Why Japanese Auto Giants Cloned Their Models

The legendary Toyota AE86 has a curious feature: essentially the same car existed in two versions – Corolla Levin and Sprinter Trueno. They shared the same chassis and the 4A-GE engine, with the main differences primarily in optics and designations.

For the Japanese automotive industry, such a situation was not an exception. Dozens of such pairs, and sometimes even trios, accumulated over several decades: Camry and Vista, Mark II, Chaser and Cresta, Cedric and Gloria. At first glance, it might seem that manufacturers unnecessarily duplicated their own models. However, the reason was not in the work of design bureaus at all. It all came down to a special sales system that Toyota began to form after the war, and then this approach was adopted by almost all major Japanese automakers.

It All Started with Toyopet

The key concept in this story was the name Toyopet. This is not a mistake or a random dealership network name. This is what Toyota called its first post-war passenger car model, the compact SA, in the late 1940s. Before that, trucks were already sold through Toyopet showrooms.

Later, the model range expanded. In 1955, the flagship Toyopet Crown sedan appeared, followed by the more affordable Toyopet Corona.

Toyota decided not to sell both cars through the same showrooms. In 1956, a separate dealership network, Toyopet Store, was organized for the Corona. The showrooms where the Crown was sold, which had existed since 1946, were named Toyota Store.

At first glance, such a system seemed redundant. But it had a perfectly understandable commercial logic.

If several identical dealerships with the same assortment are opened in one city, they will inevitably start competing for the same customers. In such a situation, discounts become the main way to attract customers, which is completely unprofitable for the manufacturer.

Different networks with different model ranges allowed avoiding direct dealer confrontation. At the same time, the number of sales points increased.

This was especially important for Japan at that time:

How One Corolla Gave Birth to Sprinter

The experiment with different dealership networks proved so successful that Toyota decided to develop it further.

In 1961, the third network appeared – Publica Store. The "people's car" Publica was sold through it, and later a new model, introduced in 1966, the Toyota Corolla, was also sent there.

The Corolla was so successful that Publica Store dealers soon stopped coping with the influx of buyers. If in 1966 the network sold approximately 8,000 cars per month, by 1967 the figure had grown to 18,000.

Toyota found a solution quite quickly. In 1967, the fourth dealership network appeared – Toyota Auto Store. However, the Corolla was not transferred there. Instead, a twin model, the Toyota Sprinter, was created for the new network.

At the same time, Publica Store was renamed Toyota Corolla Store, naming the network after its main bestseller.

Thus, a system gradually formed in which each sales channel corresponded to its own assortment. If a separate model for the desired dealership network did not exist, an existing car could be taken and its twin created with a different name and some differences.

In the West, this approach is known as badge engineering. One of the biggest proponents of this method was General Motors, which was also mentioned in the original material as practicing this.

However, Japanese companies often approached the issue more carefully. Their twin models were not always limited to simply replacing the badge. Differences between cars could include:

Therefore, these cars cannot be called completely identical.

Five Networks – Five Different Customers

By the 1980s, the system was fully formed. After the appearance of the fifth network, Vista Store, each Toyota channel had its own signboard, corporate color, audience, and model range.

Toyota Store remained the oldest and most prestigious network. Crown, Century, and Land Cruiser were sold here. The main clients were officials, large companies, and buyers who could already afford a Crown.

Toyopet Store, with its signature green color, targeted the mid-range segment. Corona was sold here, and from the late 1960s, the Mark II business sedan as well.

Toyota Corolla Store received orange branding and specialized in mass-market cars. The main model was the Corolla, later joined by the Camry. For a younger audience, Celica and Corolla Levin were offered.

Toyota Auto Store initially focused primarily on youth. Sprinter, Chaser, and Sprinter Trueno were sold here. In 1998, the network was renamed Netz – Network of Energetic Teams for Zenith. The main audience became buyers aged 20 to 30 and women.

Vista Store served as a kind of experimental platform. Vista, which was a rebadged Camry, as well as Cresta and MR2, were sold here. This network was the first in Japan to start selling cars directly in showrooms, not just through home delivery. In addition, Vista Store began operating on Sundays.

There was also another network, less frequently remembered – Toyota Diesel Store. It specialized primarily in trucks and buses, and from 1980, diesel versions of almost the entire model range – from Starlet to Crown – began to be sold through it.

Where the Legendary Twins Came From

This system explains the existence of many Japanese cars that are now perceived as independent models.

The Corolla Levin was intended for Toyota Corolla Store customers, while the practically identical Sprinter Trueno was sold through the Toyota Auto Store.

The same logic applied to other cars. The Camry went to the Corolla Store, and its twin, the Vista, went to the Vista Store.

The system was particularly evident in the family of business sedans. Toyota distributed the same automotive segment among three dealership networks: the Mark II was sold through the Toyopet Store, the Chaser through the Auto Store, and for the Cresta, the buyer went to the Vista Store.

All three models enjoyed excellent demand.

In the 1980s, amidst Japan's economic boom, Toyota managed to capture almost half of the country's new car market. Segmented dealership networks with different assortments and marketing for different customer groups played a significant role in this success.

