When is an "All New" car really all new?
When is an "All New" car really all new?
Author
Discussion

andyalan10

Original Poster:

536 posts

166 months

Thursday 10th October 2024
quotequote all
I find it massively disappointing that we seem to live in an era where every new car shares the platform and often the drivetrain with at least 10 others, and yet they are described as "All New". The Dacia Bigster is just the latest example, they crop up on an almost daily basis.

To try and turn the thread into a positive one I'd like to start a list of genuinely all new cars, and throw it open to other suggestions. I think it's quite an inspiring list, even if the cars on it weren't always commercially successful, or paragons of reliability.

In no particular order:-

1. Tesla Model S
2. NSU Ro80
3. Alfasud
4. HIllman Imp
5. Lexus LS400 (not sure on that one, my Japanese car history isn't that great.
6. Renault 16

Over to you guys

Scrump

23,933 posts

187 months

Thursday 10th October 2024
quotequote all
Tesla model S wasn’t “all new”. It had the gear selector stalk used on a range of Mercedes.

Richard-390a0

3,488 posts

120 months

Thursday 10th October 2024
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Good luck I don't believe you'll find a vehicle that is "all new" with no shared components.

ChocolateFrog

34,954 posts

202 months

Thursday 10th October 2024
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Various Honda's, Insight, S2000 and NSX all spring to mind.

Snatch1

200 posts

116 months

Thursday 10th October 2024
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BMW iX

Super Sonic

14,262 posts

83 months

Thursday 10th October 2024
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Benz patent motor car model no. 1

ettore

5,087 posts

281 months

Thursday 10th October 2024
quotequote all
Benz Patent Motorcar (no 1).

Rotary Potato

607 posts

125 months

Thursday 10th October 2024
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https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a16570798...

I suppose it just depends on how new you want an "all new" car to be ...

RGG

1,108 posts

46 months

Thursday 10th October 2024
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This one fits the bill -


Prolex-UK

5,584 posts

237 months

Thursday 10th October 2024
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Model T ford

RGG

1,108 posts

46 months

Thursday 10th October 2024
quotequote all
Super Sonic said:
Benz patent motor car model no. 1
I didn't think anyone was on my spectrum / wavelength - pleased to meet you

Huzzah

28,977 posts

212 months

Thursday 10th October 2024
quotequote all
andyalan10 said:
I find it massively disappointing that we seem to live in an era where every new car shares the platform and often the drivetrain with at least 10 others, and yet they are described as "All New". The Dacia Bigster is just the latest example, they crop up on an almost daily basis.

To try and turn the thread into a positive one I'd like to start a list of genuinely all new cars, and throw it open to other suggestions. I think it's quite an inspiring list, even if the cars on it weren't always commercially successful, or paragons of reliability.

In no particular order:-

1. Tesla Model S
2. NSU Ro80
3. Alfasud
4. HIllman Imp
5. Lexus LS400 (not sure on that one, my Japanese car history isn't that great.
6. Renault 16




Over to you guys
Didn't the Imp use a fire pump engine?

RGG

1,108 posts

46 months

Thursday 10th October 2024
quotequote all
ettore said:
Benz Patent Motorcar (no 1).
I didn't think anyone was on my spectrum / wavelength - pleased to meet you

We're almost in a majority here

RGG

1,108 posts

46 months

Thursday 10th October 2024
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First Electric Car

Probably based on something previously made

Good contender though



fflump

3,491 posts

67 months

Thursday 10th October 2024
quotequote all
While I daresay it had some switchgear from the 7-series of the time, the Rolls Royce Phantom VII was pretty new all round in terms of engine and chassis platform.

andyalan10

Original Poster:

536 posts

166 months

Thursday 10th October 2024
quotequote all
BMW i3 is a very good shout, particularly in all electric form.

About the Tesla Model S, I think it qualifies as probably about 90-95% of the components were unique to that model at launch. It seems that nowadays manufacturers are happy to claim model "A" shares 80% of its components with model "B" when they are talking to their investors about how efficient they are, and that model "A" is "All new", which the press then happily copies and pastes.

Imp and its Coventry Climax engine, I doubt any components were shared with the original fire pump, but I may be wrong.

I'll add another couple:-

Saab 99 in 1967, first use of the slant 4 which shared some history with the Triumph version.
Rover 2000 in 1963
Peugeot 104

So there's a common theme of manufacturers moving into an entirely new market segment

Ooh, Smart ForTwo

Original Honda Civic I think counts as well. Honda seem to have a bit if a track record.

Mark 3 escort? First application of the CVH engine?


119

19,884 posts

65 months

Thursday 10th October 2024
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Platform sharing has been going on for decades.


Watcher of the skies

1,310 posts

66 months

Thursday 10th October 2024
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Rover P6
It even had a new factory.

GeniusOfLove

5,763 posts

41 months

Thursday 10th October 2024
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Launching a new engine is expensive and risky, and launching a new platform is expensive and risky, so launching both at once is something to be avoided at all costs.

Also it's the nature of good engineering to build and iterate on what went before, and if something is fine why needlessly reinvent it? We're close to the ICE automobile in it's final form (hence everything is more or less the same too) so you'll see even less "all new" stuff and more pointless bks "innovation" to try and entice buyers to new cars.

trails

7,229 posts

178 months

Thursday 10th October 2024
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MKI Focus.