ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Automobile platform

Imagine a car is like a bunch of building blocks, just like the ones you use to play. These blocks give the car different shapes and sizes, like a tall building or a short house. And just like you can build many different things with the same blocks, car designers can use the same building blocks, called a platform, to create many different cars.

A car platform is made up of many different parts, like the chassis, suspension, brakes, and engine. These parts are all designed to work together in a certain way. And when a car company creates a new car, they use the same platform as a starting point.

Think of it like making cookies. You start with a basic recipe, like sugar cookies, and then you can add different things like chocolate chips, nuts or frosting to create different variations. Car companies do the same thing with their platforms. They start with a basic platform and then add different parts to make a car that has a different look or performs differently.

So, when you see two cars that look kind of the same, it's likely because they share the same platform, just like two batches of cookies that look the same because they have the same basic recipe.