Function

The customer should, ideally, remain true to his/her chosen model, without really noticing that he/she has slowly slipped into a class higher. However, he/she is also partly responsible for this development, after all, it is the customer who regularly demands more comfort and safety features. All this needs more space, even the most ingenious utilisation of space has its limitations.

How it works

If one gives it some thought, all the vehicles shown above have the same model name, although, the first in the row, is now smaller than the immediatly following model. The length of the Golf, in 30 years of production, has grown, in terms of percentage, the most, followed by the wheelbase, which has a positive influence on the driving comfort. The height of the car shows the slightest increase because this has a negative influence on the wind resistance.
It is difficult for the motor-car industry to maintain the distance to the next higher model, particularly, because the different models are introduced at different times. Sometimes two models become dangerously close to each other. A solution is easier to find if the model has finally outgrown its category, because this is valid for the whole range, a new model can be inserted at the bottom of the range. The entire range grows and the choice becomes more varied. Thus, completely new models are introduced rather from the bottom of the scale, while technological innovations are more than likely to be found in the upper range, because of the high development expenses. 11/09