Ford D3 platform

Ford D3 Platform
Ford D3 Platform
	Lincoln MKS, Former flagship model of Lincoln division
Overview
Manufacturer	Ford Motor Company
Production	Ford D3: 2005–present
Assembly	Ford: Chicago, Illinois (Chicago Assembly)
Body and chassis
Class	Mid-size car; Full-size car; Full-size luxury car
Layout	Front-wheel drive, all-wheel drive
Body style(s)	4-door Sedan; 5-door Station wagon; 5-door Full-size CUV; 5-door Mid-size SUV
Vehicles	See listing
Related	Ford D4 platform
Chronology
Predecessor	Ford Panther platform; Ford D186 platform

The Ford D3 platform is a Ford global full-size unibody automobile platform. It is derived from Volvo's P2 , designed by the automaker before its 1999 acquisition by Ford, and adaptable to front- or all wheel drive on a variety of wheelbases. Officially, the D3 serves as the replacement for the D186 platform; in terms of market position and interior volume, the D3 serves as the closest successor to the long-running vehicles of the Ford Panther platform.

Ford assembles all D3-platform vehicles at the Chicago Assembly plant in Chicago, Illinois, while Volvos are built at the company's Torslanda Works in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Overview

The Ford D3 platform differs slightly from the original configuration of the Volvo P2 architecture, primarily in its adoption of a common 112.9 inch wheelbase (a three-inch wheelbase stretch) for all variants. To reduce production costs, Ford Motor Company adopted steel suspension arms (in place of aluminum) and similar material cost-saving measures.

From 2005 to 2016, the Ford D3 platform has underpinned the Ford Five Hundred, Ford Taurus (fifth and sixth generations), Ford Taurus SHO, Ford Police Interceptor Sedan, Ford Freestyle (later Ford Taurus X), Mercury Montego, Mercury Sable, and Lincoln MKS.

D4

D4 is a revision of D3 unibody platform created to underpin crossover SUVs and adaptable to multiple wheelbases. It forms the basis of the Ford Flex and Lincoln MKT; in 2011, the Ford Explorer adopted the D4 architecture as it moved from a body-on-frame chassis.

Vehicles

Vehicle Name	Production	Bodystyle(s)	Model Code	Notes
D3 platform vehicles (Ford, Lincoln-Mercury)
Ford Five Hundred Ford Taurus	2005–2007 (Five Hundred) 2008-2009 (Taurus)	4-door sedan	D258	Five Hundred re-branded as Taurus in 2008.
Ford Taurus	2010–present	4-door sedan		Also branded as Ford Taurus SHO and Ford Police Interceptor Sedan.
Ford Freestyle Ford Taurus X	2005–2007 (Freestyle) 2008-2009 (Taurus X)	5-door crossover SUV	D219	Freestyle re-branded as Taurus X in 2008.
Mercury Montego Mercury Sable	2005–2007 2008-2009	4-door sedan	D333	Montego re-branded as Sable in 2008. 2008 Sable was the last new car design introduced by Mercury brand.
Lincoln MKS	2009–2016	4-door sedan	D385	Replaced by 2017 Lincoln Continental Only Lincoln version of D3 sedan platform.
D4-platform vehicles (Ford, Lincoln)
Ford Flex	2009–present	5-door crossover SUV	D471	Replaced Ford Taurus X.
Lincoln MKT	2010–present	5-door crossover SUV	D472	Livery version branded as MKT Town Car.
Ford Explorer	2011–present	5-door crossover SUV	U502	First version of the Explorer built with unibody construction. Also branded as Ford Police Interceptor Utility.