8 Toyota Models You Didn't Realize Were Rebadged From Other Brands (Or Vice Versa)

If you've been searching for a car, chances are you've stumbled across a rebadged one. Rebadging means an automaker sells a car built by another company with its own badge and logo. The changes made to the original model can vary, from minor tweaks — limited to a new trim, bumpers, and headlights — to major overhauls that involve heavy restyling to make the rebadged model look very different from the original vehicle. This practice is actually far more common than most people realize, and it's something even established automakers indulge in, as it can help reduce development costs and also enable manufacturers to conform with government regulations. 

Toyota, for one, has found great pleasure in collaborating with other brands, whether it's about badge engineering — as rebadging is also called — platform sharing, or joint venture. And that effort has resulted in some well-known twinning vehicles, such as the Toyota Matrix and Pontiac Vibe, the Toyota MkV Supra and BMW Z4, as well as the Toyota 86 and the Subaru BRZ, the last two of which came about as a result of a joint venture of the brands. 

Some of Toyota's rebadging efforts aren't as well-publicized, however. Here are eight Toyota models you didn't realize were rebadged from other brands, or vice versa. 

Attempting to reduce trade tensions between the U.S. and Japan in the 1990s, Toyota partnered with GM to import and rebadge third-generation Chevrolet Cavaliers for sale in Japan. The Japanese automaker didn't just slap on Toyota badges and call it a day, however. With Japan being a right-hand-drive country, Toyota had to rework the dashboard to convert the Cavalier to right-hand drive. Along with that and other changes, such as alterations to the original Cavalier's turn signals, Toyota also modified the chassis to improve handling, comfort, steering, braking, and much more. 

Under the hood, Toyota Cavalier models had the same General Motors 2.4L LD9 inline four-cylinder engine found on the third-generation Chevy Cavalier. And as with its Chevy counterpart, the Toyota Cavalier's inline-four engine sent some 150 horsepower and 160 pound-feet of torque to the wheels via a four-speed automatic transmission. But the Cavalier wasn't as successful as Toyota hoped, with only 36,216 cars finding new owners between 1996 and 2000. That puts the average yearly sales at 9,054, meaning it sold 10,946 fewer than the 20,000 initially projected.  

The fifth Chevrolet Nova generation, built between 1984 and 1988, is another rebadged car that came as a result of Toyota and General Motors' attempts to defuse tensions caused by trade imbalances in the automotive sector. Only here, the Japanese market was the one doing the exporting. 

The fifth-gen Nova was based on the fifth-generation Sprinter sold in Japan, but was badge engineered and assembled at New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc.  a Fremont, California manufacturing company jointly owned by GM and Toyota. It's also worth pointing out that the Sprinter was itself a rebadged version of the Toyota Corolla.

While the Chevy Nova was slightly restyled to make it distinct from the Sprinter, it shared the same Toyota AE82 platform and 1.6L four-cylinder engines found underhood the Toyota. Besides the fifth-gen Nova, the fifth-gen Toyota Corolla was also rebadged as the Holden Nova in Australia, and the Geo Prizm and Chevrolet Prizm in the U.S. 

As part of efforts to streamline production of Australian cars and make them more competitive, the Australian government in the '80s forced Holden and Toyota Australia into an alliance that involved sharing design and engineering resources. This resulted in the United Australian Automobile Industries, a joint venture between the two companies. Toyota would rebadge and market certain Toyota models as Holden by displaying Holden branding across them, and similarly, Holden was required to rebrand select Holden cars and sell them as Toyotas. 

This spawned the Toyota Lexcen in 1989 as one of the venture's cars. However, instead of supplying the Commodore just as is under the skin, Holden pared it down to essentials in order to make the Toyota Lexcen less enticing to buyers. For example, those buying the Holden Commodore were given the choice of either a 3.8L V6 or 5.0L V8 engine with a four-speed automatic or five-speed manual transmission, while Toyota consumers were force-fed the modest V6 mill and automatic transmission. 

Unlike the rebadged cars above, which are no longer manufactured, the Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra are a modern-day example of badge engineering, as both models were introduced for 2023 and remain in production. They also have similar looks and credentials, with both SUVs being underpinned by the Toyota e-TNGA platform.This means, like the bZ4X, which is Toyota's first mass-produced electric SUV, the Solterra is the first Subaru SUV to offer fully electric power. 

