An amount of at least 30,000 euros. How and where to get health insurance for a Schengen visa

Cote d'Ivoire is a West African country whose migration rules require all foreigners entering its territory to have a health insurance policy.

The situation with insurance is clear: some people prefer to engage extreme species sports in this country, which is unsafe and can lead to injury.

And in general, getting insurance is quick and inexpensive. But it provides a number of undeniable advantages.

An insurance policy is needed in order to foreign citizen could receive high-quality medical care abroad free of charge if necessary.

And given the updated Russian legislation, which provides for full reimbursement by tourists of money spent on hospitalization, the advantages of purchasing insurance become even greater.

Conditions of the insurance policy

If a situation arises in Côte D’Ivoire in which you require the help of a doctor, you contact the insurance company, provide information about yourself and the nature of the insured event. Company employees will immediately take measures to organize treatment measures. Medical expenses are covered by the insurance company if your medical policy:

issued for the entire period of stay abroad;
is provided with an insurance amount of at least 30,000 euros;
does not contain a deductible.

How does it all work

You fill out the form
selection of insurance offers
We select offers for you
leading insurance companies
Choose the most suitable one for you
customer insurance program
Pay for the policy online
via a secure system
data transmission.
We do not store your data!
You receive an insurance policy to your email
and print it out
All. Your insurance is issued
Have a nice trip!

Where can I get travel insurance for a trip to Cote D’Ivoire?

A health insurance policy for a trip to Cote D’Ivoire should be obtained in advance, at least 5 days before traveling abroad. You can do it:

in one of the domestic insurance companies;
at the travel agency where you purchase a ticket to Cote D’Ivoire;
online on our website, having previously studied insurance offers from other companies.

Cost of insurance in Ivory Coast

The price of a medical policy depends on the following:

number of days spent abroad;
the amount of insurance coverage;
age, state of health and type of activity of the person traveling abroad;
choice of additional risks (insurance against loss of travel, loss of documents, sunburn, etc.).

Experienced tourists and travelers know that on average, insurance, depending on whether you include all sorts of items about age and extreme sports, can cost about 250 rubles. However, the money spent is the guarantee of your safety from emergency situations.

Note! According to the new edition of the law “On the Fundamentals of Tourism Activities in the Russian Federation” dated December 28, 2015, tourists who have not taken out a voluntary health insurance policy for 2 million rubles, in the event of an insured event, will independently pay for their treatment and transportation, services of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and other departments, which very expensive. Today you can take out a voluntary health insurance policy without leaving your home and save a lot by ordering it online from our company. It's simple, fast, safe and much cheaper than purchasing health insurance at a travel agency or visa centers.

Find out the price of insurance for your travel dates.

Before visiting the French Republic, citizens of Russia, Ukraine and most CIS countries must obtain an entry visa corresponding to the purpose of visiting France.
Medical insurance is a required document for most of the most common types of visas, since the decision to issue visas is made on the basis of the documents provided by the applicant.

Insurance must be provided together with other necessary documents to obtain a visa at the visa department of the Consulate General of France in Russia or one of the French visa centers.

What we will tell you about

Do I need to take out an insurance policy for a visa to France?

In accordance with the current federal law No. 155-FZ of 2015, Russian tourists Those traveling abroad are required to purchase medical insurance with a minimum coverage amount of 2 million rubles.

French law requires foreign tourists have a valid health insurance policy during the entire period of stay in the country. In this regard, the availability of insurance can be checked border service when crossing the state border.
The absence of a policy is a violation of the law and can cause a number of negative consequences for the tourist.

What insurance is suitable for a France visa?

Main types of visas to France:

Airport transit visa category A (Le visa de transit aéroportuaire);
Short-term visa category C (Des visas Schengen);
Long-term visa category D (Visa de long séjour).

Insurance requirements for Schengen visa category C to France (single, double and multiple entry):

The amount of insurance coverage is at least 30,000 euros.
The insurance coverage area is all Schengen countries.
The insurance is valid for the entire duration of the visa. To obtain a multiple-entry visa, insurance that covers the duration of your first trip to France is sufficient.
The insurance policy must cover the costs of treatment of the Insured person in a hospital, emergency care, transportation services, medical and post-mortem repatriation to their homeland, if necessary.
It is not allowed to use a policy issued using a deductible (the amount that the patient pays independently during treatment). Insurance must fully cover the cost of treatment and related medical care. expenses.

