The Volkswagen Group D platform is a series of
automobile platforms from the
German concern Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen AG (), known internationally as the Volkswagen Group, is a German multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. The company designs, manufactures and distributes passenger and commercial ...
. It has been used for
large
Large means of great size.
Large may also refer to:
Mathematics
* Arbitrarily large, a phrase in mathematics
* Large cardinal, a property of certain transfinite numbers
* Large category, a category with a proper class of objects and morphisms ( ...
luxury automobiles. Originally used by the
Audi
Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. As a subsidiary of its parent company, the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide.
Th ...
marque
A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...
, it is also latterly used by the
Volkswagen Passenger Cars, and
Bentley marques.
D1/D11
The D1 (also known as the D11
) platform was based on a stretched version of the
Volkswagen Group C3/C4 platform:
*
Audi V8
The Audi V8 (''Typ'' 4C) is a four-door, full-size luxury sedan, designed, manufactured and marketed by Audi in Germany from 1988-1993, as the company's flagship. As the first car from Audi to use a V8 engine, also was the first Audi to combine ...
(''Typ'' 44) (1988–1991)
*Audi V8 (''Typ'' 4C) (1991–1994)
D2
The D2 platform is an all
aluminium
Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...
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, ...
, based on
space frame principles, which helped to significantly reduce weight without being any less rigid. Audi AG refers to this type of construction as the "Audi Space Frame" (ASF). It is technically the first 'original' D platform.
*
Audi A8 (1994–2003)
*
Audi S8 (1996–2003)
D3
The D3 platform, also employing an aluminium space frame, was used for the second generation Audi A8, A8L, and S8.
*
Audi A8 (2003–2010)
*
Audi S8 (2006–2009)
D1 (VW Phaeton/Bentley)
The D1 platform cars (not to be confused with the earlier Audi V8 platform) share some components with the D3 platform, but have conventional
steel bodyshell construction.
*
Bentley Continental GT
The Bentley Continental GT is a grand tourer manufactured and marketed by British automaker Bentley Motors since 2003. It was the first car released by Bentley under Volkswagen AG management, after the company's acquisition in 1998, and the fi ...
(''Typ'' 3W, 2004–2018)
*
Bentley Flying Spur (''Typ'' 3W, 2005–2019)
*
Volkswagen Phaeton (''Typ'' 3D, 2003–2016)
D4
The
third generation Audi A8 launched in 2009 is sometimes referred to as the "D4" generation A8. This model combines an aluminium Audi Space Frame (ASF) structure but no longer uses the D platform, but the Audi-developed
MLB component matrix.
D5
The
Fourth generation Audi A8 launched in 2018 is sometimes referred to as the "D5" generation A8. This model combines an aluminium Audi Space Frame (ASF) structure but no longer uses the D platform, but the Audi-developed
MLB Evo.
References
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External links
Volkswagen Group corporate website
{{Bentley
D