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The German automotive business, Volkswagen Group has, since the 1970s, developed a series of shared automobile platforms for their motor vehicles.[1][2]

Originally, these were identified using a simple alphanumeric system. The first letter prefix indicates the car classification or physical size (A, B, C or D - for 'traditional' cars); followed by a number to enumerate different generations of the same class. However, more recent platforms have formally departed from this convention, although the older alphanumeric codes continue to be used informally.

These platforms may be used by one or more marques of the Group.

Platform codes[]

Original system[]

Volkswagen Group alphanumeric platforms
platform name used for notable examples comments
A00 city cars Volkswagen Lupo, SEAT Arosa This platform never developed any subsequent evolutions or generations.
A0 series supermini cars Audi 50, Volkswagen Polo, SEAT Ibiza, SEAT Córdoba, Škoda Fabia As of 2010, now in its fifth generation.
A series[2] small family cars
/ compact cars
Audi A3, Audi TT, VW Golf, VW Jetta, VW Eos, VW Tiguan, VW Touran, VW Scirocco, SEAT León, SEAT Toledo, SEAT Altea, Škoda Octavia The most prolific platform, currently in its sixth generation.
B series[2] mid-size cars Audi 80, Audi 90, Audi A4, Volkswagen Passat, SEAT Exeo, Škoda Superb Another prolific platform, now informally in its eighth generation.
C series[2] extended mid-size executive cars Audi 100/200, Audi A6, Audi A6 allroad quattro Six generations to date.
D series full-size luxury cars Audi V8, Audi A8, Bentley Continental GT, Volkswagen Phaeton five variants from four generations. Confusingly, the D series includes models using both conventional steel monocoque construction, or the very different aluminium Audi Space Frame construction.
T series vans Volkswagen Transporter range the early generations were retrospectively named, the T1 is the oldest "platform", based on the original Type 1 Volkswagen Beetle.

Note that some designations in common use are ambiguous; ie. in some cases the same platform designation is used for different models that do not share a common platform. An example would be the B6 designation - this is used to identify the 2001-2005 Audi A4 (and the related Audi S4), which uses a longitudinal engine and transmission placement with a pressed steel front subframe; however it is also used to identify the sixth-generation Volkswagen Passat, but this uses a transverse engine and transmission placement with a very different cast aluminium alloy front subframe.

Joint-venture platforms[]

Platforms developed by Volkswagen Group as joint ventures with other manufacturers have designations which do not conform to the above scheme. These include:

Volkswagen Group joint-venture platforms
platform name used for notable examples comments
B-VX62[2] multi purpose vehicles (MPVs) Volkswagen Sharan (7M), SEAT Alhambra (7M), Ford Galaxy Joint-venture with Ford Motor Company.
LT/T1N series light commercial vehicles Volkswagen LT range, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Second and third generations are a joint-venture with Daimler AG.

Current system[]

More recently, Volkswagen Group have introduced a new alphanumeric nomenclature for car platforms. The platform code is composed as follows:

  • A letter, P, indicating a passenger car platform
  • A letter indicating the configuration of the engine:
    • Q indicates a transverse engine (Quer in German)
    • L indicates a longitudinal engine (Längs in German)
  • A digit indicating the platform size or class
  • A digit indicating the generation or evolution

An additional + suffix indicates a long-wheelbase variant.

