VW, Audi , Porsche : low cost mid-engine sports car

At the Los Angeles auto show in November, Volkswagen will unwrap a new mid-engine sports car concept. This marks the third iteration of a theme that started in 2003 with the Concept R and continued in 2005 with the EcoRacer.


The proposal we'll see in L.A. pursues three different strategic goals:

* For Volkswagen, it provides an attractive product in a niche that has long been defined by the Mazda Miata.
* For Audi, it offers the opportunity to switch the next-generation TT from the current FWD/AWD platform to a much more prestigious and more dynamically rewarding mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout.
* For Porsche (which recently cleared another legal hurdle in its quest to take control of VW), there's a chance to join the fray with a modern successor to the rear-engine 356.