Purchasing insurance and obtaining Schengen visas is necessary in cases where a trip to France is made for the following purposes:

Tourism;
Visiting relatives or friends;
Business trip;
Scientific and cultural activities;
Short studies;
Treatment;
Short-term work trip.

Insurance requirements for a France D national visa:

The insurance requirements for a national visa to France are identical to those for insurance for category D visas. It is necessary to purchase an insurance policy that meets the above requirements when visiting France for the following purposes:

Long-term training internship;
Obtaining higher education;
Getting a school education.

Requirements for obtaining an insurance policy for a visa to France:

Insurance must be issued in accordance with the following criteria:

Filling out the policy columns is allowed only in typewritten text.
The insurance policy must contain the following information: full name of the Insured, maximum amount of coverage, insurance coverage area, period of validity of the policy and the number of insured days in it, insurance risks (cases) included in the tariff.

How to choose insurance for a visa to France?

The Consulate General of France and French visa centers accept insurance issued according to the above standards. The insured has the right to include additional insurance risks in the policy.
The choice of insurance rate and additional options is made in accordance with the goals and timing of the planned trip.

Travel Visa Insurance Requirements -

Minimum sum insured in 30000 euros, as a rule, are enough to treat only minor injuries and illnesses during short-term (up to 1 month) trips.
If the main purpose of your trip to France is recreation, then it is advisable to add the “sports” option when purchasing insurance.

The basic insurance rate does not cover medical expenses in cases where the injury is caused by playing sports or any active look recreation (swimming, cycling, scooter, roller skating, etc.).

Popular sports in France: mountaineering, skiing, tennis, swimming, football, etc.

If playing sports is the main or one of the main purposes of traveling to France, then this sport must be noted in a separate column of the insurance policy. Otherwise, this may be a reason for visa refusal.

If you plan to make two or more trips to France and other Schengen countries within one year, it is recommended to increase the amount of insurance coverage to 50000 or 100000 euro, because The risk of needing medical care increases significantly.

To increase the chance of receiving a multiple visa instead of a standard single-entry visa, it is recommended to take out an annual insurance policy with a certain number of insured days included in it. The presence of long-term insurance, as a rule, has a positive effect on the decision of consular services to issue a multiple-entry visa.

Also, an annual policy allows you to make multiple trips without having to purchase new insurance each time.

Examples of annual medical policies:

Annual policy with 30 insured days;
Annual policy with 60 insured days;
Annual policy with 90 insured days, etc.

If you plan a long (more than 1 month) stay in France and the Schengen countries, then it is advisable to increase the amount of insurance coverage to 50000 euro or 100000 Euro. It is also recommended to add a “civil liability” option.

If the Insured during a trip unintentionally causes damage to the property of another person, the insurance company will compensate for the damage.

It is recommended to choose the maximum insurance limit for a student visa depending on the duration of the chosen educational program. For short courses (no more than 1 month) the basic insurance amount in 30000 Euros are usually sufficient.

For a longer stay in the country for the purpose of study, it is advisable to increase this limit to 50000 or 100000 euro, because the minimum amount may not be enough if you repeatedly seek medical help.

For a long work trip, you must obtain a national visa.

For a work trip to France, it is advisable to add the clause “work with increased risk” to the insurance tariff. Basic insurance does not cover medical expenses. services if the injury or illness occurred during working hours, including if the health problem is not related to the performance of work duties.

It is possible to extend a French Schengen visa if there are compelling circumstances to do so. In this case, the requirements for having an insurance policy for the entire period of stay in France remain the same.

Statistics on visa refusals to France*

Country where the consulate is located

City where the consulate is located

Total applications submitted

Total visas issued

Multivisa issued

% of visa refusals

Russian Federation

Kazakhstan

information provided based on European Commission data for 2016.

Cost of health insurance for a France visa

The final price of insurance is influenced by the following factors:

Choosing an insurance company.
The number of insured persons included in the policy and their age. Elderly persons (over 65 years old) are insured with an increasing coefficient.
Choice of the maximum insurance limit (30,000, 50,000 or 100,000 euros). The insured can receive free medical care only within this amount. If there is a shortage, the remaining amount is paid by the patient himself.
If the insurance includes the risks of “sports” and “civil liability insurance,” then the cost of the policy increases slightly.
The number and type of additional insurance events present in the policy. You can add such additional risks to the insurance as travel cancellation insurance, civil liability insurance, accident insurance, luggage loss insurance, etc. The more additional risks included, the higher the cost of the policy.

How to purchase medical insurance for a France visa online?

The online service allows you to purchase an insurance policy as quickly as possible. As a rule, the process of obtaining insurance takes no more than ten minutes and consists of the following steps:

Entering basic data about the planned trip: country (countries, region) of destination, duration of trip, number of people traveling abroad and their age.
Selection of the optimal insurance tariff in terms of cost and conditions and selection of the necessary additional insurance risks (increasing the insurance limit, choosing the currency of coverage, turning on the “sports injury insurance” option, etc.).
Entering personal data into the policy about the Insured person(s) and the Policyholder (the Policyholder is the person who pays for the insurance policy).
Payment for the policy. You can pay for your chosen insurance using the following methods:
- bank card;
- payment systems Yandex.Money, WebMoney, Qiwi, Alfa-Click;
- in cash at the office of the insurance company and at the offices of partner companies (restrictions apply).
Obtaining a policy. The insurance form will be sent to the email address specified by the policyholder after the policy has been paid for and the registration process with the insurance company has been completed. You must print out the insurance policy yourself and submit it, along with the rest of the required documents, to the consular service to obtain a visa to France.

If in the coming year you plan to travel both to the Schengen countries and other foreign countries, then it is advisable to purchase annual insurance with the “Whole World” coverage region. This will allow you to use one insurance policy to travel to any country in the world.

Which insurance company is suitable for submitting documents to the French Consulate?

French consulates and visa centers accept insurance policies from the following companies:

Alpha insurance

VTB Insurance

Ingosstrakh

Help - insurance company

Renaissance insurance

Rosgosstrakh

Russian standard

Agreement

Liberty

Mondial Assistance Group

What does an electronic insurance policy look like?

Print out the completed policy and include it in your visa package

There are two ways to purchase a medical insurance policy that meets the requirements for obtaining a visa to France:

In person at the office of the insurance company;
Completely independently on the Internet using an online service.

An insurance policy purchased online and then printed is an official document and is accepted by all visa centers located on the territory of the Russian Federation.

47 07/27/2019 5 min.

Medical insurance for traveling abroad is necessary, as thanks to it it will be possible to reduce the cost of treatment in the event of a sudden illness or injury. For a trip to European countries When applying for a visa, an insurance policy is required.

What is it for?

In 2009, the European Council and Parliament approved a mandatory condition for tourists to visit countries included in the Schengen area. This provision has been in effect since April 2010.

The requirement for those entering the territory of the European Union within the scope of the Schengen Agreement is to have health insurance:

for the entire duration of stay;
valid for the provision of all types of medical services (in outpatient, hospital settings, in case of death);
the minimum amount per tourist is 30,000 euros.

This condition is explained by the high cost medical care. In order to avoid wasting taxpayers' funds, a requirement has been put forward to insure risks against accidents and illness.

Watch the video on how to get insurance:

All citizens of countries where it is necessary to apply for a Schengen visa are required to purchase health insurance, regardless of the purpose of the trip and the method of travel:

organized tourists;
traveling independently, including by car;
relatives living in the EU;
businessmen.

The validity period of such a policy does not exceed 60 days.

Its coverage includes:

provision of emergency medical care in case of injury or illness;
treatment of injury, illness, including in the first 3 months of pregnancy;
expenses associated with death.

The insured amount takes into account the following specific expenses:

for medications prescribed by a doctor;
treatment during hospitalization;
ambulance arrival;
payment for travel home due to delay due to illness.

Expenses associated with the death of a traveler, reimbursed by medical insurance:

funeral services in the Schengen countries;
return of the body to its homeland;
issuing a death certificate.

Those with chronic diseases, such as asthma, diabetes, must conclude an additional insurance agreement.

