Ford D3 platform

Ford D3 Platform

Lincoln MKS, Former flagship model of Lincoln division
Overview
Manufacturer Ford Motor Company
Production Ford D3: 2005–present
Assembly Ford: Chicago, Illinois (Chicago Assembly)
Body and chassis
Class Mid-size car
Full-size car
Full-size luxury car
Layout Front-wheel drive, all-wheel drive
Body style(s) 4-door Sedan
5-door Station wagon
5-door Full-size CUV
5-door Mid-size SUV
Vehicles See listing
Related Ford D4 platform
Chronology
Predecessor Ford Panther platform
Ford D186 platform

The Ford D3 platform is a Ford global full-size unibody automobile platform. It is derived from Volvo's P2, designed by the automaker before its 1999 acquisition by Ford, and adaptable to front- or all wheel drive on a variety of wheelbases. Officially, the D3 serves as the replacement for the D186 platform; in terms of market position and interior volume, the D3 serves as the closest successor to the long-running vehicles of the Ford Panther platform.

Ford assembles all D3-platform vehicles at the Chicago Assembly plant in Chicago, Illinois, while Volvos are built at the company's Torslanda Works in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Overview

The Ford D3 platform differs slightly from the original configuration of the Volvo P2 architecture, primarily in its adoption of a common 112.9 inch wheelbase (a three-inch wheelbase stretch) for all variants. To reduce production costs, Ford Motor Company adopted steel suspension arms (in place of aluminum) and similar material cost-saving measures.

From 2005 to 2016, the Ford D3 platform has underpinned the Ford Five Hundred, Ford Taurus (fifth and sixth generations), Ford Taurus SHO, Ford Police Interceptor Sedan, Ford Freestyle (later Ford Taurus X), Mercury Montego, Mercury Sable, and Lincoln MKS.

D4

D4 is a revision of D3 unibody platform created to underpin crossover SUVs and adaptable to multiple wheelbases. It forms the basis of the Ford Flex and Lincoln MKT; in 2011, the Ford Explorer adopted the D4 architecture as it moved from a body-on-frame chassis.

Vehicles

Vehicle Name Image Production Bodystyle(s) Model Code Notes
D3 platform vehicles (Ford, Lincoln-Mercury)
Ford Five Hundred
Ford Taurus
2005–2007 (Five Hundred)
2008–2009 (Taurus)		 4-door sedan D258 Five-Hundred re-branded Taurus in 2008-2009 with upgraded powertrain.
Ford Taurus 2010–present 4-door sedan Also branded as Ford Taurus SHO and Ford Police Interceptor Sedan.
Ford Freestyle
Ford Taurus X
2005–2007 (Freestyle)
2008–2009 (Taurus X)		 5-door crossover SUV D219 Freestyle re-branded as Taurus X in 2008 with upgraded powertrain.
Mercury Montego
Mercury Sable
2005–2007
2008–2009		 4-door sedan D333 Montego re-branded as Sable in 2008 with upgraded powertrain.
2008 Sable was the last new car design introduced by Mercury brand.
Lincoln MKS 2009–2016 4-door sedan D385 Replaced by 2017 Lincoln Continental

Only Lincoln version of D3 sedan platform.

D4-platform vehicles (Ford, Lincoln)
Ford Flex 2009–present 5-door crossover SUV D471 Replaced Ford Taurus X.
Lincoln MKT 2010–present 5-door crossover SUV D472 Livery version branded as MKT Town Car.
Ford Explorer 2011–present 5-door crossover SUV U502 First version of the Explorer built with unibody construction.

Also branded as Ford Police Interceptor Utility.

Concept cars

Ford Explorer America (concept car)

References

    This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/6/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.