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49-572: The Ford Panther platform was an automobile platform that was used by Ford Motor Company from the 1979 to 2012 model years. Following the downsizing of the General Motors B-bodies and C-bodies by two years, the Panther platform marked the end of production of sedans unencumbered by downsizing . Originally slated for discontinuation during the early 1980s, the Panther architecture was used for 33 model years, making it one of

98-469: A SUV . The Volkswagen A platform -mates such as the sports-oriented Audi TT and the economy-focused Volkswagen Golf also share much of their mechanical components but are visually entirely different. Both the Volkswagen Group and Toyota have had much success building many well-differentiated vehicles from many marques , from the same platforms. One of the least conspicuous recent examples

147-459: A V8 engine; the Modular V8 engine was the first overhead-cam V8 engine used in a mass-produced American vehicle. Initially developed in response to the implementation of CAFE by the U.S. federal government, the Panther platform outlived its closest rival (the 1977–1996 GM B platform ) by 15 years, with the 2012 Ford Crown Victoria becoming the final mass-produced passenger car designed with

196-477: A greater variety of vehicles from one basic set of engineered components. Pictured below is the Nissan MS platform , where designs including 5-door hatchback, sedan, compact SUV and minivan were built on a common floor panel and many shared functional assemblies such as engine, transmission and chassis components. Many vendors refer to this as product or vehicle architecture . The concept of product architecture

245-710: A lower cost to consumers. Additionally, economies of scale are increased, as is return on investment. Originally, a "platform" was a literally shared chassis from a previously-engineered vehicle, as in the case for the Citroën 2CV platform chassis used by the Citroën Ami and Citroën Dyane , as well as the Volkswagen Beetle frame under the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia . These two manufacturers made different category of vehicles under using

294-759: A mid-size sedan (based on the Fox platform ); the two-door version of the Mark VI was replaced in 1984 by the Mark VII coupe. For 1983, the Ford LTD and Mercury Marquis became mid-size sedans, replacing the Ford Granada and Mercury Cougar while the LTD Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis became distinct model lines, in an effort to move full-size model ranges upward in prestige. The first generation of

343-411: A number of outwardly distinct models and even types of cars , often from different, but somewhat related, marques . It is practiced in the automotive industry to reduce the costs associated with the development of products by basing those products on a smaller number of platforms. This further allows companies to create distinct models from a design perspective on similar underpinnings. A car platform

392-451: A risk of losing the tangible uniqueness of the product. The companies have to make a trade-off between reducing their development costs and the degree of differentiation of the products. Platform sharing is a practice commonly employed by various brands within a corporate group. The fundamental components of a shared platform typically include the chassis and the drive unit. The extent to which different automobile or motorcycle models utilize

441-595: A separate frame. While body-on-frame construction is retained by pickup trucks and larger SUVs, unibody construction (or variants thereof) see nearly universal use in passenger cars. From 1978 to 1985, Ford and Mercury versions of the Panther platform were assembled in Hazelwood, Missouri ( St. Louis Assembly ). For the 1986 model year, production shifted to Talbotville, Ontario , Canada ( St. Thomas Assembly ). Lincoln versions were sourced from Wixom, Michigan ( Wixom Assembly ), until its 2007 closure; from 2008 to 2011,

490-491: A strategy affects the development process and also has an important impact on an automaker's organizational structure. A platform strategy also offers advantages for the globalization process of automobile firms. Because automakers spend the majority of time and money on the development of platforms, platform sharing affords manufacturers the ability to cut costs on research and development by spreading it over several product lines. Manufacturers are then able to offer products at

539-551: Is a design found almost exclusively in large SUVs and pickup trucks today. The durability resulting from the body-on-frame construction (which allows easier repair after minor collisions) and their relatively simple design make the Panther cars appealing as fleet vehicles , including police cars and taxicabs . The Lincoln Town Car appealed largely to livery services, and was the most commonly used limousine in North America, as it could easily be "stretched" by lengthening

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588-408: Is a product development method where different products and the brand attached share the same components. The purpose with platform sharing is to reduce the cost and have a more efficient product development process. The companies gain on reduced procurement costs by taking advantage of the commonality of the components. However, this also limits their ability to differentiate the products and imposes

637-610: Is known as the N-J-L platform, arguably the most prolific of GM's efforts on one platform. Once more, GM's four lower-level divisions all offered various models on this platform throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s. The 1988 Fiat Tipo was one of the first European cars utilizing a modular platform , also used for the Fiat Tempra . Japanese carmakers have followed the platform sharing practice with Honda 's Acura line, Nissan 's Infiniti brand, and Toyota's Lexus marque, as

