From the co-operation just agreed upon between Volkswagen and Ferrari a lot more could easily follow - a participation of the Wolfsburg company in the Italian sports car manufacturer, who also owns Maserati .

At present Ferrari is a subsidiary of the beleagured Fiat company. Should the latter plunge further into crisis and need fresh capital then the Wolfsburgers - for an appropriate price - would be ready for a takeover of Ferrari.

Already firmly agreed between Volkswagen boss Bernd Pischetsrieder and Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo is that Volkswagen components of its jeep platform Touareg will be supplied to Maserati for use in its own off-roader. Volkswagen company Audi will also support Maserati with technology and know-how in the use of aluminum. In return Volkswagen wants Maserati wants to supply the platform of the Quattroporte on which to possibly base a successor for the Phaeton .

From this co-operation both enterprises can profit. And should Ferrari once be for sale, then there's hardly a way past Volkswagen.