I reported on Motor Trend Radio this weekend that Volkswagen has the lofty ambition of putting together an arsenal of vehicles that will place it in the position to be a formidable competitor to Toyota. If that’s the case they better start cracking. Their ultimate goal is to triple sales in the U.S. over the next ten years.

VW has believed in partnerships in the past. The German automaker has previously teamed up with Porsche to develop the Touareg SUV, which shares a platform with the Porsche Cayenne.

VW Touareg

Porche Cayenne

Based on these dynamics, it appears, according to the Detroit News, the VW will partner with Chrysler to release a minivan in the American marketplace next fall as a 2009 model. But unlike Chrysler’s past strategy of using co-op underpinnings in a wide array of products that look the same with a different name, this mini will have true VW style both inside and out.

VW minivan Spy Shot

VW microbus concept Detroit 2005

Though the mini van market has been shrinking, with Ford and GM bowing out, Chrysler has seen some bright spots in the numbers coming in for sales of the Town and Country and Grand Caravan.

Will the 21^st century version of the VW bus be taking passengers again? If the style overcomes the perceived drudgery of a Chrysler chassis maybe VW will have an interesting new niche in the American market.