Mainline

200px|thumb|A typical mainline model, the Ferrari F430 Spider, from 2006."Mainline" is a term used to refer to the "basic" $1 Hot Wheels cars sold at retail. These are the lowest rung of the three main Hot Wheels models sold at retail, positioned lower than themed assortments, Premium and Red Line Club exclusives. Mainline models typically feature plastic wheels, simple paint and some amount of graphic and tampo work; these are intended to cater to kids, although adult collectors usually collect them as well.
Every mainline year will include hundreds of vehicles, shown off in posters for visualization. New models (formerly referred to as "First Editions") are introduced every year to the line as well. In current times, the mainline consists of 250 vehicles split into a number of "mini collections" (themed segments), 50 of which are New Models; the rest of the models used in the mainline are models that have been previously used and repainted to fit a certain theming. Occasionally, a model that has not been used before (due to a canceled series or some other reasoning) may slip into the mainline without the "New Model" branding. Also included within the mainline are the collectible Treasure Hunts and highly-collectible Super Treasure Hunts, differentiated by specific symbols on the vehicle.
Each year is split into fifteen different release windows (or "cases"), labeled A through Q ("I" and "O" are omitted); these typically release from September the previous year to about July or August the next. Each release window will typically have a number of New Models and introduce a single Treasure Hunt to the mix. The 50 New Models from any given year will typically find their way into the next year's mixes in recent times (e.g. all 2022 New Models reappeared in 2023). The series underwent a rebrand in 2024, now under the name of "Hot Wheels Basics".
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