58-401: The Subaru Global Platform ( スバルグローバルプラットフォーム ) , abbreviated as SGP , is the modular unibody automobile platform for nearly all models manufactured by Subaru , starting with the fifth-generation Subaru Impreza in 2016. The primary dynamic benefits of SGP compared to prior Subaru platforms were improved strength, increased rigidity, and a lowered center of gravity. In addition, moving to
116-593: A monocoque shell and more like a bowl. One thousand were produced. A key role in developing the unitary body was played by the American firm the Budd Company, now ThyssenKrupp Budd . Budd supplied pressed-steel bodywork, fitted to separate frames, to automakers Dodge , Ford , Buick , and the French company, Citroën . In 1930, Joseph Ledwinka , an engineer with Budd, designed an automobile prototype with
174-478: A "U" and may be either right-side-up or inverted, with the open area facing down. They are not commonly used due to weakness and a propensity to rust. However, they can be found on 1936–1954 Chevrolet cars and some Studebakers . Abandoned for a while, the hat frame regained popularity when companies started welding it to the bottom of unibody cars, effectively creating a boxed frame. Originally, boxed frames were made by welding two matching C-rails together to form
232-420: A common platform made production more flexible and efficient; existing production lines could shift to meet demand by producing different models without significant reconfiguration, and common parts could be reused between models. As of 2021, SGP underpins all of the vehicles built and sold by Subaru. The WRX , debuting its second generation on September 10, 2021 for model year 2022, was the last model to move to
290-630: A derivative of the original Legacy platform, last significantly renewed with the introduction of the fourth generation Legacy in the early 2000s. The Legacy -derived platform was given the SI chassis ( SIシャシー ) (SUBARU Intelligent-Chassis) designation in 2007; the 'SI chassis' featured a fully-independent suspension, with front struts and rear double wishbones . SGP retains the same basic front strut/rear wishbone suspension as 'SI chassis', with refinements to improve rigidity. Fifth-generation Impreza project general manager Kazuhiro Abe stated that moving to SGP
348-540: A full unitary construction. Citroën purchased this fully unitary body design for the Citroën Traction Avant . This high-volume, mass-production car was introduced in 1934 and sold 760,000 units over the next 23 years of production. This application was the first iteration of the modern structural integration of body and chassis, using spot welded deeply stamped steel sheets into a structural cage, including sills, pillars, and roof beams. In addition to
406-516: A future electric car being developed using SGP, Subaru and Toyota announced in June 2019 they would jointly develop a C-segment battery electric SUV on a new platform; in December 2020, Subaru confirmed the forthcoming SUV would be based on the e-TNGA platform instead of SGP. Production efficiencies for SGP-based models could be realized by manufacturing platform components for different models at
464-470: A ladder frame, but the middle sections of the frame rails sit outboard of the front and rear rails, routed around the passenger footwells, inside the rocker and sill panels. This allowed the floor pan to be lowered, especially the passenger footwells, lowering the passengers' seating height and thereby reducing both the roof-line and overall vehicle height, as well as the center of gravity, thus improving handling and road-holding in passenger cars. This became
522-420: A ladder, the ladder frame is one of the oldest, simplest, and most frequently used under-body, separate chassis/frame designs. It consists of two symmetrical beams, rails, or channels, running the length of the vehicle, connected by several transverse cross-members. Initially seen on almost all vehicles, the ladder frame was gradually phased out on cars in favor of perimeter frames and unitized body construction. It
580-560: A lightweight, multi-tubular, triangulated frame over which an aerodynamic aluminum body was crafted. In 1994, the Audi A8 was the first mass-market car with an aluminium chassis, made feasible by integrating an aluminium space-frame into the bodywork. Audi A8 models have since used this construction method co-developed with Alcoa , and marketed as the Audi Space Frame . The Italian term Superleggera (meaning 'super-light')
638-525: A more lightweight construction. In the case of a separate chassis, the frame is made up of structural elements called the rails or beams . These are ordinarily made of steel channel sections by folding, rolling, or pressing steel plate. There are three main designs for these. If the material is folded twice, an open-ended cross-section, either C-shaped or hat-shaped (U-shaped), results. "Boxed" frames contain closed chassis rails, either by welding them up or by using premanufactured metal tubing . By far
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#1732801370420696-472: A platform frame. The frame of the Citroën 2CV used a minimal interpretation of a platform chassis under its body. In a (tubular) spaceframe chassis, the suspension, engine, and body panels are attached to a three-dimensional skeletal frame of tubes, and the body panels have limited or no structural function. To maximize rigidity and minimize weight, the design frequently makes maximum use of triangles, and all