Medical assistance with standard insurance will not be provided in the event of an asthma attack or the onset of a precomatose state.

Those traveling on holiday to Schengen countries are required to indicate their intention to engage in active recreation or take part in sporting events.

In this case, additional insurance is required to provide medical care in case of injury (when skiing, mountaineering, scuba diving).

The video shows information about insurance in action:

Compensation for treatment costs abroad with medical insurance is made in two ways:

The traveler receives a refund upon returning home. Confirming payment documents are presented to the insurance company.
The insurance company has an agreement with insurance companies of the host country (assistants), whose telephone numbers are indicated in the policy.

If necessary, the tourist seeks help at the indicated addresses and telephone numbers.

When applying for a visa, consular departments impose the following requirements for the insurance document:
validity period – duration of stay and an additional 15 days;
insurance amount of at least 30,000 euros per person;
indication of the country of residence;
personal data of the policy owner (full name, place of residence, year of birth);
franchise up to 100 euros.

The document must be in 2 copies: an original and a copy.

Travel insurance may have limitations due to the peculiarities of the activities of tour operators. The quality of the medical services provided depends on which assistance company the tour operator cooperates with, for example, EuropAssistance, Coris.

Citizens planning to travel on a voucher receive health insurance in a package with general insurance. A travel company is responsible for issuing a policy for a tourist.

Those who plan to travel independently will have to contact their insurance company.

Insurance products offered by insurance companies differ in cost and range of services.

The basic package may additionally include:

emergency dental care;
transporting children home in case of parental illness;
delivery of a sick person home by plane.

In addition to one-time insurance for traveling abroad, insurance companies offer this opportunity in an additional medical insurance agreement. An individual agreement can provide a list of clinics and doctors who can be contacted in the host country in case of illness or injury.

Documents for registration

When applying for health insurance from an insurance company, an oral or written application is required.

The insurer has the right to demand from the policyholder (insured person) documents to assess insurance risks, the list of which includes:

completed health questionnaires issued by the UK;
data on medical examination, treatment;
financial information;
personal;
statements about playing sports, types of active recreation.

The policyholder is obliged to provide reliable information about the state of his health in the questionnaires. Medical documents must be in the form of an original and a copy, have the seals of medical institutions, and the signatures of the attending physicians.

In case of inaccuracies or errors, the insurance company has the right to require additional examination of the policyholder (insured person).

The video shows what documents need to be prepared:

Financial documents include data on place of work, salary level, presence of credit obligations, debts:

extract from the work book (copies of the registration certificate of an individual entrepreneur, legal entity, contract, pension certificate);
certificate from the employer about the position and salary;
about being on maternity leave;
about military service;
extract from the register legal entities, IP;
rental agreement, payment certificates confirming the absence of debt;
decision on the allocation of a loan, arrears in contributions;
certificate of income for the tax authorities.

Documents must have certified signatures and seals.

The list of personal data includes:

Schengen visa to Switzerland for persons visiting relatives or friends and staying in their house or apartment.

Attention! A complete set of documents is submitted for each applicant (including children).

Required documents for a visitor visa to Switzerland for up to 90 days (within six months):

One fully completed “Schengen Visa Application” form (in German, French, Italian or English) with the personal signature of the applicant
A foreign passport valid for at least three months from the date of departure from the Schengen area and having at least two blank pages
Copy of foreign passport (copy of pages with photo, full name and signature)
If available, copies of the last two Schengen visas
, valid for the entire period of stay in the entire Schengen area (copy only). The sum insured must be at least 30,000 euros.
Confirmation of employment (certificate from employer) and income (certificate of salary or income); for students: student ID (original and copy)

Original invitation with the following information:

Name, surname, address and contact telephone number (if available - email address) of the inviting person;
First name, last name, date of birth, gender, citizenship and passport number of the invited person;
Length of stay in Switzerland and number of entries;
The nature of the relationship with the invited person. The letter must be signed by the inviting person and sent to the applicant by mail. In the case of an invitation from a married couple, the signatures of both spouses are required.
A copy of the inviting person's Swiss passport (page spread with signature and photograph) or residence permit type B or C

In case of relationship: copy of supporting document (e.g. birth certificate, marriage certificate, familien ausweis (only in Switzerland))

Confirmation of solvency:

Family members of citizens of the European Union/European Free Trade Association (spouses, children under 21 years of age and ascendants) are exempt from proof of solvency.