686-472: Is not to be confused with a platform chassis , although such a chassis can be part of an automobile's design platform, as noted below. A basic definition of a platform in cars, from a technical point of view, includes underbody and suspensions (with axles) — where the underbody is made of the front floor, rear floor, engine compartment, and frame (reinforcement of underbody). Key mechanical components that define an automobile platform include: Platform sharing

735-659: Is the Chevy Trailblazer and Chevy SSR ; both use the GMT-360 platform. In automotive design, the top hat is one or more vehicle upper body structures that can share a common platform. The upper body could vary from a crossover to a sedan or coupe thereby creating economies of scale and product differentiation . Ford Fox platform Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include

784-441: Is the scheme by which the function of a product is allocated to physical components. The use of a platform strategy provides several benefits: The car platform strategy has become important in new product development and in the innovation process. The finished products have to be responsive to market needs and to demonstrate distinctiveness while – at the same time – they must be developed and produced at low cost. Adopting such

833-463: The 302 V8, the 4.6L was available with up to 60 more horsepower (with optional dual exhaust). In 1997, Ford significantly upgraded the exterior designs of all three Panther platform cars. The Town Car received the most extensive changes with its entire body being restyled. To increase parts commonality between the two, the Crown Victoria was redesigned to share the rear roofline (and much of

882-571: The Volvo S40 . Differences between shared models typically involve styling, including headlights , tail lights, and front and rear fascias . Examples also involve differing engines and drivetrains . In some cases such as the Lexus ES that is a Toyota Camry, "same car, same blueprints, same skeleton off the same assembly line in the same factory", but the Lexus is marketed with premium coffee in

931-491: The dealership's showroom and reduced greens fees at Pebble Beach Golf Links as part of the higher-priced badge. Platform sharing may be less noticeable now; however, it is still very apparent. Vehicle architectures primarily consist of "under the skin" components, and shared platforms can show up in unusual places, like the Nissan FM platform -mates Nissan 350Z marketed as a sports car and Infiniti FX positioned as

980-422: The 2003 chassis redesign of the Panther platform, during most of the 2000s, Ford Motor Company began consideration of design efforts towards a rear-wheel-drive successor to the chassis architecture. Intended for release by the end of the 2000s, an all-new platform would be the first truly new rear-wheel-drive full-size chassis from Ford in three decades; another key objective was to consolidate the Panther chassis and

1029-583: The Continental, Town Car, and Continental Mark VI used the same powertrain as the LTD and Marquis. Following the introduction of the Panther platform, Ford underwent an extensive revision of both its full-size and mid-size model ranges in the early 1980s. For 1981, Lincoln made the Town Car and four-door Continental Mark VI its full-size model line to reduce its model overlap, with the Continental later becoming

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1078-508: The Lincoln Town Car was assembled by St. Thomas Assembly. After a short production run of 2012 vehicles for export, St. Thomas Assembly produced the final Ford Crown Victoria on 15 September 2011, the final vehicle produced by the facility and the final vehicle of the Panther platform. The Panther platform utilized the body-on-frame construction with live rear-axle suspension. While commonplace during its late-1970s introduction, it

1127-522: The Mercury was styled as a more contemporary version of its predecessor (a formal family sedan). In 1991, the 4.6L SOHC Modular V8 debuted under the hood of the Lincoln Town Car. It was the replacement for both the 302 and 351 cubic-inch Windsor V8 engines; in 1992, it became available in the Crown Victoria and Grand Marquis. Although the torque peak for the Modular V8 was 1,200 rpm higher than for

1176-422: The Panther cars in order to keep them in production. Bucking industry trends of the time, Ford chose not to downsize it any further or to replace it entirely with a front-wheel-drive platform, opting instead for more aerodynamic bodystyling (which had been popularized by the smaller Taurus) and an all-new powertrain. As a result of changing market trends towards minivans and sport utility vehicles , one casualty of

1225-491: The Panther platform is the sole generation produced in multiple body styles. 1981 was the sole year for the Town Car coupe with the two-door version of the Mark VI ending production after 1983. After 1987, two-door Ford and Mercury sedans were discontinued due to low demand. After 1991, the Ford LTD Country Squire and Mercury Colony Park station wagons were discontinued. Outside of the shift of nameplates in

1274-580: The Panther platform received its first addition of SRS airbags. The Town Car (shifting to the second generation) was designed with dual airbags; the LTD Crown Victoria, Grand Marquis, and station wagons were fitted with driver-side airbags. The first-generation Panther was also: The American automotive landscape had changed significantly throughout the 1980s, although Ford had left the Panther platform essentially unchanged. A combination of changing consumer tastes as well as increasingly more stringent fuel economy standards forced Ford to make significant changes to

