ok then....

based on that what you are saying is it is not the product that is the determining factor, it is the dealership representing the product and the services they provide that makes the difference between a premium product versus a regular or non-premium product. So in effect the product is still just an average brand product and the dealership makes it seem like a premium one through their services they provide.

now if you want to compare components each machine has and try to base wether its a premium component or not then i see your point there also. Lets take electric trucks for instance, the control panels now seem to go across the board as either sauer danfoss or zapi or curtis depending on the model truck and manufacturer and if you pay close attention you would notice while working on different brand trucks that they all seem to use the same ones with some small differences between the brand design but overall they have the same main core components. Even the motors seem to be made by the same companies like GE or prestolite or Leeson. Contactors are either GE or cableform or Curtis albright. Horn button and horn design's are all the same patterns... things such as this a tech tends to notice when working on different brand trucks.
So yeah... how does a customer really know if his truck is a premium truck by design or is it just by what they are being told by the dealership or manufacturer.
Take IC truck engines...
i think edward described that to a T on the fact all brands use the same base engines and from year to year they tend to switch those among each other when they make changes in their model lines, almost like they put the engines on a roulette wheel and whoever lands on what engine gets that engine to put in their truck hehehe. But in the end you might see a Nissan k21-25 engine in a Mitsubishi, a cat or a GM 2 Liter in a hyster or a Yale etc etc.
Now i personally have seen the assembly lines in greenville north carolina at the nacco plant (hyster/yale) and both trucks are built and assembled there, the assembly lines are like a checkerboard with both brand trucks running down the same lines and i'm sure cat and mitsu are the same way at thier plants.
So how can one brand say they have a superior product over another when they are both made at the same plant? Actually they cant.... like you say... its the service end that may determine that factor whether their product is 'premium or not' imo.