Option one: the applicant provides either a bank account statement for the last three months documenting the movement of funds, or a certificate from the bank about the account balance, or traveler's checks - original and copies. Each applicant must have at least CHF 100 available. fr. (or an equivalent amount in another currency) for each day of stay in the Schengen area. For children and students the amount must be at least CHF 30. fr. for each requested day. If free housing is available (rooms in the house/apartment of relatives or friends), a smaller amount may be provided. If the applicant confirms his solvency, his documents are processed for at least three working days after submitting the request (not including the day of submission) and paying the visa fee.

Option two: if the applicant does not confirm his solvency or confirms it partially, then after submitting a request and checking the documents at the visa department, he receives a “Declaration of Guarantee”. The applicant sends this document to Switzerland to the inviting party, which in turn fills it out and submits it for consideration to the migration service of the corresponding canton. If the applicant is issued a Declaration of Guarantee, the visa procedure takes longer (several weeks). For this reason, it is recommended to submit your visa request in advance. Please note that the Visa Office reserves the right to issue a Declaration of Guarantee to any applicant.

For children under 18 years old - In addition to the list:

If a child travels unaccompanied by both parents, it is necessary to provide parental consent for his/her travel abroad (original and copy translated into German, French, Italian or English language and notarized).

For children included in their parents' passport:

A separate, fully completed form “Application for a Schengen visa”, signed by the parent in whose passport the child is included
2 identical recent Schengen color photographs; stick one on the form, attach the second additionally
A copy of the foreign passport of the parent (copy of pages with photo, full name and signature) with whom the child is traveling and in whose passport he is entered
A copy of the page of the parent’s passport where the child is registered
Birth certificate (original and copy, translated into German, French, Italian or English and notarized)
Health insurance policy valid for the entire period of stay in the entire Schengen area (copy only). The sum insured must be at least 30,000 euros.

Documents for a visitor visa are submitted either in person, or through a travel agency accredited at the Swiss Embassy/Swiss Consulate General, or through close relatives (spouse, mother, father, daughter, son). In the latter case, it is necessary to present a document proving the relationship (a copy of the birth certificate or marriage certificate; notarization and translation are not required), as well as an identity document.

The Swiss Embassy/Swiss Consulate General reserves the right.

In any market, the winner is the one who is able to respond faster to customer needs, developing and offering them the required product in a timely manner. This fact could not be ignored by the automotive industry, which resulted in the emergence of automobile platforms. What is a car platform, and whether it is worth the attention of car enthusiasts, you can find out in just a few minutes.

What do cars on the same platform have in common? How much does it cost to develop a new platform? Model range based on one platform within an alliance. Cars of the same class on a single platform. Different classes on the same platform. Badge engineering (twin brothers). Joint platforms of auto giants. Modular approach to design (mqb and cmf).

What do cars on the same platform have in common?

The concept of “auto platform” implies a set of design and production solutions, supplemented by structural elements, which are used to create several models of vehicles of one or more brands at once.

The main components of the platform are the underbody (the basis for most automotive components), the wheelbase (the distance between the front and rear axles), the steering with power steering, the front and rear suspensions and their corresponding engine and transmission.

Important! Considering that several dozen models can be built on one platform at once, there is simply no universal set of elements for the base, and each developer himself determines the list of necessary components of the automobile platform.

Often, when choosing a base, in addition to the indicated elements, the architecture of the suspension or even the frame of the seats in the cabin is also taken into account. In this case, the main thing that remains is to build up the upper part of the car body.

Cars built on the same platform may have different levels of “sameness.” The closest “relatives” are considered badge engineering products, when the same car is sold under different brands (for example, Renault Duster and Nissan Terrano), although in most cases there are options when the presented vehicles have differences, but have common dimensions ( for example, Chevrolet Cruze and Opel Astra).

Interesting! The production of different cars on the same platform was widely practiced back in Soviet times. It is worth remembering that only the Zhiguli family, starting from the VAZ-2101 and ending with the VAZ-2107, were developed on the same basis and could “share” many parts with each other.

