Anautomotive facelift, also known asmid-generational refresh,minor model change,minor model update, orlife cycle impulse, comprises changes to a vehicle's styling during its production run including, to highly variable degree, new sheetmetal, interior design elements or mechanical changes,[1] allowing a carmaker to freshen a model without a complete redesign. While the life cycle of cars hovers around six to eight years until a full model change, facelifts are generally introduced around three years in their production cycle.[2][3]
A facelift retains the basic styling and platform of the car,[4] with aesthetic alterations, e.g., changes to the front fascia (grille, headlights), taillights, bumpers, instrument panel and center console, and various body or interior trim accessories. Mechanical changes may or may not occur concurrently with the facelift (e.g., changes to the engine, suspension or transmission).
In the 1920s,General Motors under the leadership ofAlfred P. Sloan at the time had lost market share toFord, which relied on theModel T as their best-selling model. Sloan is credited of establishing a strategy in which the company introducesannual styling changes to their vehicles in order to regain market share. Ford, on the other hand, refused to remodel the Model T until the 1930s, during which time Ford had lost market share to GM. Since then, the idea of this model change also spread to various industrial products other than automobiles.[5] The strategy has made vehicles owned by consumers artificially out of fashion, thus creating a stimulation for customers to purchase new vehicles.[citation needed] The strategy is also considered as a form ofplanned obsolescence.[6][page needed]
The term "facelift", which is also sometimes known as a "minor change", "minor update", or "refresh" by car manufacturers, describes a minimum change to a model which normally also coincides with a model year change.[7]
While the word "facelift" is a generic term used across the industry, manufacturers may each have their own phrase to describe a facelifted model.BMW uses the acronym LCI ("Life Cycle Impulse") to denote a facelift. Other marques may directly call a particular car a facelift model, while some simply call it a new model. In automotive parlance, "new" usually refers to a facelifted model, whilst the term "all-new" denotes an entirely new generation with not only a design overhaul, but new underpinnings as well.[8]
Holden andFord Australia implemented a strategy in their automotive design, involving substantial stylistic alterations while retaining the overall generation and platform of the vehicles. Some instances include the fourth generationHolden Commodore, which comprises theVE andVF, as well as the seventh generationFord Falcon, represented by theFG andFG X. Although these models belong to the same generation, they represented different iterations. Despite essentially being facelifts of one another, these iterations have undergone subtle aesthetic enhancements, commonly referred to as "Series II" revisions.[9]
"Mid-cycle facelifts for cars are usually just cosmetic: a little nip here, a little tuck there, new lights and maybe a couple of different trim pieces to maintain interest in an aging vehicle for an extra couple of years before a full redesign."
A facelift may include a change to the vehicle'sname; such was the case whenFord renamed theirFive Hundred model to be theirFord Taurus in 2008. The facelifts of theCitroën DS3, DS4 and DS5 even changed the brand under which these models were marketed from Citroën toDS.
Models with longer lifespans (10 or more years) may undergo multiple facelifts. Examples include thethird-generation Mazda6, which has been on sale since December 2012 and has since gained two major facelifts in 2016 and 2018, both of which included significant interior revisions.[11]
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