Types and description of car platforms

The automotive market is constantly changing. Manufacturers need to keep up with current trends: develop new models, produce a lot and quickly. Against this backdrop, automotive platforms have emerged. Many drivers have no idea that the same platform can be used for completely different brands.

What is car platform

Basically, a platform is a base or foundation on which dozens of other cars can be produced. And it doesn't have to be one brand. For example, such models as Mazda 1, Volvo c3, Ford Focus and others are produced on the Ford C30 platform. It is impossible to determine exactly what the future auto platform will be like. Individual structural elements are determined by the manufacturer himself, but the base is still there.

It allows you to unify production, which significantly saves money and time for the development of new models. You might think that cars on the same platform are not at all different from each other, but this is not so. They may differ in external design, interior trim, shape of seats, steering wheel, quality of components, but the basic base will be identical or almost identical.

This common base usually includes the following elements:

• bottom base (bearing part);
• chassis (steering, suspension, braking system);
• wheelbase (distance between axles);
• the layout of the transmission, engine and other main elements.

A bit of history

The unification of automotive production did not take place at the present stage, as it might seem. At the beginning of its development, a frame with an installed engine, suspension and other elements was considered an automobile platform. On these universal "bogies", bodies of different shapes were installed. Separate ateliers were engaged in the production of bodies. A rich client could order his own unique version.

In the late 30s, large automakers pushed small body shops out of the market, so the peak of design diversity began to decline. In the post-war years, they disappeared altogether. Only a few survived the competition, among them Pininfarina, Zagato, Karmann, Bertone. Unique bodies in the 50s were already produced for a lot of money on special orders.

In the 60s, major automakers began to gradually switch to monocoque bodies. Developing something unique just got harder.

Now there are a huge number of brands, but not many people know that they are all produced by only a few large concerns. Their task is to reduce the cost of production as much as possible without losing quality. Only large auto corporations can develop a new body with the right aerodynamics and unique design. For example, the largest concern Volkswagen Group owns the brands Audi, Skoda, Bugatti, Seat, Bentley and several others. It is not surprising that many components from different brands fit together.

During the Soviet era, cars were also produced on the same platform. This is the well-known Zhiguli. The base was one, so the details later fit different models.

Modern car platforms

Since one base can be the basis for a large number of vehicles, the set of structural elements varies. Manufacturers pre-lay the potential potential in the developed platform. Several types of engines, spars, motor panels, floor shapes are selected. Various bodies, engines, transmissions are then installed on this "cart", not to mention the electronic filling and the interior.

The motors for soplatform cars can be either different or exactly the same. For example, Mazda 1 and Ford Focus are built on the well-known Ford C3 platform. They have completely different engines. But the Nissan Almera and Renault Logan have the same engines.

Often soplatform cars have the same suspension. The chassis is unified, as are the steering and braking systems. Different models may have different settings for these systems. A stiffer suspension is achieved through the selection of springs, shock absorbers and stabilizers.

Types of platforms

In the process of development, several types appeared:

• regular platform;
• badge engineering;
• modular platform.

Conventional platforms

Conventional car platforms have evolved with the development of the automotive industry. For example, 35 cars were built on the platform from the Volkswagen PQ19, including the Volkswagen Jetta, Audi Q3, Volkswagen Touran and others. Hard to believe, but true.

Also take the domestic platform Lada C. Many cars were built on it, including the Lada Priora, Lada Vesta and others. Now this production has already been abandoned, since these models are outdated and could not withstand competition.

Badge Engineering

In the 70s, badge engineering appeared on the automotive market. In essence, this is the creation of a clone of one car, but under a different brand. Often the differences are only in a few details and the logo. There are especially many such examples in the modern automotive industry. The closest to us can be called the badge cars Lada Largus and Dacia Logan MCV. Outwardly, they differ only in the shape of the radiator grille and the bumper.

You can also name the autoclones Subaru BRZ and Toyota GT86. These are really brothers cars that do not differ at all in appearance, only in the logo.

Modular platform

The modular platform has become a further development of auto platforms. This approach allows you to create cars of different classes and configurations based on unified modules. This significantly reduces the cost and time for development and production. Now this is a new trend in the automotive market. Modular platforms have already been developed and are used by all the world's leading car manufacturers.

The first modular platform Modular Transverse Matrix (MQB) was developed by Volkswagen. It will produce more than 40 models of cars of different brands (Seat, Audi, Skoda, Volkswagen). The development made it possible to significantly reduce weight and fuel consumption, and new prospects opened up.

The modular platform consists of the following nodes:

• engine;
• transmission;
• steering;
• suspension;
• electrical equipment.

On the basis of such a platform, cars of different dimensions and characteristics, with different power plants, including electric motors, can be created.

For example, on the basis of MQB, the distance and dimensions of the wheelbase, body, hood can change, but the distance from the front wheel axis to the pedal assembly remains unchanged. Motors vary but share common mounting points. It is the same with other modules.

On the MQB, only longitudinal motor position is applicable, so there is a fixed distance to the pedal assembly. Also, only front-wheel drive cars are produced on this base. For the other layout, Volkswagen has MSB and MLB bases.

Although the modular platform reduces costs and production time, there are drawbacks that also apply to the entire platform production:

• since various cars will be built on the same base, a large margin of safety is initially laid in it, which is sometimes not necessary;
• after the start of the build, changes cannot be made;
• cars lose their individuality;
• if a marriage is found, then the entire released batch will have to be withdrawn, as has already happened.

Despite this, it is in the modular platform that all manufacturers see the future of the global automotive industry.

You might think that with the advent of platforms, cars have lost their identity. But for the most part, this applies only to front-wheel drive cars. It has not yet been possible to unify the cars with the rear. There are only a few similar models. The platforms allow manufacturers to save money and time, and the buyer can save on spare parts from "related" cars.