How much does it cost to develop a new platform?

If you believe the information provided by the German Association of Automobile Manufacturers, then it costs about a billion euros to develop (from scratch) a modern vehicle.

In addition, according to the calculations of the same experts, taking into account production costs (meaning the cost of components, worker salaries, marketing, etc.), one statistically average vehicle will cost at least 30,000 euros.

It is clear that it will be possible to “recoup” the invested money only if it is possible to sell 200,000 copies annually for 10 years. Nevertheless, global automakers introduce new models to car markets every year for 5-15 thousand, and their sales rarely exceed 30-40 thousand units. What is the benefit here for the manufacturer?

The fact is that back in the 70s of the last century a way was found to reduce production costs. So, as a result of this, approximately once every 10 years, a template automobile platform began to be created, to which one of the standard sets of units was later added and different bodies were attached. As a result, it turns out that the base seems to be the same, but the cars coming off the assembly line are different.

In the initial stages of development of such a discovery, manufacturers were so carried away by the pursuit of greater savings that they began to equip cheap vehicles with expensive interiors, trying to sell them under the guise of a new and more prestigious model.

Of course, such “new products” were not in particular demand, so it was soon decided to unify only those components that would not in any way affect the corporate identity. Modern automakers also adhere to this concept, producing technically similar designs that differ from each other only in appearance. Moreover, due to the settings, the consumer qualities of such machines also differ.

The use of auto platforms can significantly reduce the cost of developing a new vehicle, although it is not very new (60-70% of the design has already been used previously on other models).

Model range based on one platform within the alliance

Having tested in practice the benefits of using automotive platforms, automotive industry leaders began to create entire alliances, within which both similar vehicles and completely different models are produced. In both cases, the connecting link of all new products is the base (platform), on the basis of which they are built.

Cars of the same class on a single platform

In order to determine what difference there really is between two vehicles built on the same platform, you can compare the Volvo S40 and Mazda 3. Both cars are built on the C1 platform, designed for Ford golf-class vehicles ( in total, about 1.5 million cars were created worldwide on this basis).

Naturally, the “appearance” of these cars is completely different, although the contours still have similar features, which, in principle, can be said about other modern cars.

As for the interior (interior), the finishing materials used to create the Volvo are much richer than those of the Ford. In addition, the seats are also more comfortable. The only unified part in the cabin is the lever for adjusting the steering wheel position. The air conditioning, heating, ventilation and passive safety systems also have the same design.

The shape of the bottoms does not differ in features either. The brake systems have a very similar structure, and the engine subframe, exhaust pipes and suspension are slightly different, although in general terms they are also identical. The lower control arms of the Volvo and Mazda rear suspension have differences, expressed in the greater thickness of the anti-roll bar on the Volvo and its larger shock absorber struts.

The Volvo is equipped with a plastic fuel tank, while the Mazda has a metal part.

As for driving performance, they are completely different. The Volvo is not as harsh and handles more smoothly, although its dynamic performance is slightly superior to that of the Mazda, whose steering is much sharper. In addition, the large 17-inch wheels of this model guarantee good traction.

The basic service procedures are also similar, in particular in price. A fairly large number of consumable spare parts (such as spark plugs or filters) are interchangeable and have the same dimensions. Typically, Volvo spare parts are 15-20% more expensive, although they are made of higher quality materials.

And the last point that you should pay attention to when choosing between these two models is the price. Volvo is much more expensive than Mazda and for a model with a 2.0 engine they ask for about 32-35 thousand dollars, while a Mazda with a 1.8 engine sells for 25-27 thousand dollars.

Different classes on one platform

Understanding existing car platforms is sometimes quite difficult, because this is not a standard design and is applicable to absolutely all vehicles. The situation is seriously confused by the fact that sometimes cars built on the same platform fall into completely different classes, which is due to their technical characteristics and consumer qualities.

For example, the Ford Focus family sedan has the same platform as the Land Rover Freelander 2 SUV, and the Toyota Avensis, Lexus ES, Corolla Celica, Vista, Caldina, Rav4 operate on the Toyota MC platform (the first car appeared in 1997). The latest car platform can be called the most “prestigious”, since it is on its basis that quite large and equipped models are assembled, which the Toyota concern mainly sells in America and Europe.