However, while the Solterra offers a front-wheel drive model in the Japanese market, the U.S. version is currently only available with all-wheel drive. The setup consists of two electric motors and a 72.8-kWh battery that generate a respectable 215 horsepower and 249 lb-ft of torque. The Toyota bZ4X, meanwhile, is available in a front-wheel-drive, single-motor configuration, with the 150-kW motor and a 71.4-kWh lithium-ion battery combining to send 201 horsepower and 196 lb-ft of torque to the wheels. The available all-wheel drive setup is made up of two 80-kW motors and a 72.8-kWh lithium-ion battery that produce 215 horsepower and 249 lb-ft of torque. 

Still on the matter of electric propulsion, the Toyota Proace Verso Electric is a passenger van that seats up to nine. It's based on the Toyota Proace van, itself a rebadged version of the Citroen e-Dispatch, Peugeot e-Expert and Vauxhall Vivaro Electric. The Proace Verso Electric is the result of a collaboration between Stellantis and Toyota Motor Europe, which began in 2012 and has so far seen Stellantis build and sell commercial vehicles with the Toyota badge in Europe. 

The Toyota Proace Verso Electric powertrain consists of a 100-kW motor and a 75-kWh lithium-ion battery good for 136 hp. Toyota says the setup will provide a zero-to-62 mph acceleration time of 13.1 seconds and see the vehicle reach a maximum top speed of around 81 mph. Owners will also get up to 214 miles of range, with the battery capable of going from empty to 80% of its full capacity in about 45 minutes with a 100kW DC fast charger. It's based on the Stellantis Efficient Modular Platform 2. 

Around the time the Toyota Lexcen was introduced in Australia, the Japanese automaker and Volkswagen were discussing rebadging the fifth Hilux generation as a Volkswagen. The partnership was meant to provide Volkswagen with a one-ton pickup truck, which it lacked at the time, while Toyota saw it as an excellent opportunity to strengthen its position in the European pickup truck market. The outcome of the talks was the Volkswagen Taro, considered to be among the best-looking trucks to ever wear the Volkswagen badge. 

The Taro was in production from 1989 to 1997, and offered a range of engine options, including the Toyota 2.4-liter 2L diesel inline-four engine that also powered the eighth-gen Toyota Crown van, as well as the second-generation Toyota Blizzard. The other Volkswagen Taro engines included a 1.8-liter inline four-cylinder gas engine, a 2.2-liter inline-four, and a 2.4-liter 22R engine.

While its kei car designation meant it wasn't fast at all, the Japan-only Toyota Pixis Joy made headlines in the 2010s for its cute styling. But the city car's original manufacturer remained little known even though Toyota made few attempts to hide it. The Toyota Pixis Joy and Daihatsu Cast looked identical, as changes to the exterior were minimal. 

"The Pixis Joy takes its name from Toyota's desire to deliver joy and fun to the lives of its customers," Toyota said. It was offered in C (crossover), F (fashion), and S (sports) versions. The Pixis Joy F was based on the Daihatsu Cast Activa, the F on Cast Style, and the S version on the Daihatsu Cast Sport. 

All Toyota Pixis Joy models were available with the Daihatsu 660-cubic-centimeter KF-series three-cylinder engine, as found in the Daihatsu Cast. The Pixis Joy C and F could be had with either a naturally aspirated or turbocharged version of the engine, while the Pixis Joy S only came with the turbo engine, which was good for 63 horsepower; the naturally aspirated models produced 50 hp. A continuously variable transmission was standard on all variants. 

When the European Union in the late 2000s proposed a tougher set of car emissions standards, Aston Martin, known for high-capacity, gas-guzzling engines, turned to Toyota to help reduce its average fleet emissions. Among Toyota's range of cars, Aston Martin settled on the Toyota iQ due to its efficiency and low emissions. The rebadged Aston Martin Cygnet debuted for 2011 and came with fresh styling and a revised interior but inherited the iQ's 1.3L inline four-cylinder engine, and in so doing became the first Aston Martin-badged car to use a four-cylinder since the 1940s.

The engine produced 97 hp and 92 lb-ft of torque, with power making its way to the wheels via a six-speed manual transmission or a continuously variable transmission. Equipped with the manual transmission, the Aston Martin Cygnet could go from zero to 62 mph in 11.8 seconds, while those with the optional continuously variable transmission took 11.6 seconds to reach the same speed. The car's top speed was 106 mph. The Aston Martin also emitted around 110 grams per kilometer of carbon dioxide while returning 58.9 mpg of fuel economy. 

Aston Martin Cygnet sales were weak due to its price tag of 32,000 British pounds, or $51,500 at the time ($72,258 today), which many thought was excessively pricey for the model. As a result, Aston Martin was forced to discontinue it in 2013.