Deep Dive: Porsche takes control of sports car development at VW Group

A Lamborghini Gallardo developed by Porsche? How about a Stuttgart-engineered Audi R8? It could happen under a new plan that puts Porsche in charge of sports car development for all Volkswagen Group brands. The decision comes as part of VW Group's overall plan to streamline its brand and engineering structure. Although Porsche is the newest member of the family, its expertise in sports car engineering apparently made it the natural choice to develop a common components set for the Group's many sports cars. In the near term, the decision will have little impact. After all, the next 911 and the second-generation Boxster/Cayman are virtually complete, the follow-ups to the R8/Gallardo/Murcielago are also past their freeze points, and project Mimo -- better known as Audi R5/VW Blue Sport/Porsche 550 (previously rumored to be named 356) -- has only recently been transferred to Porsche.