I’ve long harbored a theory that GM/Olds brass were flirting with the notion of maybe rebranding Olds as Cutlass to resolve the Old[fogey]smobile stigma, hence their briefly making nearly every Olds model a Cutlass Something as a possible bridge period, similar to how Datsuns were briefly badged as both Datsun and Nissan during that transition.
Of course, IMO the better solution would have been swapping their market positioning for Olds and Buick, accepting that the name Oldsmobile would always imply “old person’s car” and doubling-down on that to make Olds the traditional American mid-luxury marque and Buick the trendier upscale-performance combo, leveraging the longstanding “doctor’s car” perception of Buick to suit what actual doctors were more likely buying by then (upscale Euro marques).
As stated in previous posts, I much prefer aspirational names like Patrician, Ambassador, Fleetwood, Brougham, LEBARON, Imperial, GRAND anything 😉 to current use of numbers and letters!Interesting how GM recycled names like CALAIS. Once entry level Cadillac, then used on a mid size. Yes, there is SO much in a name! 😎
As a little kid, I found ‘medium yellow gold’ looked near silly on larger Ford products. But I like the mustard shade here. And the return of ’70s colours, in general. A retro matte black surround on the taillight panel, would be nice here.
This just gave me an idea. I noticed my Explorer has two grooves in the taillights. So, if I color those in with paint, I will have triple taillights like a ’95 Mustang. Then I can buy some emblems at the Ford dealership.
The jaundiced love child of the two in the garage?
Would the new electric Mustang would have such aspiration (for lack of a better descriptor) from the customer base if Ford had called it Fairmont, Pinto, or LTD? It’s doubtful. Agree or not, it was a shrewd move on Ford’s part.
Well I have to admit. the Mustang name was a MAJOR factor in me buying one. May have bought one if it were called an LTD or a Pinto. I have since sold my Mach E and moved my wife into a Subaru Forester. I am happy to drive my 2017 Chevy Bolt EV which has plenty of get up and go they gave me a brand new traction battery with a brand new 10 year 100,000 mile traction battery warranty after the car already had 55,000 miles on it. Now, my Chevy Bolt is more special to me as Chevrolet announced 2023 will be the last year of the Bolt. Up next to follow Volt and Bolt? Maybe the Chevy Jolt?
Slowly but very steadily, the Bolt in both normal and EUV flavors has become a very commonly seen car where I live. I know at least four very happy owners. It’s really the new Prius. Naturally, GM is dropping it. In fact Volts of both gens are pretty frequent sights also. And no GM dealership in town either.
In the book “The Dream Machine” (1976) author Jerry Flint states states in Ford’s search for a new model’s name, its attributes were fed into a computer resulting in the suggestion of “Bismarck”.
Granada was the eventually chosen.
Hard to be sure, but if the name bothered the guy he clearly didn’t let it affect his decision. It’s not like he bought a new Mustang Coupe or Convertible though so no downside to Ford and there’s no competing EV in the driveway. The electric Mustang may in fact be aiding the continued existence of the regular Mustang in the same way that US Buick division mainly only exists to provide ‘heritage” to the China Buick division so maybe he thinks he’s doing his bit to keep the name alive.
Very very few people in the market are negatively caught up in the positive “heritage” of a given model name and even fewer actual buyers. The name recognition and goodwill given to a familiar name with positive associations for many far outweighs any of that. If the end product ends up good enough to fulfill the buyer’s needs and wants and the buyer likes it enough to buy it, then it’s a win-win.
As several others have stated manufacturers are smart enough to figure it out the other way too. You won’t see an electric Citation or Cavalier or Allegro or Pinto, even though all sold in quite large numbers.
You apparently will though see a Corvette electric SUV though within two years…Ford makes plenty of hay in the fact that the Mustang Mach-E and Lightning allow it to be the “Number two” player in the US EV market, I’m sure GM wants to take that second place crown, not that coming in second has traditionally been something to celebrate in the United States. What’s left unsaid is the absolutely gigantic gap to the “Number one” player, it’s not like it’s even remotely close. Besides actually building a competitive product, using positive imagery is the only other thing available to the legacy manufacturers, they should use it to every advantage they can get.
The charachterfull front-drive Renault 5 with longitudinally-mounted engine was replaced with a rather boring transversely-mounted engined front-drive Renault 5
Never could figure out the screaming regarding the use of the Mustang name.
Ford invented the Mustang.
Ford builds the Mustang.
Ford has legal ownership to the name/brand Mustang.
