Platform

Subaru has developed a new modular platform that promises improved levels of safety and a more engaging driving experience for its next-generation vehicles. The platform is called the Subaru Global platform and it will underpin virtually every next-gen model starting with the 2017 Impreza range...

About a year ago, Rolls-Royce announced that it was developing a new aluminum spaceframe architecture that was to eventually underpin its entire range, including a new SUV that’s currently doing the rounds under the Project Cullinan code name. The British automaker has now announced that the...

Just as it has the SPA platform for its larger models, Volvo is working on another modular platform just like SPA that it will use for its range of next-generation compact cars. This second modular platform is called the Compact Modular Architecture, or CMA for short, and the first model to be...

General Motors Company [NYSE:GM] is embarking on a bold new plan to grow sales in emerging markets. The plan calls for a new family of affordable but tech-rich vehicles based on a modular platform that GM will be developing with its Chinese partner Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. GM will also...

Volvo is about to introduce a new modular platform called the Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) that will soon underpin all of its models sized from the S60 up. The first to be based on the SPA platform will be the all-new Volvo XC90, which thanks to the capabilities of its platform promises to...

In late 2011, BMW and Toyota signed a memorandum of understanding for collaboration on a number of projects ranging from the development of a new sports car platform to research into next-generation battery technology and even hydrogen fuel cell powertrains. Of most interest to performance fans is...

Renault Nissan is the latest automaker to adopt a strategy of widespread platform and parts sharing across models, announcing today it will soon implement a modular platform architecture in 14 of its models from both the Renault and Nissan brands. Called the Common Modular Family (CMF), Renault...

Dutch sports car manufacturer Spyker, the former parent of bankrupt automaker Saab, has signed a definitive agreement with Chinese automaker Youngman to form new joint ventures that will be responsible for the development of a new SUV as well as a range of sedans based on Saab’s Phoenix...

Currently, Jaguar Land Rover’s range of models roughly comprise seven largely unrelated platforms, but going into the future the company hopes to prune these down to just two or three. The goal is to get around 70 to 80 percent of Jaguar Land Rover’s core model range on common...

Currently there are just two vehicles based on GM’s rear-wheel drive Zeta platform, which was originally developed in Australia by Holden for the VE Commodore (and its long-wheelbase variants) launched back in 2006. The two vehicles include the original VE Commodore, which is soon to be...

Mercedes-Benz is embarking on a wide-ranging growth strategy that it hopes will see it reclaim the number one position in the premium segment by the end of the decade. The strategy calls for Mercedes to occupy the number one position in the premium segment not only in terms of brand, products and...

To be successful as a major automaker these days, building several models off a common architecture or platform and sharing components is the only way to go. Just ask Volkswagen or Volvo, both of which announced new modular platform designs for their next-generation of vehicles recently. Nissan is...

Yesterday we brought you the first details on the Volkswagen Group’s new Modular Transverse Matrix architecture that will go into several models from Audi and Volkswagen including the next-generation A3 and MKVII Golf. Today we have details of another modular platform being developed for...

Volkswagen's new modular transverse matrix platform will allow it to build products as diverse as Polo hatchbacks and Passat sedans from a single platform.

At the 2012 Geneva Motor Show this March Volvo will unveil the long-overdue five-door version of its C30 hatchback, though this is to be just one of several new small cars the automaker is hoping to launch in coming years. But launching a range of new small cars is costly, which is why Volvo is now...

For years Mazda and Ford shared everything from vehicle platforms and engines to even design teams. However, the two parted ways in the later parts of 2008 though the legacy of the partnership would continue for a few more years to come. Fast forward to today and Mazda is on the verge of launching...

As we reported just last week, the Volkswagen Group is likely to call on Porsche to develop an advanced mid-engine vehicle platform that will eventually spawn the replacements for the Audi R8 and Lamborghini Gallardo, as well as a new supercar to slot in between the Porsche 911 GT2 RS and upcoming...

By 2018, General Motors hopes to halve its number of vehicle platforms from a current 30 down to just 14.

The purists may hate the thought of it, but in this global economic environment a luxurious crossover looks to be a necessity if Jaguar hopes to remain viable in the future. Not only are the high-riding models crucial for gaining a foothold in emerging markets such as Russia, India and China, where...

To gearheads, the turbulent times Swedish carmaker Saab is facing really pulls at the heart strings. It's one of an elite group of makers that real car enthusiasts like to know is around, even if they wouldn't buy the products themselves. Having had its personality and vitality steadily eroded...