For a given
car model, the trim level denotes which equipment and features are included as standard. A car buyer may add to this standard equipment with trim packages or individual options. The trim level with the least equipment/features is referred to as the "base model," Some car brands use a different car model for what could be instead considered a trim level; therefore, the distinction between a model and trim level can vary between brands. For example,
Volkswagen could choose to market the
Golf GTi either as a standalone model, or as a trim level within the Golf model. Base level trim is sometimes nicknamed 'poverty spec', as it omits more expensive options found on other trim levels. Manufacturers sometimes offer "delete options," with which several standard items of equipment from a certain trim level may be deleted, typically for free or with a credit. Sometimes, the delete option costs extra: for example, in the 1980s, German luxury car buyers began to pay manufacturers extra not to have the badges indicating the type of engine to be installed.
Debadging went on to gain popularity across the market, both as a form of
reverse snobbery while also allowing buyers to obscure lower-spec models or trim.
Naming systems Trim levels are often designated by a pair of letters; for example, DX, LX, LS, EX, GL, SE, or GT. and Ford's "GT" (first used on the 1965
Mustang).
General Motors also uses alphanumeric coding to denote handling packages installed on performance vehicles, such as "
Z28" on the
Camaro, the
Buick GS, or the
Oldsmobile 442, and currently uses the designation "Z71" on the
Suburban and
Tahoe (for
Silverado/Sierra trucks, it is a package, though it was a separate trim from 2004–2005 and 2014–2018). Some manufacturers have consistently used the same word for the highest trim level on several models. For example,
Nissan used the word "Brougham" as the highest trim level on both the
Cedric and
Gloria. The "Brougham" designation as a trim level originated in the North American (U.S.) market; it was originally a
body style. == Options packages ==