The Fiat Mini platform is an

automobile platform A car 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 cars, often from different, but somewhat related, marques. It is pract ...

shared among

city car The A-segment is the 1st category in the passenger car classification system defined by the European Commission. It is used for city cars, the smallest category of passenger cars defined. A-segment sales represent approx. 7-8% of the market in ...

s of the Fiat Group.

Specification

Developed in the late 1990s in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

, Italy, the Mini platform was designed to be adaptable to the city cars sold by Fiat Group. The Mini platform replaced the old Panda platform (code project Type Zero; ''Tipo Zero'' in Italian) dating back to 1980. All components were totally new, and were made to be adaptable to more types of small vehicles (including hatchback, convertible and crossover SUV). The frame makes heavy use of high-strength steel. Cars built on the Mini platform can accommodate either front- or

four-wheel drive Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

, using only front-mounted

transverse engine A transverse engine is an engine mounted in a vehicle so that the engine's crankshaft axis is perpendicular to the direction of travel. Many modern front-wheel drive vehicles use this engine mounting configuration. Most rear-wheel drive vehicles ...

s. The standard version was of the platform is designed for MacPherson strut front

suspension Suspension or suspended may refer to: Science and engineering * Suspension (topology), in mathematics * Suspension (dynamical systems), in mathematics * Suspension of a ring, in mathematics * Suspension (chemistry), small solid particles suspend ...

and torsion beam rear suspension but the

four wheel drive Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

version was re-engineered with independent semi-trailing arms rear suspension and electronic

Limited slip differential A limited-slip differential (LSD) is a type of differential that allows its two output shafts to rotate at different speeds but limits the maximum difference between the two shafts. Limited-slip differentials are often known by the generic tr ...

. A concept version was used in the 1999

Fiat Ecobasic The Fiat Ecobasic is a concept car designed by the Italian manufacturer Fiat and presented in December 1999 at the Bologna Motor Show and exhibited in March 2000 at the Geneva Motor Show. The purpose of this concept was to prove that it was possi ...

prototype, powered by a small 1.2 JTD Multijet engine, but the first production vehicle on the platform was the Mk2

Fiat Panda The Fiat Panda is a city car manufactured and marketed by Fiat since 1980, currently in its third generation. The first generation Panda (Mk 1: 1980–1986 & Mk2: 1986–2003), introduced in 1980, was a two-box, three-door hatchback designed b ...

in 2003 – a five-door hatchback with a high roof which allowed for increased interior space compared to most of its competitors. The architecture has been developed for production by

Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...

in Poland, in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...

(when the

Fiat 500 The Fiat 500 ( it, Cinquecento, ) is a rear-engined, four-seat, small city car that was manufactured and marketed by Fiat Automobiles from 1957 until 1975 over a single generation in two-door saloon and two-door station wagon bodystyles. Launc ...

was adapted for sale in the USA) and later in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Pomigliano d'Arco Pomigliano d'Arco is a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Naples in Italy, located north of Mount Vesuvius. It is known for its industrial pole among the largest and most influential in southern Italy. In the industrial area there is, among ...

plant (when production of the Fiat Panda Mk3 began there). The Mini platform has a wheelbase of 2,299mm in the standard version (2,305mm in 4x4 version), which is used on the Fiat Panda Mk2. In 2007, the platform spawned two smaller three-door hatchbacks: the

and Ford Ka Mk2. A Long wheelbase version (2,390mm) of the platform was used in the Lancia Ypsilon Mk3, launched in 2011. In 2012, the third generation of Fiat Panda was launched, again using the standard-wheelbase version, but at the 2,305mm wheelbase previously used only for the 4x4 mode. Vehicles based on Fiat Mini platform: * 1999

concept car * 2003—2012 Fiat Panda Mk2 * 2005—2010

Fiat Panda Hydrogen The Panda Hydrogen is a prototype fuel cell-type hydrogen vehicle based on the Fiat Panda introduced in 2006. The fuel, gaseous Hydrogen, is stored in underfloor hydrogen tanks at 350 bar. A Nuvera Fuel Cells "Andromeda II" fuel cell stack gen ...

* 2007—present

* 2008—2016 Ford Ka Mk2 * 2011—present Lancia Ypsilon Mk3 * 2012–present Fiat Panda Mk3

Gallery

File:Ford Ka II front 20100809.jpg,

Ford Ka The Ford Ka is a small car manufactured by Ford Motor Company from 1996 to 2016 as a city car and from 2016 to 2021 as a subcompact car. It entered its second generation in 2008, produced by Fiat in Tychy, Poland. A third generation was introduce ...

File:2010 Fiat Panda 4x4 facelift.JPG,

(2003) File:Fiat Cinquecento.jpg,

File:Lancia Ypsilon (front quarter).jpg,

Lancia Ypsilon The Lancia Ypsilon is a supermini manufactured and marketed by Lancia, now in its third generation and as of 2022, the marque's only model. The Ypsilon was released in 1995, as a larger and more expensive replacement to the Y10. Between 1995 a ...

Fiat Panda (2011) front side quarter.jpg,

(2011)

"Economy" platform

The "Economy" platform, is a chassis created for the small low cost vehicle produced by FCA in South America. It is a new platform introduced first with the Fiat Uno (codeproject 327) in 2010 assembly in Betim, Brasil. Fiat said "the Panda and Uno were born together in design and share the same concept, but have no mechanical parts in common". Fiat claims that the Uno uses 82% new components, being based on the old Fiat Palio. A long wheelbase version was also used in the second generation of Palio (326) and Grand Siena (326 3V). In 2014 Fiat introduced the Brazilian Fiorino based on the modified Uno (327) chassis with rear axle from the

Fiat Strada The Fiat Strada is a supermini coupé utility produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat since 1998. It is based on Fiat's world car "project 178", the Palio. It is produced by Fiat Automóveis in Brazil, and has been marketed worldwide, exclud ...

pick up, and in 2016 the smaller Fiat Mobi introduced a new version of the Economy platform engineering to a lower cost. The successor of the FCA Economy platform was the new FCA MP1 (Modular Platform 1) chassis introduced in 2017 with the new

Fiat Argo The Fiat Argo (Type 358, codeproject X6H) is a subcompact car (B-segment) by the Italian manufacturer Fiat, developed for the market in South America. It was presented in Brazil in May 2017, being sold as of June. It is a five-door hatchback that ...

Vehicles based on Fiat Economy ("Low Cost") platform: * 2010-2021 Fiat Uno (327) * 2011-2017 Fiat Palio (326) * 2012-2021 Fiat Grand Siena (326) / Dodge Vision * 2013-present Fiat Fiorino (327) / Ram ProMaster Rapid/Ram V700 Rapid * 2016-present

Fiat Mobi The Fiat Mobi is a city car produced by the Italian car manufacturer Fiat since 2016; is available exclusively for the South American market. The Mobi hatchback in the A-segment manufactured in Betim, Minas Gerais, Brazil. It was released on 13 Ap ...

* 2022-present Peugeot Partner Rapid (327)

Gallery

File:Fiat Novo Uno 1.4 Carro Vermelho.jpg, Fiat Uno (Brazil) File:Fiat Palio Sporting 1.6 16V E.torQ Engine.JPG, Fiat Palio Mk2 File:Fiat Grand Siena 20150902-IMG 20150902 154259.JPG, Fiat Grand Siena File:Fiat Fiorino XMF 2650 in Punta del Este 2015.JPG,

Fiat Fiorino The Fiat Fiorino is a small commercial vehicle produced by the Italian car manufacturer Fiat since 1977. Its first two generations have been the panel van derivatives of other small models, such as the Fiat 127 and Fiat Uno, while the curre ...

Mk3 (Brazil)

References

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