BMC did it better than anyone -Ahhh yes, the badge engineering! That was wildly popular.
Austin
Morris
Wolseley
Riley
MG
Vanden Plas
All those badges on one identical vehicle.
BMC did it better than anyone -Ahhh yes, the badge engineering! That was wildly popular.
My feelings exactly, except put into words much better than I could ever hope to do.SAAB made up for its small share with innovation.
It brought turbochargers to the mainstream in the late 70s, then refined them with electronic wastegate and knock control (APC).
Distributorless, direct ignition (SDI) and ionic combustion monitoring (Trionic).
IIRC, they also had cabin air filtration long before anyone else.
The market could benefit from the diversity and independent thinking that brands like SAAB brought.
All the mega OEMs chasing each other internally, and externally, in the market segmentation game, brings a kind of blandness to things.
When they all start from the same basic ingredients, and only differ in the seasonings and recipe amounts, it's harder to cook a standout meal.
Kind of like how every Pillsbury bread product has the same taste and smell, because they all use the same dough.
My first car was a Reliant!Ahhh yes, the badge engineering! That was wildly popular.
- Chevy Cavalier/Pontiac Sunfire/Cadillac Cimarron
- Ford Tempo/Mercury Topaz
- Ford Crown Vic/Mercury Grand Marquis/Lincoln Town Car (difference in trimmings with the Townie)
- Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable
- Ford Mustang/Mercury Capri
- Ford Explorer/Mercury Mountaineer
- Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute
- Chevy Camaro/Pontiac Trans-Am
- Chevy Monte Carlo/Buck Regal/Olds Cutlass/Pontiac Grand Prix (G-body cars)
- Dodge Grand Caravan/Chrysler Town and Country/Plymouth Voyager
- Dodge Aries/Plymouth Reliant/Chrysler LeBaron
And many, MANY more.
I like that "Real Chrysler" IdeaI can't pick just one.
Packard
Kaiser/Fraser
Real Chrysler
I like that "Real Chrysler" Idea