Badge engineering
From Wikislippy
Badge engineering is a term that describes the rebadging of one product (especially cars) as another. Due to the high cost of designing and engineering a totally new model, or establishing a new brand (which may take many years for it to gain acceptance), it is often more cost effective to rebadge a single product multiple times.
Badge engineering is common, but it should not be confused with platform sharing within a company. Platform sharing is different from rebadging, as an automobile platform may be used in many different ways and applications, such as using a single platform to produce and sell a sedan and an SUV. Two such products are legitimately different automobiles, whereas badge engineering involves the sale of essentially a single vehicle.
However, excessive badge engineering can be problematic for car companies, and even detrimental (Plymouth and Eagle are examples). Having a single car sold under multiple identities may hamper overall sales, and can make marketing become difficult. It may also be a problem for a manufacturer to distinguish the differences between two models without damaging the reputation of either.
[edit] Examples
- Chevrolet Aveo, Chevrolet Kalos, Holden Barina, Pontiac Wave, Suzuki Swift, and Daewoo Kalos
- Chevrolet Cavalier, Cadillac Cimarron, and Toyota Cavalier
- GMC Yukon, Chevrolet Tahoe, and Cadillac Escalade
- Saturn Astra, Opel Astra, and Holden Astra
- Oldsmobile Silhouette, Opel Sintra, and Pontiac Montana
- Dodge Shadow and Plymouth Sundance
- Dodge Caravan, Chrysler Town and Country, anf Volkswagen Routan.
- Ford Ranger and Mazda B-Series
- Geo Metro, Chevrolet Sprint, and Pontiac Firefly
- Mitsubishi Eclipse, Eagle Talon, and Plymouth Laser
- Mitsubishi 3000GT, Mitsubishi GTO, and Dodge Stealth
- Toyota Matrix, Pontiac Vibe, and Toyota Voltz
[edit] Joke
- Guy: I would like to buy a Chevrolet Aveo.
- Seller: We have one right over there.
- Guy: That's a Daewoo!
- Seller takes off the Daewoo badge and replaces it with a Chevrolet badge.
- Seller: Now it's an Aveo.
