Rebadging, or badge engineering, is a common practice in the automotive industry where automakers sell the same vehicle under a different brand name with little more than a new grille or badge to differentiate it. This practice is gaining traction in the RV world, where manufacturers sometimes slap another brand name on a trailer and market it as a completely different model. The result is often a vehicle that looks and is built exactly the same, right down to the decal package, with the only differences being the name on the front cap and the marketing.
How Platform Sharing Differs From Badging
Platform sharing and badge engineering are often confused, but they involve different levels of effort. Platform sharing occurs when an automaker designs a single chassis that can be stretched, shrunken, or reconfigured to create various vehicles. For example, the Chrysler K-car platform underpinned a range of vehicles including sedans, convertibles, and minivans, allowing for a quicker and cheaper development cycle. Similarly, the Toyota Camry and Lexus ES share a base architecture, though they are given distinct identities. Platform sharing involves different designs on top of shared bones.
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In contrast, badge engineering involves a single complete vehicle designed by one or more manufacturers. The differences between the versions sold at each brand are generally surface-deep, involving only badging, grilles, bumpers, and wheels. A classic example is the Chevrolet Aveo, which was also sold as the Pontiac G3, the Daewoo Kalos, and the Holden Barina. These vehicles were identical in every way, with only the branding and grille serving as the primary form of differentiation.
Lazy Designs In The RV World
While platform sharing exists in the RV industry, it is less common than in the car world. Manufacturers often have sister brands under their umbrellas that produce trailers with similar construction and common parts, but these are usually distinct products. However, the practice of badge engineering is prevalent and, in some cases, more lazy than its automotive counterpart. A 19-foot motorhome by Thor Industries, for instance, is sold as the Thor Motor Coach Quantum SE19, the Four Winds 19Z, the Chateau 19Z, and the Geneva 19VT. These units are identical at their core, with the same floorplan and the same body shell on top of a Ford E-350 cutaway. The differences are limited to decal packages, trim colors, and appliance colors.
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The laziness in this practice can go even further. Forest River manufactures two brands, Salem and Wildwood, that sell the exact same trailers. The Salem Hemisphere is the same trailer as the Wildwood Heritage Glen. They are built identically and share the same specs and floorplans. The only difference is the decal package and interior colors. In some base models, the distinction is so minimal that the two units are virtually indistinguishable to the casual observer.
