Interesting data, love graphs.
On the subject of car count and duplicates... I've been raging for about 3 GT iterations now over why PD is ignoring the easiest and most obvious way to gain a car (well, 3, actually) for their boasting numbers. Best still, they are NOT duplicates in the real world sense, but are from a programming sense when it comes to standard models.
We have the 2000 camaro ss, duplicate it in the database, and 'palette swap' in a new 3D model and you have a 2000 Trans Am WS6. (LS1/late 4th Gen)
We have the 1997 z28, same technique as above and instantly a 1997 (LT1 era/early 4th Gen) Firebird Formula.
They both used the same GM Powertrain engines (and transmissions) and the same suspensions as well, by this time. Unibody was the same. Interior layout, in the sense of the GT Standard cars (wheel, A-pillar, roof line, mirrors, etc), is exactly the same.
So from a programming standpoint, they are the same. But in the real world, they are NOT the same at all. So it's the perfect way to instantly add 2 extra cars to the list. I say "instantly" because what I hear from 3D modelers in the aviation sim world is that exterior models are 'easy'. It's cockpits that are difficult (to make and more-so to code). I'm sure I could even fund/source the models if PD were to list the requirements (software/format, poly number, LOD #, etc). [and a look through the stuff here already shows that this technique is already being used]
We also currently have a 1969 z28. Again, the same (1st Gen) chassis and roofline (so the "standard" interior from one will work with the other), but there are differences in drivetrain and I believe in suspension tuning, so a little more code tweaking would be needed, but not much, not at all like the workload for making a premium. And then we'd have a 1969 Firebird 400. In fact, with a bit more tweaking to the driving model (or parameters for the car itself), and a different 3D model (different from the Firebird 400), we could have the 1969 Trans Am (the first). And if they wanted to be fancy and get some marking fodder, they could even make it the (I think 1-off) 305ci 1969 Trans Am, a high-winding engine that would have actually qualified for the race series the car took it's name from.
Like many, I would desperately love more premium US cars, a great many of which not only look and sound great, but also handle corners quite well too (despite what many love to believe). However, I also know that is a lot of work and there are thousands of cars in the que, waiting to make the cut. But this... this is dead simple and could be done in a small patch, or as payable DLC (I'll buy it) or even in the next GT (make me rush to get a PS4 sooner than I would otherwise).
