what it is? Restyled car model
Often in various articles on automotive topics, including on our autoportal Vodi.su, you can read that such and such a car company has restyled or facelifted another model. There is also a lot of information about car studios that do tuning and restyling of certain models, such as Nissan Juke (standard model) and Juke Nismo (restyled) with improved technical characteristics and changed appearance.
What is restyling, why is it done? - Our next article will be devoted to these topics.
If we take the literal translation of this term from English, we get that restyling is a modification, making changes to the interior and exterior of a car to suit modern trends or the wishes of vehicle owners.
Wikipedia also indicates that restyling may also apply to technical changes: modification of the engine, gearbox, suspension.
In Russia, the concepts of "restyling" and "tuning" are considered synonymous.
However, in the same US or UK, there is a clear difference:
- restyling refers exclusively to the interior and exterior of the car;
- tuning - tuning, improving technical characteristics, increasing engine power (we already wrote how this is done on Vodi.su).
Accordingly, restyling and tuning are not synonymous. A synonym for this concept can be called facelift, which is expressed in the installation of more powerful bumpers, an increase in the radiator grille, a change in the shape of the head or rear optics. Thanks to such changes, the car, as a rule, acquires a more aggressive appearance. In any case, this is the trend in recent years.
Types of restyling
There are two main types:
- unscheduled;
- planned.
An unscheduled one is held in cases where the released car does not suit the public in some way. For example, look at the article about the Most-Most Cars on Vodi.su, where we mentioned the ugliest cars. It is clear that manufacturers, not wanting to incur losses, are trying to make some changes in appearance so that the car sells better.
The planned restyling is one of the natural stages in the development of a particular model. If we take the history of any model, for example, the same Volkswagen Passat, we will see that many generations have changed over the long period of its existence. Inside each generation, minor updates took place: the shape of the rear optics, front bumper, rear-view mirrors, front console, and so on changed.
Restyling is resorted to almost every year when they announce a new model line for the new year.
There are many examples of planned restyling:
- Renault Megane of the latest generation in 2008, experienced a certain facelift in 2012, thanks to which it became more like the more popular model of the budget class Renault Clio;
- The 9th generation Honda Civic did not sell very well in the US, it was even named one of the worst cars of the year, but after the facelift, the situation changed radically, the front end was noticeably modified, and significant improvements were made to the interior and driver's seat.
The same changes have gone through in recent years: Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen Jetta, Opel Insignia.
That is, based on all of the above, we come to the conclusion that restyling is a natural process in the development of the model. In principle, this is an absolutely correct approach, since the transition between generations usually takes place within 5-10 years, and during this time trends and fashion change significantly, so manufacturers are forced to take into account the numerous wishes of buyers and make changes to the appearance of the car.
Also, restyling often does not happen on its own, at the same time the line of engines is supplemented, gearboxes are modernized (mechanics are supplemented by an automatic machine, a variator, a preselective gearbox with two clutch discs). Restyling can affect the suspension, the shape of the rims, and so on.
It can also be said that the changes that the owner himself makes to the appearance of his car are also restyling. This includes installing a rear spoiler or additional lights for off-road driving, applying vinyl films, replacing halogen headlights with bi-xenon ones, installing wheels with a large radius. Thanks to such changes, the car becomes more functional and stands out from the crowd.
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