754-437: A rectangular tube. Modern techniques, however, use a process similar to making C-rails in that a piece of steel is bent into four sides and then welded where both ends meet. In the 1960s, the boxed frames of conventional American cars were spot-welded in multiple places down the seam; when turned into NASCAR "stock car" racers, the box was continuously welded from end to end for extra strength. While appearing at first glance as
812-686: A simple form made of metal, frames encounter significant stress and are built accordingly. The first issue addressed is "beam height", or the height of the vertical side of a frame. The taller the frame, the better it can resist vertical flex when force is applied to the top of the frame. This is the reason semi-trucks have taller frame rails than other vehicles instead of just being thicker. As looks, ride quality, and handling became more important to consumers, new shapes were incorporated into frames. The most visible of these are arches and kick-ups. Instead of running straight over both axles , arched frames sit lower—roughly level with their axles—and curve up over
870-456: A subframe). The unibody is now the preferred construction for mass-market automobiles. This design provides weight savings, improved space utilization, and ease of manufacture. Acceptance grew dramatically in the wake of the two energy crises of the 1970s and that of the 2000s in which compact SUVs using a truck platform (primarily the USA market) were subjected to CAFE standards after 2005 (by
928-584: A unitary body with no separate frame, the Traction Avant also featured other innovations such as front-wheel drive . The result was a low-slung vehicle with an open, flat-floored interior. For the Chrysler Airflow (1934–1937), Budd supplied a variation – three main sections from the Airflow's body were welded into what Chrysler called a bridge-truss construction. Unfortunately, this method
986-543: A weaker-than-usual frame and body framework welded to the chassis to provide stiffness, in 1960, Chrysler moved from body-on-frame construction to a unit-body design for most of its cars. Most of the American-manufactured unibody automobiles used torque boxes in their vehicle design to reduce vibrations and chassis flex, except for the Chevy II , which had a bolt-on front apron (erroneously referred to as
1044-405: Is a modular automobile platform that underpins various Toyota and Lexus models, starting with the fourth-generation Prius in late 2015. TNGA platforms accommodate different vehicle sizes and also front- , rear- , and all-wheel drive configurations. The platforms were developed as part of a company-wide effort to simplify the vehicles being produced by Toyota. Before the introduction of
1102-480: Is known as body-on-frame . By the 1960s, unibody construction in passenger cars had become common, and the trend to unibody for passenger cars continued over the ensuing decades. Nearly all trucks , buses, and most pickups continue to use a separate frame as their chassis. The main functions of a frame in a motor vehicle are: Typically, the material used to construct vehicle chassis and frames include carbon steel for strength or aluminum alloys to achieve
1160-404: Is now "considered standard in the industry". By 1960, the unitized body design was used by Detroit's Big Three on their compact cars ( Ford Falcon , Plymouth Valiant , and Chevrolet Corvair ). After Nash merged with Hudson Motors to form American Motors Corporation , its Rambler-badged automobiles continued exclusively building variations of the unibody. Although the 1934 Chrysler Airflow had
1218-408: Is now seen mainly on large trucks. This design offers good beam resistance because of its continuous rails from front to rear, but poor resistance to torsion or warping if simple, perpendicular cross-members are used. The vehicle's overall height will be greater due to the floor pan sitting above the frame instead of inside it. A backbone chassis is a type of automotive construction with chassis that
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#17328013704201276-459: Is offered in both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive variants and is paired with a longitudinal engine . The platform also supports a wheelbase length of 2,870–3,125 mm (113.0–123.0 in). The Crown was also produced with a narrow version at 1,800 mm (70.9 in) wide. The TNGA-L replaces the older N platform . Vehicles using platform (calendar years): e-TNGA is a modular platform dedicated to battery electric vehicles , which
1334-458: Is paired with a transverse engine. The platform also supports a wheelbase length of 2,690–3,060 mm (105.9–120.5 in). The TNGA-K replaces the older K platform . Vehicles using platform (calendar years): The TNGA-L platform underpins unibody vehicles in the E-segment or executive car , F-segment or full-size luxury car , and S-segment or grand tourer categories. The platform
1392-407: Is similar to the body-on-frame design. Instead of a relatively flat, ladder-like structure with two longitudinal, parallel frame rails, it consists of a central, strong tubular backbone (usually rectangular in cross-section) that carries the power-train and connects the front and rear suspension attachment structures. Although the backbone is frequently drawn upward into, and mostly above the floor of