1323-569: The concept vehicles reached production in their entirety, design elements of each vehicle appeared in multiple Ford and Lincoln sedans. For the 2005 model year, Ford introduced its first front-wheel-drive full-size chassis, the Ford D3 platform . Derived from a Volvo chassis architecture, the D3 chassis underpinned the Ford Five Hundred and Mercury Montego. While the latter was sold alongside

1372-504: The early 1980s, few fundamental changes were made to first-generation Panther-platform vehicles from 1979 to 1991. For 1980, Lincoln introduced the AOD 4-speed overdrive automatic transmission and fuel injection for the 5.0L V8, becoming available for Ford and Mercury in 1981 (Canadian Lincolns got fuel injection only in 1984). For 1988, the LTD Crown Victoria and Grand Marquis underwent a minor revision to improve exterior aerodynamics. For 1990,

1421-648: The entry-level luxury models are based on their mainstream lineup. For example, the Lexus ES is essentially an upgraded and rebadged Toyota Camry . After Daimler-Benz merged with Chrysler , Chrysler engineers used several M-B platforms for new models including the Crossfire which was based on the M-B SLK roadster . Other models that share platforms are the European Ford Focus , Mazda 3 , and

1470-732: The exception of the Police Interceptor Sedan, sales of the Taurus and MKS shifted from a high dependence on fleet customers to a higher proportion of retail sales. The Lincoln Town Car name made its return for livery customers, with Lincoln developing a livery/limousine variant of the Lincoln MKT with the MKT Town Car name. Automobile platform A car platform is a shared set of common design, engineering, and production efforts, as well as major components, over

1519-482: The exterior sheetmetal) with the Grand Marquis, which saw minor cosmetic changes itself. Underneath the sheetmetal, a Watt's linkage was added to the rear suspension (still a live rear axle) in an effort to improve handling. For 2003, Ford Chassis Engineer Trever Skilnick completely redesigned the frame of the Panther platform using a hydroformed steel frame and a bolt-in cast aluminum stressed member that held

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1568-534: The final Ford Crown Victoria was manufactured on September 15, 2011, ending production at St. Thomas Assembly. While the closure of the Mercury division would leave the Grand Marquis without a direct successor, by the end of production, Ford introduced functional replacements for the Crown Victoria/Police Interceptor and Lincoln Town Car (in the sixth-generation Ford Taurus /Police Interceptor Sedan and Lincoln MKS , respectively). With

1617-519: The final Grand Marquis was manufactured, becoming the final Mercury vehicle ever produced. During August, the final Lincoln Town Car was manufactured. For the 2012 model year, all Crown Victorias were produced for export; as the vehicle was not produced with stability control, it was no longer legal for sale in the United States or Canada. A short run of Crown Victorias were produced for GCC export (Middle East); intended for export to Saudi Arabia,

1666-468: The first car companies to use this product development approach was General Motors in 1908. General Motors used a single chassis for certain class of model across most of its brands like Chevrolet , Buick , Pontiac and Oldsmobile . Later, Chrysler Corporation would do the same for Plymouth , DeSoto and Dodge cars. Ford followed the same principle for Ford and Mercury in US markets. The chassis unit

1715-473: The first time, the LTD and Marquis shared a common wheelbase; with the exception of grilles and taillights, the two model lines shared nearly identical bodywork. As before, two-door, four-door, and station wagon bodies were offered. For 1980, federal fuel-economy regulations forced the Lincoln Continental to adopt the Panther platform. While built on its own wheelbase and using its own bodywork,

1764-497: The frame without compromising chassis strength. Although introduced in 1978, the Panther platform underwent major changes along the way. Across its design life, it was produced in three distinct generations: For 1979, Ford introduced the Panther platform, downsizing the Ford LTD and Mercury Marquis model ranges. Along with an extensive reduction in exterior footprint and weight, the Panther platform saw several other changes. For

1813-683: The larger Grand Marquis, the Five Hundred was phased in as a replacement for both the Ford Taurus and Crown Victoria. By 2007, the Crown Victoria was supported nearly entirely by fleet sales, outselling only the Ford GT in retail sales. After the 2007 model year, Ford ended retail sales of the Crown Victoria, with the Five Hundred renamed as the Ford Taurus; further retail sales were adopted by Lincoln-Mercury. As part of The Way Forward , Lincoln Town Car production shifted from Wixom Assembly and

