The General Motors

General Motors

General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...

 G platform (also called G-Body) automobile platform

Automobile platform

An automobile platform is a shared set of common design, engineering, and production efforts, as well as major components over a number of outwardly distinct models and even types of automobiles, often from different, but related marques...

 designation was used for front-wheel drive

Front-wheel drive

Front-wheel drive is a form of engine/transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitudinal engine arrangement generally found in rear-wheel drive and...

 full-sized

Full-size car

A full-size car is a marketing term used in North America for an automobile larger than a mid-size car. In the United States, the EPA uses "large car" to denote full-size cars....

 luxury cars between 1995 and 2003. It is related to the C

GM C platform

The General Motors C platform was an automobile platform designation used for full sized luxury cars until 2005.-Rear wheel drive:...

, H

GM H platform (FWD)

The H platform, or H-body designates a General Motors front wheel drive full-sized automobile platform beginning in 1986. It is related to the C, G and K platforms.Previously the H platform designation was used for unrelated rear-wheel drive compact cars....

, and K

GM K platform (FWD)

The General Motors K platform was an automobile platform designation used for front wheel drive Cadillac models beginning in 1980. It replaced the rear wheel drive K platform....

 platforms.

Previously General Motors used the GM G platform (RWD)

GM G platform (RWD)

The General Motors G platform was an automobile platform designation used for mid-sized rear wheel drive cars first from 1969-1972 and again from 1982 to 1988....

 designation for unrelated mid-sized

Mid-size car

A mid-size car is the North American/Australian standard for an automobile with a size equal to or greater than that of a compact...

 cars.

The G-body (the GMX690) was based on Cadillac

Cadillac

Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...

's K-body

GM K platform

The General Motors K platform was the basis of the Cadillac Seville model over two entirely different automobile platforms.* 1970s GM K platform * 1980– GM K platform...

 architecture. The Buick Riviera

Buick Riviera

The Riviera by Buick is an automobile produced by Buick in the United States from the 1963 to 1999 model years, with 1,127,261 produced.A full-size coupé or personal luxury car, the early models of the Riviera in particular have been highly praised by automotive journalists and writers.A common...

 2-door coupe

Coupé

A coupé or coupe is a closed car body style , the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...

 moved up from the GM E platform

GM E platform

The General Motors E platform or E-Body was the automobile platform designation used for a number of personal luxury cars produced from 1963 to 2002...

, while the Oldsmobile Aurora

Oldsmobile Aurora

The Oldsmobile Aurora was a full-size sports sedan made by the Oldsmobile division of General Motors and launched in 1995. The Aurora rode on the same Cadillac-derived G platform as the 2-door Buick Riviera....

 4-door sedan was a new model. In 2000, the G-body was used as the basis for the revised GM H platform (FWD)

GM H platform (FWD)

The H platform, or H-body designates a General Motors front wheel drive full-sized automobile platform beginning in 1986. It is related to the C, G and K platforms.Previously the H platform designation was used for unrelated rear-wheel drive compact cars....

.

The G-body featured a four-wheel independent suspension

Independent suspension

Independent suspension is a broad term for any automobile suspension system that allows each wheel on the same axle to move vertically independently of each other. This is contrasted with a beam axle, live axle or deDion axle system in which the wheels are linked – movement on one side affects...

 and an extremely resilient structure. For its time, the G-body was one of the strongest unibody car frames in production (25Hz). This fact did not go untouted as GM literature made light of the need to use a 'frame crusher' designed to test heavy-duty truck frames to finally break the G-body structure in their crush-to-failure procedures.

Vehicles

Years	Wheelbase	Model	Previous platform	Next platform
1995–1999	113.8 in	Buick Riviera Buick Riviera The Riviera by Buick is an automobile produced by Buick in the United States from the 1963 to 1999 model years, with 1,127,261 produced.A full-size coupé or personal luxury car, the early models of the Riviera in particular have been highly praised by automotive journalists and writers.A common...	GM E platform GM E platform The General Motors E platform or E-Body was the automobile platform designation used for a number of personal luxury cars produced from 1963 to 2002...	Retired
1995–1999	113.8 in	Oldsmobile Aurora Oldsmobile Aurora The Oldsmobile Aurora was a full-size sports sedan made by the Oldsmobile division of General Motors and launched in 1995. The Aurora rode on the same Cadillac-derived G platform as the 2-door Buick Riviera....		Revised G-platform
2001–2003	112.2 in	Oldsmobile Aurora Oldsmobile Aurora The Oldsmobile Aurora was a full-size sports sedan made by the Oldsmobile division of General Motors and launched in 1995. The Aurora rode on the same Cadillac-derived G platform as the 2-door Buick Riviera....	GM G platform	Retired