Volkswagen Group A platform

The Volkswagen Group A platform is an automobile platform shared among compact and mid-size cars of the Volkswagen Group.

It was originally based on the engineering concept of the Volkswagen Golf Mk1, and is applicable to either front- or four-wheel drive vehicles, using only front-mounted transverse engines.

Volkswagens based on this platform have been referred to by generation number, ie. the first Golf version would be referred to as an "A1 Golf". Often "Mk*" ("Mark") is substituted for "A*", but this can be misleading: For example, the Mk1 and Mk2 Sciroccos are both based on the A1 platform.

Under Volkswagen's revised platform naming system, the "A4" platform is now known as the PQ34 platform, and what would have been called the A5 platform is officially the PQ35 platform. The new nomenclature is derived as follows:

• P indicates a passenger car platform
• Q (quer) indicates a transverse engine
• 3 indicates the platform size or class
• 5 indicates the evolution or generation

A1

A1 platform cars (Typ numbers in brackets):

• VW Golf Mk1/Rabbit Mk1 (17)
• Cabriolet (17)
• VW Jetta Mk1 (17)
• Volkswagen Caddy (pickup truck) (14)
• VW Scirocco I (53)
• VW Scirocco II (53B)

A2

A2 platform cars (Typ numbers in brackets):

• Volkswagen Corrado (53I) (hybrid platform with B3)
• VW Golf Mk2 (19E)
• VW Jetta II (19E)
• SEAT Toledo Mk1 (1L)
• Chery A11 and A15
• Vortex Corda

A3

A3 platform cars (Typ numbers in brackets):

• VW Golf Mk3/Cabrio (1H/1E)
• VW Jetta/Vento III (1H)

The smaller A03 platform, used in the VW Polo (6N) and SEAT Ibiza (6K) is based on the A3 platform as well, and shares many components.

A4 (PQ34)

A4 platform cars (Typ numbers in brackets):

• Audi A3 Mk1 (8L)
• Audi TT Mk1 (8N)
• VW Golf Mk4/VW R32 (1J)
• VW Bora/Jetta IV (1J)
• Shanghai-VW Lavida
• VW New Beetle (1C/1Y/9C)
• SEAT León Mk1 (1M)
• SEAT Toledo Mk2 (1M)
• Škoda Octavia Mk1 (1U)

A5 (PQ35)

The PQ35 platform is designed to be more modular and flexible than previous A platforms. For the first time, a fully independent suspension front and rear will be present in all A platform vehicles. There is also a derivative version of this platform for 'B'-class cars (with larger variations expected in the future) called PQ46.

PQ35 is intended for compact-size vehicles, and PQ46 is an enlarged version for mid-size vehicles, such as the Volkswagen Passat. A common misconception is that the PQ46 generation of the Passat is based on the "B6" (PL46) platform. However, this transverse engined Passat has little in common with the longitudinal engined "B6" Audi A4.

Current and expected PQ35 platform cars (Typ numbers in brackets):

• Audi A3 Mk2 (8P)
• Audi TT Mk2 (8J)
• Volkswagen Touran (1T)
• Volkswagen Caddy (2K)
• SEAT Altea (5P)
• Volkswagen Golf Mk5 / GTI / R32 / Rabbit Mk5 (1K)
• Škoda Octavia Mk2 (1Z)
• Volkswagen Golf Plus (5M)
• SEAT Toledo Mk3 (5P)
• Volkswagen Jetta Mk5 (1K)
• SEAT León Mk2 (1P)
• Volkswagen Eos (1F)
• Volkswagen Tiguan (5N)
• Volkswagen Scirocco (13)
• Volkswagen Golf Mk6 (5K)
• Škoda Yeti (5L)
• Škoda Superb (3T)
• Audi Q3
• Volkswagen Jetta Mk6 (NCS)
• Volkswagen Beetle (2011-)

Current PQ46 platform cars (Typ numbers in brackets):

• Volkswagen Passat (3C)
• Volkswagen Passat CC (35)

See also

• Driver Steering Recommendation

References

• "Im Fokus: Volkswagen" (in (German)) (PDF). Automobil-Produktion. March 2006. http://www.automobil-produktion.de/imperia/md/content/ap/heftausgaben/ap2006/ap03-2006/14_15_ap.pdf. Retrieved 1 October 2009. 
• Fulthorpe, Mark (April 2002). "Europe's slight rise & anticipated decline - Auto by the Numbers - car sales, production in Western Europe - Illustration - Statistical Data Included". CBS Interactive Business UK. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0KJI/is_4_114/ai_85009249/pg_2/. Retrieved 1 October 2009. 

External links

• Volkswagen Group corporate website