The Volkswagen Group MLB platform is the company's platform strategy, announced in 2012, for shared modular construction of its longitudinal, front-engined automobiles. It was developed by

Audi Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. A subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. The origins of the compa ...

and first introduced in 2007 on the

Audi A5 The Audi A5 is a series of compact executive and grand touring coupé cars produced by the German automobile manufacturer Audi since June 2007. The A5 range also includes the coupe, cabriolet, and "Sportback"—a five-door liftback with a fast ...

then, chronologically, on the

Audi A4 The Audi A4 is a line of luxury compact executive cars produced from 1994 to 2025 by the German car manufacturer Audi, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group. The A4 has been built in five generations and is based on the Volkswagen Group B platfor ...

, Audi Q5,

Audi A8 The Audi A8 is a full-size luxury vehicle, luxury sedan (car), sedan manufactured and marketed by the German automaker Audi since 1994. Succeeding the Audi V8, and now in its fourth generation, the A8 has been offered with either front-wheel dri ...

, Audi A7,

Audi A6 The Audi A6 is an executive car manufactured by the German company Audi since 1994. Now in its fifth generation, the successor to the Audi 100 is manufactured in Neckarsulm, Germany, and is available in saloon and estate configurations, the l ...

Porsche Macan The Porsche Macan is a compact luxury crossover SUV (D-segment) produced by German manufacturer Porsche since 2014. It is the smaller SUV from Porsche below the Cayenne. The first-generation Macan went on production from February 2014 with pet ...

and the second generation

Audi Q7 The Audi Q7 is a crossover SUV made by the German manufacturer Audi, unveiled in September 2005 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Production of this seven-seater SUV began in November 2005 at the Volkswagen Bratislava Plant in Bratislava, Slovakia. ...

(MLB Evo). Until 2015, only Audi and

Porsche Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in luxury, high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Th ...

were using the MLB platform. In February 2016

Volkswagen Volkswagen (VW; )English: , . is a German automotive industry, automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937 by German Labour Front, The German Labour Front, it was revitalized into the global brand it ...

introduced the MLB based Phideon luxury sedan built and sold uniquely in the Chinese market.

Volkswagen Group Volkswagen AG (), known internationally as the Volkswagen Group, is a German public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of passenger and commercial vehicles, motorcycles, engines and turbomachinery. Headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxon ...

markets the strategy under the code name MLB, which stands for ''Modularer Längsbaukasten'', translating from German to "Modular Longitudinal Matrix". MLB is one strategy within VW's overall MB (Modulare Baukasten or modular matrix) program which also includes the similar MQB strategy for its vehicles with transverse engine orientation. While a model may be said to use an MLB platform, it is not so much a platform ''per se'', but rather a system for introducing rationality across disparate platforms that share engine orientation — regardless of model, vehicle size or brand. Thus, MLB uses a core "matrix" of components across a wide variety of platforms — for example, sharing a common engine-mounting core for ''all'' drivetrains (e.g., gasoline, diesel, natural gas, hybrid and purely electric). The only things that are non-variable are the pedal box, firewall, and front wheel placement, as well as the windscreen angle; other than this, the vehicle can be stretched and shaped to fit any body style, size range, or drivetrain required. As well as reducing weight, the concept allows diverse models, including those from the company's various brands, to be manufactured at the same plant, further saving cost. , former chief of Volkswagen’s Research and Development, called MB a "strategic weapon." ''

Jalopnik Static Media Inc., the business name of 7Hops.com Inc., is an American internet company established in 2012, incorporated in Delaware, and based in Indianapolis. It operates ZergNet, a content recommendation business that promotes paid content ...

'' said "the biggest feature is the uniform position of all motors and transmissions" and that "by fitting all motors into the same place (the company) hope(s) to cut down on engineering costs and weight/complexity when porting the car over to other models." The British magazine, ''

Car A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are around one billio ...

'', said "the idea heralds a return to basic principles of mass production in an industry where over the last 100 years, complexity has spiralled out of control. By creating a standardised, interchangeable set of parts from which to build a variety of cars, (the company) plans to cut the time taken to build a car by 30%."

Modularer Längsbaukasten

MLB B

(''Typ'' 8T/8F), 2007–2016 * Audi Q5 (''Typ'' 8R), 2008–2017 * Audi A4 (B8) (''Typ'' 8K), 2007–2016 *

(Type 95B), 2013–present

MLB C/D

* Audi A8 (D4) (''Typ'' 4H), 2010–2017 * Audi A7 (''Typ'' 4G), 2010–2017 * Audi A6 (C7) (''Typ'' 4G), 2011–2018 *

Volkswagen Phideon The Volkswagen Phideon () is an executive sedan manufactured by the German automobile manufacturer Volkswagen, described by Volkswagen as their "premium class" vehicle. Introduced at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, the Phideon is aimed at the Chine ...