1450-497: Is sometimes also referred to as a monocoque structure, because the car's outer skin and panels are made load-bearing, there are still ribs, bulkheads, and box sections to reinforce the body, making the description semi-monocoque more appropriate. The first attempt to develop such a design technique was on the 1922 Lancia Lambda to provide structural stiffness and a lower body height for its torpedo car body. The Lambda had an open layout with unstressed roof, which made it less of
1508-507: Is still used in modern-day sport utility vehicles such as the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Land Rover Defender . This design is also used in large vans such as Ford Transit , VW Crafter and Mercedes Sprinter . A subframe is a distinct structural frame component, to reinforce or complement a particular section of a vehicle's structure. Typically attached to a unibody or a monocoque, the rigid subframe can handle great forces from
1566-536: The C-segment or compact car , subcompact/ compact crossover SUV , and compact / mid-size MPV categories. The platform is offered in both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive variants and is paired with a transverse engine. The platform also supports a wheelbase length of 2,640–2,850 mm (103.9–112.2 in). The TNGA-C replaces the older MC/New MC platforms . Vehicles using platform (calendar years): The TNGA-F platform underpins body-on-frame vehicles in
1624-544: The Hornets and all-wheel-drive Eagles for a new type of frame called the "Uniframe [...] a robust stamped steel frame welded to a strong unit-body structure, giving the strength of a conventional heavy frame with the weight advantages of Unibody construction." This design was also used with the XJC concept developed by American Motors before its absorption by Chrysler, which later became the Jeep Grand Cherokee (ZJ) . The design
1682-494: The 1967–1981 GM F platform , the numerous years and models built on the GM X platform (1962) , GM's M/L platform vans (Chevrolet Astro/GMC Safari, which included an all-wheel drive variant), and the unibody AMC Pacer that incorporated a front subframe to isolate the passenger compartment from the engine, suspension, and steering loads. Toyota New Global Architecture The Toyota New Global Architecture (abbreviated as TNGA )
1740-527: The SGP. Models built by other manufacturers and rebadged by Subaru (such as the Justy and kei car models), and the jointly-developed Subaru BRZ / Toyota 86 do not use the SGP, although the platform for the second-generation BRZ/86 has been influenced by SGP. SGP is the first completely new platform for Subaru since the development of the first generation Legacy in the late 1980s; subsequent Subaru vehicles used
1798-789: The TNGA, Toyota was building roughly 100 different platform variants. As of 2020 , the five TNGA platforms underpin more than 50% of Toyota vehicles sold worldwide and is expected to underpin about 80% by 2023. Each platform is based on a standardized seat height that allows for sharing of key interior components such as steering systems, shifters, pedals, seat frames and airbags. These components are often less visible, allowing for cars that share platforms to have unique interiors. Compared to Toyota's older platforms, TNGA costs 20 percent less to produce while offering increased chassis stiffness, lower centers of gravity for better handling and lower hood cowls for better forward visibility. The TNGA platform
Subaru Global Platform - Misplaced Pages Continue
1856-455: The addition of a chassis. The terms "unibody" and "unit-body" are short for "unitized body", "unitary construction", or alternatively (fully) integrated body and frame/chassis. It is defined as: A type of body/frame construction in which the body of the vehicle, its floor plan and chassis form a single structure. Such a design is generally lighter and more rigid than a vehicle having a separate body and frame. Vehicle structure has shifted from
1914-431: The axles and then back down on the other side for bumper placement. Kick-ups do the same thing without curving down on the other side and are more common on the front ends. Another feature are the tapered rails that narrow vertically or horizontally in front of a vehicle's cabin. This is done mainly on trucks to save weight and slightly increase room for the engine since the front of the vehicle does not bear as much load as
1972-479: The back. Design developments include frames that use multiple shapes in the same frame rail. For example, some pickup trucks have a boxed frame in front of the cab, shorter, narrower rails underneath the cab, and regular C-rails under the bed. On perimeter frames, the areas where the rails connect from front to center and center to rear are weak compared to regular frames, so that section is boxed in, creating what are called "torque boxes". Named for its resemblance to
2030-662: The components needs to be stamped with ridges and hollows to give it strength. Platform chassis were used on several successful European cars, most notably the Volkswagen Beetle , where it was called "body-on-pan" construction. Another German example are the Mercedes-Benz "Ponton" cars of the 1950s and 1960s, where it was called a "frame floor" in English-language advertisements. The French Renault 4 , of which over eight million were made, also used
