The car business is pretty ruthless, and automakers will look for ways to save production costs any way they can. This leads to some unexpected instances of platform-based car design.
When two cars are on the same platform, it doesn't mean that under the skin they're exactly the same; it means more that the two cars are composed of the same building blocks, in pretty much the same way, ending with very similar looking and feeling automobiles.
For example, you wouldn't expect that this Chinese-built Hongqi CA1021 U3 pickup is actually an old Audi 100 stretched into a wagon and then de-roofed. It has a Chrysler 2.2 liter turbo engine. Bizarre platform sharing is more common than you think from Toyota building compact sedans with the same bones as eight year old crossovers, Volvo building luxury convertibles off of the Ford Focus platform, and a whole lot more that I can't think of off the top of my head.
What's the weirdest example of platform sharing you've ever seen?
Photo Credit: Car News China