(''Typ'' 3E), 20162023 File:Audi A4 B8 Facelift Limousine Ambiente 1.8 TFSI multitronic Eissilber.JPG, Audi A4 File:Audi A5 Coupé quattro DTM Champion (Facelift) – Frontansicht, 30. August 2014, Düsseldorf.jpg, Audi A5 Coupe File:Audi A6 Avant TDI quattro S-line (C7, Facelift) – Frontansicht, 3. April 2015, Düsseldorf.jpg, Audi A6 Avant File:2012 Audi A7 -- 11-10-2011.jpg, Audi A7 File:2015 Audi A8L quattro front 5.20.18.jpg, Audi A8 File:2014 Audi Q5 (8R MY14) 2.0 TDI quattro wagon (2015-07-24) 01.jpg, Audi Q5 File:2019 Porsche Macan S-A facelift 2.0 Front.jpg, Porsche Macan File:Volkswagen VW Phideon 2016.jpg, Volkswagen Phideon

Modularer Längsbaukasten Evo

MLB Evo B

(''Typ'' 8W), 20162024 *

(''Typ'' 8W6), 20162024 * Audi Q5 (''Typ'' 80A), 20172024

MLB Evo C/D

(''Typ'' 4M), 2015present *

Bentley Bentayga The Bentley Bentayga is a luxury SUV produced by British marque Bentley Motors. Introduced in late 2015, it is the brand's first luxury SUV, luxury crossover SUV. Its body is manufactured at the Volkswagen Zwickau-Mosel Plant in Germany, then p ...

(''Typ'' 4V), 2015present *

(''Typ'' 4N), 2017present * Audi A7 (''Typ'' 4K8), 2017present *

(''Typ'' 4K), 2018present * Audi Q8 (''Typ'' 4MN), 2018present *

Volkswagen Touareg The Volkswagen Touareg (German pronunciation: ) is a Luxury car, mid-size luxury crossover SUV produced by Volkswagen since 2002. The vehicle is named after the nomadic Tuareg people, inhabitants of the Sahara desert, Saharan interior in North A ...

(''Typ'' CR), 2018present * Audi Q8 e-tron (formerly Audi e-tron; ''Typ'' GE), 20182025 *

Lamborghini Urus The Lamborghini Urus is a high performance Luxury car#Luxury SUV / crossover, luxury SUV manufactured by Italian automobile manufacturer Lamborghini. It was introduced in December 2017 as a 2018 model year production vehicle. The Urus is the fi ...

, 2018present *

Porsche Cayenne The Porsche Cayenne is a series of automobiles manufactured by the German company Porsche since 2002. It is a luxury crossover SUV, and has been described as both a full-sized and a mid-sized vehicle. The first generation was known within Por ...

(third generation) (Type 9YA), 2018present File:Audi A4 Avant B9 IMG 1973.jpg, Audi A4 Avant File:Audi A5 Cabriolet facelift (48782165561) (cropped).jpg, Audi A5 Cabriolet File:2018 Audi A6 Sport 40 TDi S-A 2.0.jpg, Audi A6 File:2018 Audi A7 S Line 50 TDi Quattro 3.0 Front.jpg, Audi A7 File:Audi A8 L 55 TFSI Quattro S Line Premium D5 FL Mythos Black Metallic (19).jpg, Audi A8 File:2021 Audi Q5 S Line 45 TFSi MHEV Quattro facelift 2.0 Front.jpg, Audi Q5 File:2020 Audi Q7 S Line TDi MHEV Quattro facelift 3.0.jpg, Audi Q7 File:Audi Q8 IMG 3134.jpg, Audi Q8 File:Audi Q8 e-tron 55 quattro 1X7A6952.jpg, Audi Q8 e-tron File:Bentley Bentayga V8 (FL) IMG 0005.jpg, Bentley Bentayga File:2019 Lamborghini Urus V8 Automatic 4.0 Front.jpg, Lamborghini Urus File:2019 Porsche Cayenne V8 Turbo Tiptronic 4.0 Front.jpg, Porsche Cayenne File:VW Touareg III (cropped).jpg, Volkswagen Touareg

References

External links

Volkswagen Group corporate websiteAudi corporate websiteVolkswagen Phideon press release
{{DEFAULTSORT:MLB Volkswagen Group platforms Audi