2088-435: The engine and drive train. It can transfer them evenly to a wide area of relatively thin sheet metal of a unitized body shell. Subframes are often found at the front or rear end of cars and are used to attach the suspension to the vehicle. A subframe may also contain the engine and transmission . It normally has pressed or box steel construction but may be tubular and/or other material. Examples of passenger car use include
2146-537: The forces in each strut are either tensile or compressive, never bending, so they can be kept as thin as possible. The first true spaceframe chassis were produced in the 1930s by Buckminster Fuller and William Bushnell Stout (the Dymaxion and the Stout Scarab ) who understood the theory of the true spaceframe from either architecture or aircraft design. The 1951 Jaguar C-Type racing sports car utilized
2204-446: The internal "Toyota Compact Car Company", the platform is offered in both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive variants and is paired with a transverse engine . The platform also supports a wheelbase length of 2,430–2,750 mm (95.7–108.3 in), while only supports three-cylinder engines. The TNGA-B replaces the older B platform . Vehicles using platform (calendar years): The TNGA-C platform underpins unibody vehicles in
2262-560: The late 2000s truck-based compact SUVs were phased out and replaced with crossovers). An additional advantage of a strong-bodied car lies in the improved crash protection for its passengers. American Motors (with its partner Renault ) during the late 1970s incorporated unibody construction when designing the Jeep Cherokee (XJ) platform using the manufacturing principles (unisides, floorplan with integrated frame rails and crumple zones, and roof panel) used in its passenger cars, such as
2320-548: The main body. It was so successful that the Soviet post-war mass produced GAZ-M20 Pobeda of 1946 copied unibody structure from the Opel Kapitän. Later Soviet limousine GAZ-12 ZIM of 1950 introduced unibody design to automobiles with a wheelbase as long as 3.2 m (126 in). The streamlined 1936 Lincoln-Zephyr with conventional front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout utilized a unibody structure. By 1941, unit construction
2378-522: The mid- and full-size SUV and mid- and full-size pickup truck categories. It supports a wheelbase length of 2,850–4,180 mm (112.2–164.6 in). Vehicles using platform (calendar years): The TNGA-K platform underpins unibody vehicles in the D-segment or mid-size car , E-segment or full-size car , compact/ mid-size crossover SUV , and large MPV categories. The platform is offered in both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive variants and
Subaru Global Platform - Misplaced Pages Continue
2436-492: The most common, the C-channel rail has been used on nearly every type of vehicle at one time or another. It is made by taking a flat piece of steel (usually ranging in thickness from 1/8" to 3/16", but up to 1/2" or more in some heavy-duty trucks ) and rolling both sides over to form a C-shaped beam running the length of the vehicle. C-channel is typically more flexible than (fully) boxed of the same gauge. Hat frames resemble
2494-432: The new BRZ. The first-generation BRZ/86 had used an SI chassis-derived platform. Vehicle frame#Unibody A vehicle frame , also historically known as its chassis , is the main supporting structure of a motor vehicle to which all other components are attached, comparable to the skeleton of an organism. Until the 1930s, virtually every car had a structural frame separate from its body. This construction design
2552-587: The overall height of the vehicles regardless of the increase in the size of the transmission and propeller shaft humps since each row had to cover frame rails as well. Several models had the differential located not by the customary bar between axle and frame, but by a ball joint atop the differential connected to a socket in a wishbone hinged onto a crossmember of the frame. The X-frame was claimed to improve on previous designs, but it lacked side rails and thus did not provide adequate side impact and collision protection. Perimeter frames replaced this design. Similar to
2610-472: The passenger compartment. Subaru claim the SGP enhances vehicle "dynamic feel" with specific benefits to: In addition, both passive and active safety features are improved; SGP has a lower center of gravity, allowing more agile handling and enhancing crash avoidance, and uses high-tensile steel, enabling the structure to absorb 40% more impact energy compared to prior models. SGP is also equipped with pedestrian protection airbags in certain markets. Crash tests of
2668-505: The prevalent design for body-on-frame cars in the United States, but not in the rest of the world, until the unibody gained popularity. For example, Hudson introduced this construction on their 3rd generation Commodore models in 1948. This frame type allowed for annual model changes , and lower cars, introduced in the 1950s to increase sales – without costly structural changes. The Ford Panther platform , discontinued in 2011,
2726-505: The same factory, and the same line could be used to assemble multiple models. Vehicles using platform (calendar years): The second-generation Subaru BRZ/Toyota GR86 , jointly developed with Toyota , uses neither the SGP nor the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) platform, but the "knowledge and techniques" gained from the development of SGP were credited with increasing chassis rigidity and stiffness for
