VW's 'New Era' vehicle platform seen putting a drag on profits

BERLIN: Volkswagen may face a new challenge to its bid for the top slot among global carmakers, as the very platform the German giant has spent the last six years creating to take it to a higher level in the rankings may not be working to plan.

For the launch costs of the highly adaptable "MQB" vehicle platform, which was heralded last year by VW as the dawn of a new era for carmaking, keep weighing on profits and its eventual savings may fall short of ambitious targets, analysts said.