What Are Sister Cars?

Sister Cars are the same car, but sold under different labels. For example, in 1986 Toyota started making cars for Chevrolet called the "Nova", this vehicle was identical to the Toyota Corolla. The motors, transmission, and interior was exactly the same. The only difference was that one said "Toyota Corolla" on the car and the other said "Chevy Nova". In the early 90s the Nova eventually became the Geo Prizm under GM's new Geo lineup. However, Toyota was still making the vehicle and it was still identical to the Corolla. In the late 90s because of the unpopularity of the Geo lineup it was fazed out and the name went back to the Chevy Prizm and you guessed it  Toyota was still making the vehicle for them.

Today Sister Cars include: 

- Pontiac Vibe and the Toyota Matrix (Builder Toyota)

- Kia Optima and the Hyundai Sonata (Bulider Hyundai)

- Chevy Aveo and the Suzuki Aerio (Builder Suzuki)
- Suzuki Equator and the Nissan Frontier (Built by Nissan)

The benefits about knowing who builds a certain vehicle is that usually you can get a better deal for buying the brand with a lower blue book or resale value, but your buying the same car. I have always told my clients to buy a Geo, Chevy Prizm over a Corolla because your getting the same car for hundreds if not thousands less than the Corolla. OTIS