2784-648: The traditional body-on-frame architecture to the lighter unitized/integrated body structure that is now used for most cars. Integral frame and body construction requires more than simply welding an unstressed body to a conventional frame. In a fully integrated body structure, the entire car is a load-carrying unit that handles all the loads experienced by the vehicle – forces from driving and cargo loads. Integral-type bodies for wheeled vehicles are typically manufactured by welding preformed metal panels and other components together, by forming or casting whole sections as one piece, or by combining these techniques. Although this
2842-453: The transition areas from front to center and center to rear reduce beam and torsional resistance and is used in combination with torque boxes and soft suspension settings. This is a modification of the perimeter frame, or of the backbone frame, in which the passenger compartment floor, and sometimes the luggage compartment floor, have been integrated into the frame as loadbearing parts for strength and rigidity. The sheet metal used to assemble
2900-615: The updated models using SGP led Euro NCAP to declare the Impreza and XV (2017, small family car) and Forester (2019, small off-road/MPV) had performed the best in their respective classes of all automobiles tested in those years. JNCAP also awarded the Impreza, XV, and Forester with its Grand Prix Award for collision safety performance assessment in those years. SGP was designed to allow different drivetrains to be fitted, including conventional internal combustion engines, hybrid gasoline/electric, and battery-electric. Although initial plans had
2958-433: The vehicle, the body is still placed on or over (sometimes straddling) this structure from above. This is the design used for the full-size American models of General Motors in the late 1950s and early 1960s in which the rails from alongside the engine seemed to cross in the passenger compartment, each continuing to the opposite end of the crossmember at the extreme rear of the vehicle. It was specifically chosen to decrease
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#17328013704203016-606: Was a generational change comparable to the shift from the Leone to the Legacy. The fifth-generation Impreza was developed over four years and at a cost of US$ 1 billion, a significant fraction of which went to developing SGP. Structural adhesives are used to join the floor panel and side members. Hot rolled steel in the 590 MPa (86 ksi) strength class is used in the side members and sills, and pillars, reinforced with 1,470 MPa (213 ksi) strength class steel to protect
3074-520: Was announced in October 2019. Internally known as the 40PL platform, the platform will enable offering various type and size of vehicles, different battery capacity and with front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive or dual motor all-wheel drive. This vehicle architecture is partitioned into five modules. These are the front module, center module, rear module, battery and motor. Up to three versions of each module are in development, including three capacities for
3132-575: Was developed alongside the Dynamic Force engine , which similarly is replacing more than 800 engine variants with a much simpler lineup of 17 versions of nine engines. Toyota is also simplifying its lineup of transmissions, hybrid systems, and all-wheel drive systems. The TNGA-B platform underpins unibody vehicles in the A-segment or city car , B-segment or subcompact car , subcompact crossover SUV , and mini MPV categories. Developed by
3190-449: Was no longer a new idea for cars, "but it was unheard of in the [American] low-price field [and] Nash wanted a bigger share of that market." The single unit-body construction of the Nash 600 provided weight savings and Nash's Chairman and CEO, George W. Mason was convinced "that unibody was the wave of the future." Since then, more cars were redesigned to the unibody structure, which
3248-515: Was not ideal because the panel fits were poor. To convince a skeptical public of the strength of unibody, both Citroën and Chrysler created advertising films showing cars surviving after being pushed off a cliff. Opel was the second European and the first German car manufacturer to produce a car with a unibody structure – production of the compact Olympia started in 1935. A larger Kapitän went into production in 1938, although its front longitudinal beams were stamped separately and then attached to
3306-432: Was one of the last perimeter frame passenger car platforms in the United States. The fourth to seventh generation Chevrolet Corvette used a perimeter frame integrated with an internal skeleton that serves as a clamshell. In addition to a lowered roof, the perimeter frame allows lower seating positions when that is desirable, and offers better safety in the event of a side impact. However, the design lacks stiffness because
3364-508: Was trademarked by Carrozzeria Touring for lightweight sports-car body construction that only resembles a space-frame chassis. Using a three-dimensional frame that consists of a cage of narrow tubes that, besides being under the body, run up the fenders and over the radiator, cowl, and roof, and under the rear window, it resembles a geodesic structure . A skin is attached to the outside of the frame, often made of aluminum. This body construction is, however, not stress-bearing and still requires
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