Car platform
General Motors used a single chassis for certain class of model across most of its brands like Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac and Oldsmobile.
The chassis unit was common with many shared mechanical components while the exterior styling and interior trims were designed according to its individual brand and category.
In recent years for monocoque chassis, platform-sharing combined with advanced and flexible-manufacturing technology enabled automakers to sharply reduce product development and changeover times, while modular design and assembly allow building a greater variety of vehicles from one basic set of engineered components.
[7] Pictured below is the Nissan MS platform, where designs including 5-door hatchback, sedan, compact SUV and minivan were built on a common floor panel and many shared functional assemblies such as engine, transmission and chassis components.
[9] The finished products have to be responsive to market needs and to demonstrate distinctiveness while – at the same time – they must be developed and produced at low cost.
This was when GM used the same platform in the development of the Pontiac LeMans, the Buick Skylark, the Chevrolet Chevelle, and the Oldsmobile Cutlass.
Even Cadillac started offering a "J" body model called the Cimarron, a much gussied-up version of the other four brands' platform siblings.
[12][13] Japanese carmakers have followed the platform sharing practice with Honda's Acura line, Nissan's Infiniti brand, and Toyota's Lexus marque, as the entry-level luxury models are based on their mainstream lineup.
[19] Differences between shared models typically involve styling, including headlights, tail lights, and front and rear fascias.
In automotive design, the top hat is one or more vehicle upper body structures that can share a common platform.
The upper body could vary from a crossover to a sedan or coupe thereby creating economies of scale and product differentiation.
