The Volkswagen Group A platform is an automobile platform shared among compact and mid-size cars of the Volkswagen Group.
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It was originally based on the engineering concept of the Volkswagen Golf Mk1, and is applicable to either front- or four-wheel drive vehicles, using only front-mounted transverse engines.
Volkswagens based on this platform have been referred to by generation number, i.e. the first Golf version would be referred to as an "A1 Golf". Often "Mk*" ("Mark") is substituted for "A*", but this can be misleading: For example, the Mk1 and Mk2 Sciroccos are both based on the A1 platform.
Under Volkswagen's revised platform naming system, the "A4" platform is now known as the PQ34 platform, and what would have been called the A5 platform is officially the PQ35 platform. The new nomenclature is derived as follows:
The A platform has been replaced by the MQB platform for new models.
A1
A1 platform cars (Typ numbers in brackets):
A2
A2 platform cars (Typ numbers in brackets):
A3
A3 platform cars (Typ numbers in brackets):
The smaller A03 platform, used in the VW Polo (6N) and SEAT Ibiza (6K) is based on the A3 platform as well, and shares many components.
A4 (PQ34)
A4 platform cars (Typ numbers in brackets):
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 front and rear will be present in all A platform vehicles. There is also a derivative version of this platform for 'B'-class cars called PQ46.
PQ35 is intended for compact-size vehicles, and PQ46 is an enlarged version for mid-size vehicles, such as the Volkswagen Passat. A common misconception is that the PQ46 generation of the Passat is based on the "B6" (PL46) platform. However, this transverse engined Passat has little in common with the longitudinal engined "B6" Audi A4.
A5 platform cars (Type numbers in brackets):