replacement. Bentley and even Lamborghini are likely to get in on the K1 act.
Dacia looks like it’s got a busy couple of years ahead. The big-selling Sandero is due for replacement, and could well be joined by a car that’s even smaller: the Chinese-built Renault
City K-ZE could be badged Dacia if and when it makes it to Europe in electric form. Based on the hugely popular Indian-market Renault Kwid, it could be Europeanised with a choice of small petrol or modest electric motor. Watch out also for a larger vehicle built on the same Renault-Nissan CMF-A+ underpinnings. The Indian-built Renault Triber is a seven-seat compact MPV that looks more modern than Dacia’s Lodgy seven-seater, which isn’t sold in the UK.
Parent Renault is lining up a next-gen Kangoo, again co-developed with Mercedes, plus a Zoe Evo with a bigger battery, and a Twingo EV.
Bear in mind that Renault’s strategy sometimes means that what’s a Dacia in one market is a Renault in another. The badges may change, but the cars are coming.
One car that definitely won’t be badged as a Dacia is the Renault Arkana, a sleek coupe-crossover. Previously Russia-only, where it’s been sold with a 148bhp petrol engine and four-wheel drive, it’s going global in 2020.