Car "platforms" - how much is actually shared?

AdrianC

robatwork wrote: »

Anyone know what is (or what is not) shared on the Aygo / C1 / 108?

Everything, bar a little bit of styling and a few ticks on the spec sheet. They're all built on the same line in the same Czech factory.

anotherbaldrick

stator wrote: »

I pressume you're only talking about the frame.

Lots of other bits are shared too.
All of the mechanical stuff, engines, transmissions, pumps will all be shared across multiple cars.

The platform is what you see in the illustration, the rest of the gear depends on the car and particular model and variant, The Golf alone has ten engine options and that is not including the spin offs like Golf plus, performance Golfs etc.

DominicH

IIRC, the point of MQB was that is was more like a platform of platforms. It's more flexible in terms of dimensions than your traditional platform. There are still some places where measurements are fixed, but a lot less than before, so it can be used for a wider range of vehicles.

anotherbaldrick

My first experience of the MQB platform is that it works as a standard spine but that other components do not all just slot in but rather are accomodated. The engine mounts for instance are not just flexible packing at the point where the engine bolts down but are more connectors to join the the engine and frame locations together. I wonder if this is why some cars have had to have vibration problems sorted by fitting revised mounts.

stator

anotherbaldrick wrote: »

The platform is what you see in the illustration, the rest of the gear depends on the car and particular model and variant, The Golf alone has ten engine options and that is not including the spin offs like Golf plus, performance Golfs etc.

But all those engines are used on lots of different cars too, golf engines can usually be found in about 10 different cars, from VW polos, auidis, skodas and seats.

owen_money

WellKnownSid wrote: »

Switchgear is commonly re-used. Can make lesser brands in the group more upmarket compared to their rivals, or work the other way - especially if there's a random assortment from the parts bin.

I seem to recall a magazine pointing out that a particular Aston Martin had the electric mirror switch from a Ka.

I used to work at company (late 80's) that made interior car switches and we used to modify the Transit heater fan switch for Ferrari cars at about 5 per year. Transit switch 50p, Ferrari switch £500, well it was hand built...................

anotherbaldrick

stator wrote: »

But all those engines are used on lots of different cars too, golf engines can usually be found in about 10 different cars, from VW polos, auidis, skodas and seats.

TOP GEAR QUOTE>
The sheer diversity of those vehicles is the reason the VW Group engineers get shirty when you use the word ‘platform’. The biggest MQB vehicle will be a crossover the size of a Land Rover Discovery with three rows of seats. The smallest will be superminis. Engines will go from 3cyls to a twin-turbo VR6, and there will be 4WD via propshaft and via electric rear drive. It’s future-proofed against a bewildering array of alternative powertrains – I’ve driven a plug-in hybrid diesel Jetta, a plug-in hybrid petrol Audi A3, a gas-powered A3 and a pure-electric VW Golf prototype. The scope of it all makes your head spin.

lincroft1710

Back in the 1950s/60s, the same sidelight/indicator unit was used by the Austin A40 Farina, A60 Cambridge, A99 Westminster, MGA 1600, MG 1100/1300, Morris Oxford Mk VI, Minor 1000 (1963 onwards), Riley 1.5 Mk 3, Wolseley 1500 Mk 3, 6/99, 6/110.

The BMC 1800 "Landcrab" shared its doors with the Austin Maxi and 3 Litre.

IamNotAllowedToUseMyName

lincroft1710 wrote: »

The BMC 1800 "Landcrab" shared its doors with the Austin Maxi and 3 Litre.

Famously, the design criteria of the Maxi was that it had to have the doors from the 1800.

It always tickled me that the door handles on the Range Rovers were the same as on the Morris Marina. I believe the reliability specification was the same too!

patman99

My info came from 'Top Gear' magazine who ran an article on just this subject.

Actually, thinking about it, when you look at the small bits a huge number of manufacturers share the same components.

For instance, how many car makers use the Bosch self-contained PAS unit (you know, the one that if not given enough air cooling space, over-heats and temporarily stops working) ?.

What about the starter motor ?. 90% of manufacturers use Bosch units. Bosch units may sit in 500+ models of car, but they won't have designed 500+ different units.

Same with the temperature switches that activate the cooling fan. The same part is used by Ford and BMW (both of whom had a recall over this part).