Volkswagen A platform

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The Volkswagen A platform is an automobile platform shared among compact and mid-size cars of the Volkswagen Group. It was originally based on the architecture of the Volkswagen Golf and is adaptable to either front- or all wheel drive.

Volkswagens based on this platform have been referred to by generation number, ie. a very early Golf would be called an "A1 Golf." A common substitute for the "A" is to use the "Mark" (Mk) nomenclature to denote generation, however, this is a term coined by the motoring press and is not official. For example, both the Mk1 and Mk2 Scirocco's are both based on the A1 platform.

Under Volkswagen's revised platform naming system, the "A4" platform is now known as the PQ34 platform[1], 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 generation

1 A1
2 A2
3 A3
4 A4 (PQ34)
5 A5 (PQ35)
6 See also

[edit] A1

A1 platform cars:

[edit] A2

A2 platform cars:

[edit] A3

A3 platform cars:

The Polo 6N (A03 platform) is based on the A3 platform as well, and shares many components.

[edit] A4 (PQ34)

A4 platform cars:

[edit] 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 will be present in all A platform vehicles. There is also a derivative version of this platform (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 VW Passat. A common misconception is to call the PQ46 generation of the Passat the "B6" Passat. However, this is confusing, as this transverse-engined Passat has little in common with the longitudinally-engined "B6" Audi A4.

Current and expected PQ35 platform cars: