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Automobile Platforms
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 practiced in the automotive industry to reduce the costs associated with the development of products by basing those products on a smaller number of platforms. This further allows companies to create distinct models from a design perspective on similar underpinnings. A car platform is not to be confused with a platform chassis, although such a chassis can be part of an automobile's design platform, as noted below. Definition and benefits A basic definition of a platform in cars, from a technical point of view, includes underbody and suspensions (with axles) — where the underbody is made of the front floor, rear floor, engine compartment, and frame (reinforcement of underbody). Key mechanical components that define an automobile platform i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry (; Japanese: トヨタ・カムリ ''Toyota Kamuri'') is an automobile sold internationally by the Japanese auto manufacturer Toyota since 1982, spanning multiple generations. Originally compact in size (narrow-body), the Camry has grown since the 1990s to fit the mid-size classification (wide-body)—although the two widths co-existed in that decade. Since the release of the wide-bodied versions, Camry has been extolled by Toyota as the firm's second " world car" after the Corolla. , the Camry is positioned above the Corolla and below the Avalon or Crown in several markets. In Japan, the Camry was once exclusive to Toyota Corolla Store retail dealerships. Narrow-body cars also spawned a rebadged sibling in Japan, the Toyota Vista (トヨタ・ビスタ)—also introduced in 1982 and sold at Toyota Vista Store locations. Diesel fuel versions have previously retailed at Toyota Diesel Store. The Vista Ardeo was a wagon version of the Vista V50. Etymol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oldsmobile
Oldsmobile (formally the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors) was a brand of American automobiles, produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Originally established as "Olds Motor Vehicle Company" by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, it produced over 35 million vehicles, including at least 14 million built at its Lansing, Michigan, factory alone. During its time as a division of General Motors, Oldsmobile slotted into the middle of GM's five passenger car divisions (above Chevrolet and Pontiac (automobile), Pontiac, but below Buick and Cadillac). It was also noted for several groundbreaking technologies and designs. Oldsmobile's sales peaked at over one million annually from 1983 to 1986, but by the 1990s the division faced growing competition from premium import brands, and sales steadily declined. When it shut down in 2004, Oldsmobile was the oldest surviving American automobile brand, and one of the oldest in the world. History Early history Oldsmobiles were first manufac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monocoque
Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, a true monocoque carries both tensile and compressive forces within the skin and can be recognised by the absence of a load-carrying internal frame. Few metal aircraft other than those with milled skins can strictly be regarded as pure monocoques, as they use a metal shell or sheeting reinforced with frames riveted to the skin, but most wooden aircraft are described as monocoques, even though they also incorporate frames. By contrast, a semi-monocoque is a hybrid combining a tensile stressed skin and a compressive structure made up of longerons and ribs or frames. Other semi-monocoques, not to be confused with true monocoques, include vehicle unibodies, which tend to be composites, and inflatable shells or balloon tanks, both of whi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fiat Panda
The Fiat Panda is a city car manufactured and marketed by Fiat Automobiles, Fiat since 1980, currently in its third generation. The first generation Panda, introduced in 1980 as the Mk1, was a Car body configurations#Two-box design, two-box, three-door hatchback designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro and Aldo Mantovani of Italdesign and was manufactured through 2003 — receiving an all-wheel drive variant in 1983. SEAT of Spain marketed a variation of the first generation Panda under license to Fiat, initially as the ''Panda'' and subsequently as the Seat Marbella, Marbella (1986–1998). The second-generation Panda, launched in 2003 as a 5-door hatchback, was designed by Giuliano Biasio of Gruppo Bertone, Bertone, and won the European Car of the Year in 2004. The third-generation Panda debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2011, was designed at Fiat Centro Stilo under the direction of Roberto Giolito and remains in production in Italy at Alfa Romeo Pomigliano d'Arco plant, P ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lancia Ypsilon
The Lancia Ypsilon is a supermini car ( B-segment) manufactured and marketed by Lancia, currently in its fourth generation and as of 2024, the marque's only model. The Ypsilon was released in 1995, as a larger and more expensive replacement to the Y10. Between 1995 and 2005, Lancia produced more than 870,000 Ypsilons in the Melfi plant in the Potenza region. The third generation Ypsilon, sharing its platform with the Fiat 500, was marketed also as the Chrysler Ypsilon in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Japan. Fiat Group discontinued the Chrysler variant in 2017, having marketed 2,000 units in 2014. It is also no longer sold in Japan, with the discontinuation of both the Lancia Voyager and Lancia Thema branding on Chrysler-built vehicles in 2015. Despite relative obscurity worldwide and in Europe, the Lancia Ypsilon is a popular offering in Italy. Between 1995 and 2019, Lancia sold over 1.6 million Y and Ypsilon examples in Italy alone. In 2023, despite its age, it had the fi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fiat Uno