Volkswagen Group PL/PQ platforms
platform code used for notable examples
PL22/PQ22 (BX)[2] supermini cars Volkswagen Gol, Volkswagen Parati, Volkswagen Saveiro LB20
PQ23[2] supermini cars Volkswagen Polo (6N - Polo Classic), Volkswagen Caddy, SEAT Ibiza (6K), SEAT Córdoba (6K), SEAT Inca
PQ24[2] supermini cars Volkswagen Polo (9N), Volkswagen Gol MK5 - Third Gen.(2008–present, PQ24/25 hybrid)[3] SEAT Ibiza (6L), SEAT Córdoba (6L), Škoda Fabia (6Y), Škoda Fabia (5J), Škoda Roomster
PQ25[2] supermini cars Volkswagen Polo (6R), SEAT Ibiza (6J), Audi A1
PQ31[2] small family cars
/ compact cars
Volkswagen Citi, Volkswagen Caddy
PQ34[2] small family cars
/ compact cars
Audi A3 (8L), Volkswagen Golf Mk4 (1J), Volkswagen Bora/Jetta (1J), SEAT León (1M), SEAT Toledo (1M), Škoda Octavia (1U)
PQ35[2] small family cars
/ compact cars
Audi A3 (8P), Volkswagen Golf Mk5 (1K), Volkswagen Jetta Mk5 (1K), Volkswagen Golf Mk6 (5K), Volkswagen Eos, Volkswagen Scirocco Mk3, SEAT León (1P), SEAT Toledo (1P), SEAT Altea, Škoda Octavia (1Z), Škoda Yeti, Škoda Superb (3T)
PL45[2] mid-size cars Audi A4 (8D), Volkswagen Passat (3B), Volkswagen Passat GP Lingyu
PL45+[2] mid-size cars Volkswagen Passat Lingyu, Škoda Superb (3U)
PQ46[2] mid-size cars Volkswagen Passat (3C), Volkswagen Tiguan
PL46[2] mid-size cars Audi A4 (8E B6)
PL47[2] mid-size cars Audi A4 (8E B7), SEAT Exeo
MLB/MLP (PL48)[2] mid-size cars and larger Audi A4 (B8), Audi A5, Audi Q5, Audi A8 (D4)
PL62[2] full-size luxury cars Audi A8, Bentley Continental Flying Spur, Bentley Continental GT/GTC, Volkswagen Phaeton
PL64[2] full-size luxury cars Audi A8, Bentley Continental GT, Volkswagen Phaeton
PL71[2] sport utility vehicles (SUVs) Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne, Volkswagen Touareg

Modular component systems[]

In 2007, Volkswagen Group introduced a more flexible "modular component system" architecture on which to base future platforms. Four such component systems were planned:[4] However, models developed from these modular component systems may also be identified by PL/PQ platform designations.

  • MQB: Modularer Querbaukasten, or "modular transverse component system", for transverse engined, small to medium-sized cars.
  • MLB: Modularer Längsbaukasten, or "modular longitudinal component system" listed above, for medium-sized and larger longitudinal engined models.
  • MHB: Modularer Heckbaukasten, or "modular rear component system"), for rear-engined city cars. This platform was reportedly cancelled in 2008, and the projected MHB-based models will be based on a front-engined platform, New Small Family (NSF) instead.[5]

References[]

  1. "Europe's slight rise & anticipated decline - Auto by the Numbers - car sales, production in Western Europe - Illustration - Statistical Data Included", Automotive Design & Production, April 2002 by Mark Fulthorpe / Gardner Publications, Inc. / Gale Group, CBS Interactive Business UK. Retrieved on 17 December 2009. 
  2. 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 "Im Fokus: Volkswagen - Kernkompetenz: Sparen" (PDF) (in German). Automobil-Produktion.de. CSM Worldwide (March 2006). Retrieved on 17 December 2009.
  3. Novo Gol - Mudanças para continuar na liderança (Portuguese)
  4. "VW's (Volkswagen Group) four-platform future uncovered". Autocar. Haymarket Media Group (27 November 2007). Retrieved on 1 October 2009.
  5. "U-turn! VW's Up will be front-engined". Car Magazine. Bauer Media Limited (19 July 2008). Retrieved on 1 October 2009.
  • "Who we are". www.volkswagenautoeuropa.pt. Volkswagen Autoeuropa (2008). Retrieved on 7 July 2010.

External links[]

Smallwikipedialogo This page uses some content from Wikipedia. The original article was at List of Volkswagen Group platforms. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Tractor & Construction Plant Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons by Attribution License and/or GNU Free Documentation License. Please check page history for when the original article was copied to Wikia


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