The family was designed using a hardware description language, making the parts synthesizable, and amenable to improved fabrication processes, such as die shrinks.
The modules of the microcontroller were designed independently and released as new CPUs could be tested.
This process let the architects perform "design-ahead" so that when silicon technologies were available, Motorola had designs ready to implement and go to market.
Many of these submodules have been carried forward into the Coldfire line of processors.
The 68341 was aimed at home entertainment and educational systems such as the Philips CD-i and in low-cost, low-power solutions generally.