Volkswagen Group MQB platform
Encyclopedia
The Volkswagen Group MQB platform is one of a range of automobile platform
s of the Volkswagen Group
. MQB stands for the German Modularer Querbaukasten, which can be loosely translated as "Modular Transverse Matrix". This component matrix is intended to allow Volkswagen Group to design a wide variety of transverse
, front-engined, front-wheel drive
models using the same set of components.
Cars based on MQB are expected to range from supermini
s to large family car
s, replacing the current generations of models. MQB will hence supersede the current PQ25, PQ35 and PQ46 platforms. The first model to be based on the MQB will be the 2011 Volkswagen up!
.
All Volkswagen Group MQB platform cars will share the same engine, front axle and pedal box positioning, but the platform will be flexible enough to allow individual models to have a variety of wheelbase
, track and external dimensions.
Automobile platform
An automobile platform is a shared set of common design, engineering, and production efforts, as well as major components over a number of outwardly distinct models and even types of automobiles, often from different, but related marques...
s of the Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen Group is a German multinational automobile manufacturing group. , Volkswagen was ranked as the world’s third largest motor vehicle manufacturer and Europe's largest....
. MQB stands for the German Modularer Querbaukasten, which can be loosely translated as "Modular Transverse Matrix". This component matrix is intended to allow Volkswagen Group to design a wide variety of transverse
Transverse engine
A transverse engine is an engine mounted in a vehicle so that the engine's crankshaft axis is perpendicular to the long axis of the vehicle. Many modern front wheel drive vehicles use this engine mounting configuration...
, front-engined, front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive is a form of engine/transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitudinal engine arrangement generally found in rear-wheel drive and...
models using the same set of components.
Cars based on MQB are expected to range from supermini
Supermini
A superminicomputer, or supermini, is “a minicomputer with high performance compared to ordinary minicomputers.” The term was an invention used from the mid-1970s mainly to distinguish the emerging 32-bit minis from the classical 16-bit minicomputers...
s to large family car
Large family car
A large family car, also known as a D-segment car, is a European automobile classification which is larger than a small family car and smaller than an executive car. Multi-purpose vehicles based on a large family car design are often called large MPVs, while similarly-priced models from luxury car...
s, replacing the current generations of models. MQB will hence supersede the current PQ25, PQ35 and PQ46 platforms. The first model to be based on the MQB will be the 2011 Volkswagen up!
Volkswagen up!
The Volkswagen up! is an upcoming series of city cars, part of the Volkswagen Group New Small Family series of models, unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show . Production of the up! will start on 3 December 2011 in Germany, and elsewhere, in 2012....
.
All Volkswagen Group MQB platform cars will share the same engine, front axle and pedal box positioning, but the platform will be flexible enough to allow individual models to have a variety of wheelbase
Wheelbase
In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels.- Road :In automobiles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the center of the front wheel and the center of the rear wheel...
, track and external dimensions.
Expected
- Audi A3 Mk3Audi A3The Audi A3 is a small family car produced by the German automaker Audi since 1996. Two generations of A3 exist, both based on the Volkswagen Group A platform, which they share with several other models such as the Audi TT, Volkswagen Golf, Volkswagen Caddy and Volkswagen Touran as well as SEAT...
- SEAT León Mk3SEAT LeónThe SEAT León is a small family car built by the Spanish car manufacturer, and Volkswagen Group subsidiary SEAT, S.A. since October 1998.The two León generations are, or have been built upon two differing variants of the Volkswagen Group A platform, and they also share many other components with...
- Škoda Octavia Mk3
- Volkswagen Golf Mk7Volkswagen GolfThe Volkswagen Golf is a small family car manufactured by Volkswagen since 1974 and marketed worldwide across six generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates – as the Volkswagen Rabbit in the United States and Canada , and as the Volkswagen Caribe in Mexico .The...