Competitors Repeated the Scheme

Other Japanese companies did not long observe Toyota's success.

Nissan formed its own system of several dealership networks. It included Nissan Store, later renamed Bluebird Store, Motor Store, Satio Store, Cherry Store, and Nissan Prince Store, created after the acquisition of the Prince brand in 1966.

The model range was also distributed among the networks according to Toyota's principle.

Thus, pairs like:

The Silvia was sold exclusively through the Prince Store, where the Skyline was offered alongside it. Its twin, the Gazelle, on the other hand, was only available at the Satio Store.

Sometimes the division led to rather unusual solutions: different body styles of the first-generation Leopard were distributed among different dealership networks – the two-door version was sold by one, and the four-door by another.

Honda also followed the same path. In 1978, for the debut of the Prelude, the company created the Verno sports network. Later came the premium Clio, where Accord and Legend were sold, and the more affordable Primo, focused on Civic and kei cars.

An interesting situation arose with the name Clio. Since this name was already used by Honda, Renault had to sell its eponymous model in the Japanese market under the name Lutecia.

Mazda Took the Idea to the Extreme

Mazda undertook the most extensive experiment with multiple dealership networks, and for the company, this strategy ended much more severely.

At the turn of the 1980s and 1990s, Mazda created a system of five divisions. In addition to the main network and Autorama, which dealt with Ford cars, Autozam, the luxury Eunos, and Ẽfini were added.

The scale of investment was enormous. From 1990 to 1992 alone, Mazda spent a billion dollars annually on the Japanese market. In 18 months, the company introduced 11 new models and doubled the number of dealership showrooms.

The problem was not that Mazda was implementing the idea incorrectly. It was simply an unfortunate timing: Japan's economic boom was already ending.

As a result, the company incurred multi-million dollar losses and dropped from fourth place among Japanese automakers to sixth. The planned luxury brand Amati, with a flagship equipped with a twelve-cylinder engine, never reached dealerships.

By the end of the 1990s, all additional Mazda sub-brands were discontinued, and the company itself came under the control of Ford.

The End of the Era of Twin Cars

The Japanese economy of the early 1990s finally put an end to the previous development model. The period known as baburu keiki – the "bubble economy" – ended.

In 1990, Japanese consumers purchased a record 7.78 million cars. Sales then declined, and by the end of the 2010s, the domestic market had shrunk by almost a third.

Maintaining numerous dealership networks became increasingly difficult and expensive. Manufacturers gradually began to merge them.

As part of Carlos Ghosn's "revival plan," Nissan merged Prince, Satio, and Cherry under the name Nissan Red Stage from 1999. More sporty and emotional models were concentrated there, while more conservative and affordable cars moved to Blue Stage.

Honda merged Verno, Clio, and Primo in March 2006.

Toyota maintained the old system longer than its competitors. In 2004, Vista was merged with Netz, but even in 2006, Toyota Store and Toyopet continued to exist separately and celebrated their anniversaries: the first network turned 60, the second 50.

The final decision was made only in May 2020. From that moment on, any Toyota model in the Japanese market could be purchased at any dealership of the brand.

The era of separate dealership networks and twin cars ended.

Japanese Twins on Russian Roads

This story is far from alien to Russia. Right-hand drive Japanese cars from the 1990s, and sometimes even the 1980s, are still widely used beyond the Urals. Models such as the Chaser and Cresta have long gained cult status among Russian fans of Japanese cars.

These cars also have another common feature – requirements for motor oils. Most Japanese cars, from old Sprinters to modern hybrids, are characterized by a focus on energy-saving lubricants.

The traditional Japanese approach involves low viscosity, relatively low detergent-dispersant properties given the short service intervals, which in Japan traditionally amount to about 6,000 km, as well as a high molybdenum content to protect the engine in urban operating conditions.

It was for this task that the Mirax MX7 Moly sub-line was created. It included two of the most popular viscosities – SAE 0W-20 and 5W-30, corresponding to API SP RC and ILSAC GF-6a specifications.

Compared to original Honda and Toyota oils, these products do not have record-low viscosity, but the additive package is richer, and the detergent-dispersant properties are higher. The molybdenum content is also increased, but not maximal: 300 ppm of organic MoDTC is used instead of the typical 500–600 ppm.

However, a high concentration of molybdenum has a downside: despite the positive properties of this element, in large quantities it can contribute to the formation of high-temperature deposits.

The products are designed for Japanese cars of almost any age – from modern hybrids to classic models of the 1990s. The only exception might be a heavily boosted 700 hp Chaser, for which the original material recommends considering a more viscous oil.

Ultimately, the history of Japanese twin cars demonstrates a fairly simple principle. Sometimes a cult model appears not because engineers initially aimed to create a car that would go down in history, but for a much more prosaic reason – due to the peculiarities of sales organization.

The Toyota AE86 became a legend of mountain serpentines and one of the most famous cars in Japanese culture. But originally, its existence in two variants was due to a much more mundane task: to provide different Toyota dealership networks with different cars.

Legends, as history shows, truly do not choose where they are born.

Read more materials: