Volkswagen is seeking to expand co-operation projects with DaimlerChrysler that could include shared transmissions and a European van, German magazine Der Spiegel reported on Thursday, according to Reuters.
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It reportedly said VW managers were in talks with their southern German rivals about selling VW manual transmissions for use in Mercedes-Benz vehicles and for letting Chrysler use VW’s Sharan van platform for a new vehicle aimed at the European market.
Reuters noted that Volkswagen brand group head Wolfgang Bernhard, a former Chrysler executive, said in February he was looking at further partnerships with rival car makers to help advance a product offensive, and that Volkswagen has already struck deals with Chrysler, which will build a VW minivan for the North American market and also uses VW engines in some models [notably the European specification Caliber launching soon].
Chrysler said in February that VW was among the partners it was considering for a subcompact car in North America, Reuters added.
A DaimlerChrysler spokesman told the news agency he could not confirm the report. Volkswagen was not immediately available for comment.
One industry source approached by Reuters questioned whether premium brand Mercedes-Benz would want to use transmission components from mass-market producer VW.
