The Volkswagen Group A platform is an automobile platform shared among compact and mid-size cars of the Volkswagen Group. It debuted in 1974 and was originally based on the engineering concept of the Volkswagen Golf Mk1, and is applicable to either front- or four-wheel drive vehicles, using only front-mounted transverse engines. The platform code is composed as follows: The A platform has been superseded by the MQB platform for new models, with the exception of a few models only sold in certain markets.