Badge engineering (twin brothers)

Confusion often arises because markets different countries the same cars are sold under different “names”. For example, Renault, which is popular in our country, is known as Samsung in Korea, and is sold in Europe with the Dacia badge.

You don’t need to conduct a spectral analysis to see the similarities between the Renault Duster and Nissan Terrano crossovers, the differences of which appear only in the shape of the bumper, tail lights and headlight units, front grille trim, and wheel design.

Interesting fact! The pioneers in the development of badge engineering in the Russian market were Datsun and the Nissan Terrano crossover, which are gaining increasing popularity among buyers.

Joint platforms of auto giants

A modern vehicle manufacturer in the mid-price segment can no longer simply come up with and release a new car model, since it has to develop an entire model range at once, or, even better, merge with another automaker. If this is not done, then, most likely, he will have to endure serious production costs, since bringing the car to the modern level of assembly and safety on his own is far from the cheapest task. As a result, the automaker will not be able to offer a competitive price, which will lead to a complete failure of sales.

Few people will buy a vehicle just because it is different from the others. Therefore, if you can’t fight your competitors, it’s better to merge with them or buy their company. A striking example in this regard is the activities of the Ford concern. So, back in the late 80s, he acquired the promising Mazda company, and in the late 90s Volvo and Land Rover. As a result, the consumer saw cars built on the same platform, and although they differ in appearance, technically their design is almost identical.

Note! Even the sale of Volvo to the Chinese company Geele did not prevent further cooperation between the mentioned auto giants - some of the patents on the technologies used by Volvo belong to the Ford concern and vice versa.

The American giant General Motors, which owns about a dozen global brands, behaves similarly in the market. For example, the products of Daewoo and Chevrolet are identical, and in some cases the same models can be found in the US markets, only they will be called differently there (for example, Buick Regal is a copy of the European Opel Insignia).

Any major automaker strives to reduce the number of platforms on which its model range is built. Moreover, more and more often, concerns are beginning to “make friends across platforms,” creating cars of different brands with the same component bases (in most cases, this happens within a single corporation).

The most striking example is the Renault-Nissan-AVTOVAZ alliance, because if you look at the top 10 Russian sales, then 4 places are occupied by completely different cars built on the same B0 platform. These are the Renault Duster, the midsize Nissan Almera sedan, the compact Renault Logan and the Lada Largus station wagon. All of these machines are quite affordable, which is largely due to their technical similarities.

Did you know? In 2012, the Volkswagen concern introduced the world to the new MQB platform, which is considered the most versatile in our time.

Modular design approach (mqb and cmf)

It's no secret that the Volkswagen Group is one of the richest auto companies in the world, under which there are such well-known concerns as Bentley, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Ducati, Audi and Porsche. All of them are engaged in the production of premium cars and supercars, and against their background such high-profile manufacturers as Seat, Skoda and MAN are simply lost, although their turnover is no less impressive.

One of the many platforms of the Volkswagen Group is the MQB platform, which literally stands for “modular transverse matrix”. In the process of creating this automotive base, the developers confidently declared that it would be a real breakthrough in mechanical engineering, in which they turned out to be absolutely right. A fairly impressive number of models have been created on the MQB platform, the most famous of which are the Touareg and Porsche Cayenne, which, by the way, are direct competitors.

In addition to the already mentioned models, modular MQB platforms underlie the Audi A3, Seat Leon and Volkswagen Golf 7. However, the potential of the base has not yet been exhausted, so in the near future we can expect the following generations of cars on this platform.

The Renault-Nissan alliance also has its own concept for building passenger cars, which it calls the Common Module Family (CMF). It could also well be described as a platform, but in this case, Renault-Nissan especially emphasizes that it is more than a conventional platform. So, despite the general similarity with the developments of competitors, the CMF platform is an entire engineering architecture that can give rise to several related platforms for different segments.

The main components of the Common Module Family are the so-called large modules, that is, the engine compartment, the front part of the underbody (including chassis elements), the front cockpit, the rear part of the underbody (together with the suspension) and electrical/electronic units.

Interesting fact! In January this year, Renault-Nissan increased its medium-term savings targets to 4.3 billion euros.