The Fiat Uno is a supermini manufactured and marketed by Fiat. Launched in 1983, the Uno was produced over a single generation (with an intermediate facelift, 1989) in three and five-door hatchback body styles until 1995 in Europe — and until 1 January 2014, in Brazil. Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro of Italdesign, the Uno strongly recalled the high-roof, up-right packaging of Giugiaro's 1978 Lancia Megagamma concept, in a smaller configuration. With over 8,800,000 built, it is the eighth most produced automobile platform in history, after the Volkswagen Beetle, Ford Model T, Fiat 124, 1965–1970 GM B platform, 1981–1997 GM J platform, 1961–1964 GM B platform, and 1977–1990 GM B platform. The Uno name was reintroduced in 2010 in South America for the Fiat Mini (Economy) platform based car built in Brazil. First generation (1983) The Fiat Uno (Type 146) was launched in January 1983 to replace the Fiat 127. The tall, square body used a Kamm tail, achieved a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fiat 500 (2007)
The Fiat 500 is an A-segment city car manufactured and marketed by the Italian car maker Fiat, a subdivision of Stellantis, since 2007. It is available in hatchback coupé and fixed-profile convertible body styles, over a single generation, with an intermediate facelift in Europe in the 2016 model year. The 500 is internally designated as the ''Type 312'' by FCA. Derived from the 2004 Fiat Trepiùno 3+1 concept (designed by Roberto Giolito), the 500's styling recalls Fiat's 1957 Fiat 500, nicknamed the ''Bambino'', designed and engineered by Dante Giacosa, with more than 4 million sold over its 18-year (1957–1975) production span. In 2011, Roberto Giolito of Centro Stile Fiat received the Compasso d'Oro industrial design award for the Fiat 500. Manufactured in Tychy, Poland, and Toluca, Mexico, the 500 is marketed in more than 100 countries worldwide, including North America, where the 500 marked Fiat's market return after 27 years. The millionth Fiat 500 was produced in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ford Ka
The Ford Ka is a small car manufactured by Ford Motor Company from 1996 to 2016 as a city car and from 2014 to 2021 as a subcompact car. It entered its second generation in 2008, produced by Fiat in Tychy, Poland. A third generation was introduced in 2016. The first two generations have a three-door hatchback body style, with the first generation also having a two-door convertible version that was marketed as the StreetKa and a sporty hatch version, the SportKa. The third generation was produced as a five-door hatchback and as a four-door sedan. It was initially only available in Brazil, and later was introduced in India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, South Africa (where it was marketed as the Ford Figo), Argentina, and Poland. European sales ended in 2020, and in 2021 was taken out of production in Brazil. Pronunciation The name Ka has three possible pronunciations. It can be said using a long or short "a" (, ), or with the letters pronounced separately (). Ford's press office has us ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fiat Mini Platform
The Fiat Mini platform is an automobile platform shared among city cars of the Fiat, Fiat Group. Specification Developed in the late 1990s in Turin, 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-wheel drive, front- or four-wheel drive, using only Front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout, front-mounted transverse engines. The standard version was of the platform is designed for MacPherson strut, MacPherson strut front Suspension (vehicle), suspension and torsion beam rear suspension but the four wheel drive version was re-engineered with independent semi-trailing a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mercury (automobile)
Mercury was a brand of medium-priced Car, automobiles that was produced by American manufacturer Ford Motor Company between the 1939 and 2011 motor years. Created by Edsel Ford in 1938, Mercury was established to bridge the gap between the Ford and Lincoln Motor Company, Lincoln model lines within Ford Motor Company. From 1945 until its closure, it formed half of the Lincoln-Mercury Division of the company. In addition to serving as a combined sales network for Ford's two premium automotive brands, Lincoln-Mercury also represented the Lincoln Motor Company#Continental Division (1956–1959), Continental (1956–1960), Edsel (1958–1960, formally designated Mercury-Edsel-Lincoln Division), Comet (marque), Comet (1960–1961), Mercury Capri, Capri (1970-1978), De Tomaso Pantera, De Tomaso (1972-1975), and Merkur (1985–1989, forming Lincoln-Mercury-Merkur). Through the use of platform sharing and manufacturing commonality, Mercury vehicles often shared components and engineerin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational corporation, multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobiles and commercial vehicles under the List of Ford vehicles, Ford brand, and luxury cars under its Lincoln Motor Company, Lincoln brand. The company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the single-letter ticker symbol F and is controlled by the Ford family (Michigan), Ford family. They have minority ownership but a plurality of the voting power. Ford introduced methods for large-scale manufacturing of cars and large-scale management of an industrial workforce using elaborately engineered manufacturing sequences typified by moving assembly lines. By 1914, these methods were known around the world as Fordism. Ford's former British subsidiaries Jaguar Cars, Jaguar and Land Rover, acquired in 1989 and 2000, r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
