It’s no secret car-makers jointly develop new models, so here are five of the biggest collaborations right now
- 1. Ford Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok
- 2. Toyota GR 86 and Subaru BRZ
- 3. Isuzu D-MAX and Mazda BT-50
- 4. Hyundai IONIQ 5 and Kia EV6
- 5. BMW Z4 and Toyota Supra
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The co-development of new models by two or more car-makers is a cost-cutting practise that’s been employed in the auto industry for almost a century and is becoming even more common today.
Soaring development, raw material, production and shipping costs are forcing more original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to forge alliances with one another in a bid to reduce capital investment and produce cutting-edge vehicles at competitive prices while maintaining or increasing profit margins.
Sometimes these partnerships lead to ongoing industrial relationships and even cross-ownership of auto brands, such as the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance.
Indeed most jointly-developed vehicles emerge from brands under the same umbrella group or parent company, such as the Geely Group (Volvo, Lotus, Polestar, Zeekr, Geely), Hyundai Motor Group (Hyundai, Kia, Genesis) and the Volkswagen Group (VW, Audi, Porsche, Cupra, Skoda).
In most cases the end result is a wide range of models across multiple vehicle brands sharing the same chassis and electrical architectures but different body shells or ‘top hats’, such as Volkswagen’s ubiquitous MQB platform, which underpins everything from a Skoda Fabia to a VW Tiguan Allspace.
At the other end of the scale are ‘badge-engineered’ models that are carbon-copies of each other in every respect except their badges – remember the 1991 Holden VP Commodore and Toyota Lexcen? – and in between are multitudes of variations of the theme.
With this in mind, we thought we’d reel off five of highest-profile model collaborations on the market right now, many of which were forged specifically for these projects.
1. Ford Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok
News that the second-generation Volkswagen Amarok would be derived from the latest Ford Ranger sent shockwaves through the auto industry and ute customer base when it was first announced.
Whereas the original Amarok was an all-VW effort, this time around it shares pretty much everything with the Australian-developed Ranger including its T6 ladder frame, turbo-diesel engines, running gear, off-road hardware, body structure and overall cabin layout.
And although it’s not available in Australia’s Ranger, even the flagship Amarok Aventura TSI452’s turbo-petrol engine is pinched from the Ford Mustang.
Volkswagen has of course put its own spin on things by creating its own exterior design, sprucing up the cabin, applying its own chassis tune and including more standard equipment (at higher prices), but snuggling up with Ford has provides it with its own distinctive version of the best mid-size pick-up on the market right now, even if all new Amaroks are produced by Ford in South Africa and Australia’s Ranger continues to come from Thailand.
2. Toyota GR 86 and Subaru BRZ
The launch of the original Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ twins was arguably the sports car masterstroke of the last decade – finally there was not one, but two genuinely affordable rear-drive coupes aimed at the keen driver.
And now both models are back for their second coming, building on the success of their predecessors with an overhauled platform and significantly more powerful boxer engine – both sources from Subaru – to create as even more involving drive.
Pretty much everything is identical on the coupe twins besides their differing bumpers and headlight arrangements – including the interiors, which can really only be differentiated by the colour of their interior stitching and steering wheel badges.
3. Isuzu D-MAX and Mazda BT-50
The current Isuzu D-MAX is an all-new effort compared to its dependable but ultimately middling predecessor, and is comfortably one of the best dual-cab 4×4 utes available Down Under.
With Volkswagen contracting Ford to produce its new Amarok, Mazda opted to derive its latest-generation BT-50 from the all-new Isuzu D-MAX in an arrangement similar to the deal it previously had with Ford.
In essence, the current BT-50 is a reskinned D-MAX featuring Mazda’s Kodo design language and some extra trim bits around the interior to match the exterior’s extra sophistication.
4. Hyundai IONIQ 5 and Kia EV6
If you didn’t know Hyundai and Kia were part of the same group then you’d probably never guess just how closely their respective IONIQ 5 and EV6 electric SUVs are.
Based on the same e-GMP platform and featuring the same motors, batteries and cabin technology, the two models wear completely different exterior designs and there are even bigger differences inside.
Drive them back-to-back, however, and the relationship becomes more apparent, irrespective of their unique chassis tunes.
5. BMW Z4 and Toyota Supra
JDM fans everywhere went ballistic when Toyota announced the Supra was returning for a fifth generation, but questions about its heritage were raised when its co-development with the BMW Z4 was confirmed.
Both models ride on a specially developed sports car platform independent of any other Toyota or BMW products and both are powered by BMW-sourced turbo-petrol engines paired to ZF transmissions.
But while they share their bones and key internal organs, the Supra has been set-up as the more aggressive proposition as per its lineage and its identity as a coupe, compared to the more relaxed open-top roadster character of the Z4.
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Keyword: Five twins under the skin