Abstract
In this article, the author describes the modularization approaches of European automotive OEMs and analyzes the preconditions of this change. A number of European OEMs have introduced vehicles with new product architectures, such as MQB by VW, EMP2 by PSA, and SPA by VOLVO. All of these new architectures are more modularized than previous one. This architectural shift was enabled by the "Down-sizing" of engines and the shift from RWD to FWD in the C and D segment. These Change can trigger the diversification of product architecture in automotive industry and the change of effective patterns of product development organization and its processes.