1862-696: The letter "K" to indicate their shared platform. In later stages, the "K" platform was extended in wheelbase, as well as use for several of the Corporation's different models. In the same decade, Fiat and Saab jointly developed cars using the Type Four platform to compete with the German-dominated European executive car segment. General Motors used similar strategies with its "J" platform that debuted in mid-1981 in four of GM's divisions. Subsequently, GM introduced its "A" bodies for

1911-594: The longest-produced platforms in North American automotive history. Developed as a successor to the 1969 Ford chassis, the rear-wheel-drive, body-on-frame Panther platform was used by the Ford and Lincoln-Mercury brands. While produced exclusively as four-door sedans from 1992 to 2012, prior to its first update, the chassis underpinned two-door sedans and five-door station wagons. Throughout its entire production life, all Panther-platform vehicles were equipped with

1960-528: The new chassis was reviewed favorably by journalist Dan Neil of The Wall Street Journal . For 2003, Mercury introduced the Marauder , a high-performance variant of the Grand Marquis. Designed in a similar fashion as the 1994–1996 Chevrolet Impala SS (with black also being its most commonly available paint color), it featured the engine of the Ford Mustang Mach 1. The Marauder sold poorly; it

2009-515: The powertrain. The front and rear suspension were also completely overhauled in an effort to improve handling; rack-and-pinion steering replaced the recirculating-ball design. While the sheetmetal of the Crown Victoria carried over, the Grand Marquis and Town Car both received updates to the exterior and interior in an effort to bring them in line with the rest of their respective product lineups. The "Cast Aluminum #2" frame crossmember won Casting of The Year for Tier 1 supplier CMI (Hayes Lemmerz), and

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2058-606: The redesign was the Country Squire and Colony Park station wagons; at the time, their de facto replacement was the Ford Aerostar . In October 1989, Lincoln introduced the second-generation Town Car. In early 1991, the Crown Victoria (the LTD prefix disappeared) and Grand Marquis received total redesigns of their bodies for 1992. The Ford was restyled to have more of a family resemblance to the Ford Taurus , while

2107-663: The same chassis design at different years though the primary vehicle was still in production. In the United States, platform sharing has been a common practice since the 1960s. This was when GM used the same platform in the development of the Pontiac LeMans , the Buick Skylark , the Chevrolet Chevelle , and the Oldsmobile Cutlass . In the 1980s, Chrysler 's K-cars all wore a badge with

2156-399: The same components can vary, leading to different degrees of structural equality and platform similarity: The remaining vehicle parts are categorised into "head" parts and system parts: Platform sharing facilitates the efficient production and development of vehicles by leveraging common components across different models, thereby reducing costs and enhancing operational efficiency. One of

2205-459: The same four divisions using the same tread width/wheelbase of the "X" body platform, but with larger bodywork to make the cars seem larger, and with larger trunk compartments. They were popular through the 1980s, primarily. Even Cadillac started offering a "J" body model called the Cimarron , a much gussied-up version of the other four brands' platform siblings. A similar strategy applied to what

2254-581: The slightly smaller EA169 platform of Ford Australia (underpinning the Ford Falcon sedan and Ford Territory wagon, with the long-wheelbase Ford Fairlane/LTD nearly matching the Crown Victoria/Grand Marquis in wheelbase). During the mid-2000s, Ford debuted several concept vehicles (Ford 427, Lincoln MKR , and Ford Interceptor ), previewing potential designs of rear-wheel drive Ford and Lincoln-Mercury full-size sedans. While none of

2303-406: Was common with many shared mechanical components while the exterior styling and interior trims were designed according to its individual brand and category. In recent years for monocoque chassis, platform-sharing combined with advanced and flexible-manufacturing technology enabled automakers to sharply reduce product development and changeover times, while modular design and assembly allow building

2352-620: Was consolidated with Ford and Mercury at St. Thomas Assembly in Canada. In January 2009, Ford announced that design efforts towards its global rear-wheel-drive platform were cancelled. The same year, Ford announced that 2011 marked the final year of the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, with production of a successor to follow for 2012. 2011 would slowly mark the phaseout of both Panther-platform production and of vehicle production at St. Thomas Assembly. On January 4,

2401-756: Was dropped after 2004 after just over 11,000 were built. In total, twelve vehicle nameplates were produced under the Panther platform, with the Ford LTD Crown Victoria, Ford Crown Victoria, Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, Lincoln Town Car, and Continental Mark VI produced exclusively on the architecture. 2-door sedan 4-door sedan 5-door station wagon [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Following

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