Those wily Toyota guys. They made four cars out of one set of key components and gave the models distinct personalities and looks — one of the four even is sold by a competitor.
It's the right way to do what the industry calls platform sharing — not changing a few curves or just the nameplate to create a corporate sibling (as you see, for example, in Chevrolet Cobalt/Pontiac G5 or Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan).
In this case, we're talking about one set of building blocks for the 2009 Toyota Corolla mainstream sedan, Toyota Scion xB and today's 2009 Toyota Matrix.
A Toyota-General Motors joint venture — the New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. (NUMMI) plant in Fremont, Calif. — builds a Matrix version GM sells as Pontiac Vibe that shares the chassis, drivetrain and much of the interior.
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