Can someone explain to me this phenomenon that ive noticed with JDM cars. There are a lot of japanese cars that are almost exactly the same but have different model names and are treated like completely different models. For example the Toyota Mark II/Chaser (Pictured), Nissan Leopard/Gloria, Honda Vigor/inspire and more. These cars have only very minor differences, but othervise are exactly the same, and are built/sold at the same time. I just dont get why wouldnt they be just different trim levels of the same model, instead of different models entirely with their own trim levels. Also why is this trend only with JDM cars, i havent noticed this with Euro/US cars.
by turbodaihatsu
6 Comments
Idk, but I love my Mark II. Chasers are just a different trim, slight differences, was supposed to be the performance model.
The Wikipedia articles for each of the cars you referenced explains the differences and reasoning pretty clearly, so I’d suggest reading them. Specifically, the article for the Mark II sums up the basic idea and reasoning behind the naming conventions chosen for different cars based on similar platforms…
“Each member of the Mark II family supposedly had different characteristics—the Chaser was a pillared hardtop geared towards sporty driving, the Cresta was a stylish opulent luxury sedan, and the Mark II was a traditional luxury sedan.”
The oems have different branches of dealership networks, and each would get their own version of the car to sell. You’d never see a Sprinter Trueno and Corolla Levin at the same dealership for example.
why does Chevy sell a Silverado while GMC sells a Sierra?
90’s will always be peak automotive
US manufacturers definitely do it. Lincoln/Ford/Mercury always did and Ford/Lincoln still do.
Chevy/GMC/Pontiac/Oldsmobile/Saturn/Cadillac all did and the brand’s that still exist still don’t as well.