Automobile Desk: Modular Platform: Whenever a new car enters the market in the automobile industry, its attractive look, cabin design and cool features first attract people's attention. But do you know that two completely different looking vehicles parked in the same showroom can have the same soul, i.e. their underpinnings and basic structure? Nowadays, automakers are building hatchbacks, sedans and even compact SUVs on the same basic architecture without creating a new body for each car. This unique engineering approach is called 'shared platform' or 'modular architecture' in the automobile world.
If understood in simple words, it is like the foundation and pillars of an apartment. The scope of the pillars and floor plan remains fixed, but on top of that, the layout of the rooms, the width of the balcony and the interior decoration can be completely changed. Even in a car platform, the underbody structure of the vehicle, the basic scope of the wheelbase, front-to-rear axle ratio and suspension mounting points are predetermined. After this, designers and engineers create vehicles of different segments on this base by making desired changes in the length, width, ground clearance and body type of the vehicles.
The main reason for adopting this technology is to control the huge costs incurred in research, development and manufacturing. It takes years and billions of rupees of investment to design any new car platform from scratch, get it crash tested and set up an assembly line in the factory. If companies start making separate structures for each vehicle, then the prices of new vehicles will become out of reach of the common buyer. Using a single flexible platform enables bulk sourcing of parts, resulting in better deals from suppliers and cutting production times in half.
The biggest benefit of this entire process for the customers is that the advanced safety features, stability and electronics which were limited only to expensive and luxury vehicles, are now easily available in low-cost entry-level cars. Being built on the same strong and tested crash-safety architecture, the budget vehicles have seen a huge improvement in build quality and road holding capacity.
However, people often have this misconception that two cars built on the same platform will be exactly the same in driving. The reality is quite different from this. Car companies set wheel size, suspension damping, steering response and engine tuning differently according to the character of each model. Therefore, while a family sedan built on the same base will feel very soft and comfortable in terms of suspension, a sporty SUV built on the same platform may offer more stiff and aggressive handling on the road.
In this era of digital revolution, platforms are no longer limited to just iron chassis. Today automakers are creating 'skateboard architectures' and 'software-defined platforms'. The biggest advantage of these modern platforms is that vehicles with petrol-diesel engines, hybrid setups and pure electric (EV) battery packs can be manufactured simultaneously on the same assembly line. This gives auto companies the freedom to immediately update their models according to changing market demands.
