The Compact platform was developed by engineers of the

Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., commonly known as simply Fiat ( , ; ), is an Italian automobile manufacturer. It became a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2014 and, in 2021, became a subsidiary of Stellantis through its Italian division, Stellant ...

group for the construction of

small family car The C-segment is the 3rd category of the European segments for passenger cars and is described as "medium cars". It is equivalent to the Euro NCAP "small family car" size class, and the compact car category in the United States. In 2024, the C-s ...

s (compact cars) and

large family car The D-segment is the 4th category of the European segments for passenger cars, and is described as "large cars". It is equivalent to the Euro NCAP "large family car" size class, and the present-day definition of the mid-size car category us ...

s (mid-size cars) with

front-wheel drive Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of internal combustion engine, engine and transmission (mechanics), transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel-drive vehicles feature ...

four-wheel drive A four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, is 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 pr ...

. The first incarnation of this platform was the

Alfa Romeo Giulietta Alfa Romeo Giulietta is the name of three different automobiles made by Italian car manufacturer Alfa Romeo: * The first Giulietta (Type 750 and 101) was a rear-wheel drive car made from 1954 to 1965, in 4-door saloon/sedan, coupé, spider and e ...

which was unveiled in 2010. Fiat has invested 100 million

euro The euro (currency symbol, symbol: euro sign, €; ISO 4217, currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the ...

s into the construction of the Compact Platform.

Origin

Developed in

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) 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 from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

, Italy, the Compact platform was designed to adapt to future cars of both the Fiat and

Chrysler FCA US, LLC, Trade name, doing business as Stellantis North America and known historically as Chrysler ( ), is one of the "Big Three (automobile manufacturers), Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn H ...

group. Developed a new high-performance platform that uses only a front central part of the floor from the old C-platform. The frame composition is 84% high-strength steel (as opposed to the old C-platform, 65% of which was high-strength steel) and 4% aluminum, and magnesium. The front

suspension Suspension or suspended may refer to: Science and engineering * Car suspension * Cell suspension or suspension culture, in biology * Guarded suspension, a software design pattern in concurrent programming suspending a method call and the calling ...

uses MacPherson Evo struts with aluminum uprights and is lighter than the previous design with steel uprights (as used in the Fiat Bravo). The rear suspension uses an independent multi-link suspension and each of them consists of two lateral links with an aluminum longitudinal arm that mounts the hub and spring. Using aluminium rather than steel, which has a higher density, enabled a total combined weight-savings in the suspension bits of 14 kilograms. The framework for the rear seats and the magnesium alloy cross member reduced weight by 35% in comparison to earlier cars. The platform offers a compact transverse engine at the front with either front or four-wheel drive. The total platform weight of the standard version (on the compact models) is .

Long wheelbase version (Compact Wide)

The long wheelbase version is called Compact Wide and was used for US-built models of Chrysler

sedans A sedan (American English) or saloon (British English) is a passenger car in a three-box configuration with separate compartments for an engine, passengers, and cargo. The first recorded use of ''sedan'' in reference to an automobile body oc ...

like the

Dodge Dart The Dodge Dart is a line of passenger cars produced by Dodge from the 1959 to 1976 model years in North America, with production extended to later years in various other markets. The production Dodge Dart was introduced as a lower-priced full-si ...

and

Chrysler 200 The Chrysler 200 is a mid-size sedan that was manufactured and marketed by Chrysler from model years 2011 to 2017 across two generations in four-door sedan and two-door convertible (first generation only) body styles. The 200 nameplate debuted o ...

. The CUSW products first appeared in late 2011. The interchangeable modules make the basic platform suitable for vehicles of differing lengths up to . It was designed with additional features for a compact platform that could adapt to sports cars like

Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian carmaker known for its sports-oriented vehicles, strong auto racing heritage, and iconic design. Headquartered in Turin, Italy, it is a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe and one of 14 brands of mu ...

. The engine range, combined with the platform, consists of the compact four-cylinder petrol 1.4

Fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...

, 1.4 Multiair, 1.75 TBi

turbocharged In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into the ...

, the 2.0 or 2.4 Chrysler GEMA engine, the 3.2 or the 3.6 Chrysler Pentastar V6 engine, and the 1.6, 2.0 and 2.2

Multijet Multijet is a Fiat and General Motors joint venture, established in 1996, in manufacturer, manufacturing diesel engines with turbo diesel, turbo and common rail Diesel engine#Direct injection, direct injection technology. Most of the Fiat S.p.A., F ...

turbodiesel engines. Fiat and Chrysler planned to build about 1 million vehicles a year by 2014 based on this platform. Eight upcoming Chrysler Group vehicles are planned to be built on Fiat's Compact Wide platform, including the replacement for the Jeep Liberty.

Vehicles based on Fiat Compact platform

*Compact: ** 2010–2020

*Compact Wide: ** 2012–2017 Dodge Dart/Fiat Viaggio/Ottimo *Compact Wide LWB: ** 2014–2017

** 2017–present

Chrysler Pacifica Chrysler Pacifica is a nameplate used by Chrysler FCA US, LLC, Trade name, doing business as Stellantis North America and known historically as Chrysler ( ), is one of the "Big Three (automobile manufacturers), Big Three" automobile manufacture ...

** 2020–present

Chrysler Voyager The Chrysler Voyager (and the long-wheelbase Chrysler Grand Voyager) is a minivan produced by the Chrysler division of Stellantis. In the current lineup, it is positioned as the lower-end Chrysler minivan, having replaced the Dodge Grand Carava ...

*Compact Wide LWB 4X4: ** 2014–2023

Jeep Cherokee The Jeep Cherokee is a line of sport utility vehicles (SUV) manufactured and marketed by Jeep over five generations. Marketed initially as a variant of the Jeep Wagoneer (SJ), the Cherokee has evolved from a full-size SUV to one of the first ...

** 2018–2022

Jeep Grand Commander The Jeep Grand Commander (project code: ''K8'') is a mid-size crossover SUV with three-row seating manufactured by Jeep through the GAC Fiat Chrysler joint venture in China from 2018 to 2022. Overview Previewed by the Yuntu Concept, the Grand ...

File:2017 Alfa Romeo Giulietta (940 Series 3) Super hatchback (2018-10-19) 01.jpg,

File:2013 Dodge Dart -- 2012 DC.JPG,

File:Fiat Viaggio 001 China 2014-05-01.jpg,

Fiat Viaggio The Dodge Dart is a front-engine, front-wheel drive, four-door compact sedan that was manufactured and marketed by then FCA US LLC, a subsidiary of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. The automobile debuted at the 2012 North American International ...

File:Fiat Ottimo 01 China 2016-04-08.jpg,

Fiat Ottimo The Dodge Dart is a front-engine, front-wheel drive, four-door compact sedan that was manufactured and marketed by then FCA US LLC, a subsidiary of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. The automobile debuted at the 2012 North American International ...

File:2019 Jeep Cherokee Latitude front 5.27.18.jpg,

File:2015 Chrysler 200 Limited 2.4L front 1.27.18.jpg,

File:2021 Chrysler Pacifica Touring-L, front 7.11.21.jpg,

File:2020 Chrysler Pacifica Touring-L in Bright White, front left.jpg,

File:2018 Jeep Grand Commander (front).jpg,

References

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