Therefore, whatever Ford decides is a Mustang . . . . is a Mustang. And all those cars & coffee Boomers/Gen Xers still living in their high school days can go pound sand. Their opinion doesn’t matter.
Pretty much how Oldsmobile had FOUR completely different vehicles called “Cutlass” in the 1988 model year.
Cutlass Supreme (FWD W-body)
Cutlass Supreme Classic (RWD G-body)
Cutlass Ciera (A-body)
Cutlass Calais (N-body)
I’ve long harbored a theory that GM/Olds brass were flirting with the notion of maybe rebranding Olds as Cutlass to resolve the Old[fogey]smobile stigma, hence their briefly making nearly every Olds model a Cutlass Something as a possible bridge period, similar to how Datsuns were briefly badged as both Datsun and Nissan during that transition.
Of course, IMO the better solution would have been swapping their market positioning for Olds and Buick, accepting that the name Oldsmobile would always imply “old person’s car” and doubling-down on that to make Olds the traditional American mid-luxury marque and Buick the trendier upscale-performance combo, leveraging the longstanding “doctor’s car” perception of Buick to suit what actual doctors were more likely buying by then (upscale Euro marques).
I think it’s a given that there will be a Scout EV sitting next to the MachE in a few years. The real question is, what color? My guess is green.
As stated in previous posts, I much prefer aspirational names like Patrician, Ambassador, Fleetwood, Brougham, LEBARON, Imperial, GRAND anything 😉 to current use of numbers and letters!Interesting how GM recycled names like CALAIS. Once entry level Cadillac, then used on a mid size. Yes, there is SO much in a name! 😎
A Scout a Mustang and a brand new Edge
As a little kid, I found ‘medium yellow gold’ looked near silly on larger Ford products. But I like the mustard shade here. And the return of ’70s colours, in general. A retro matte black surround on the taillight panel, would be nice here.
This just gave me an idea. I noticed my Explorer has two grooves in the taillights. So, if I color those in with paint, I will have triple taillights like a ’95 Mustang. Then I can buy some emblems at the Ford dealership.
Now I have a Mustang. This just made my day.
The jaundiced love child of the two in the garage?
Would the new electric Mustang would have such aspiration (for lack of a better descriptor) from the customer base if Ford had called it Fairmont, Pinto, or LTD? It’s doubtful. Agree or not, it was a shrewd move on Ford’s part.
That was my thought as well!
Well I have to admit. the Mustang name was a MAJOR factor in me buying one. May have bought one if it were called an LTD or a Pinto. I have since sold my Mach E and moved my wife into a Subaru Forester. I am happy to drive my 2017 Chevy Bolt EV which has plenty of get up and go they gave me a brand new traction battery with a brand new 10 year 100,000 mile traction battery warranty after the car already had 55,000 miles on it. Now, my Chevy Bolt is more special to me as Chevrolet announced 2023 will be the last year of the Bolt. Up next to follow Volt and Bolt? Maybe the Chevy Jolt?
Slowly but very steadily, the Bolt in both normal and EUV flavors has become a very commonly seen car where I live. I know at least four very happy owners. It’s really the new Prius. Naturally, GM is dropping it. In fact Volts of both gens are pretty frequent sights also. And no GM dealership in town either.
In the book “The Dream Machine” (1976) author Jerry Flint states states in Ford’s search for a new model’s name, its attributes were fed into a computer resulting in the suggestion of “Bismarck”.
Granada was the eventually chosen.
Is this brand loyalty to Ford, or to Mustang?
Or just to Ford and/or a specific dealer (that does happen, still) supporting a reluctant adopter?
Personally, i suspect in the uk and Europe, Ford and Renault picking to revive familiar names for phev could help a lot of people make the change
If I lived in the UK I’d be very tempted by an EV Cortina. An electric CUV one size smaller than the MachE, named Capri? Not so much.
Hard to be sure, but if the name bothered the guy he clearly didn’t let it affect his decision. It’s not like he bought a new Mustang Coupe or Convertible though so no downside to Ford and there’s no competing EV in the driveway. The electric Mustang may in fact be aiding the continued existence of the regular Mustang in the same way that US Buick division mainly only exists to provide ‘heritage” to the China Buick division so maybe he thinks he’s doing his bit to keep the name alive.
Very very few people in the market are negatively caught up in the positive “heritage” of a given model name and even fewer actual buyers. The name recognition and goodwill given to a familiar name with positive associations for many far outweighs any of that. If the end product ends up good enough to fulfill the buyer’s needs and wants and the buyer likes it enough to buy it, then it’s a win-win.
As several others have stated manufacturers are smart enough to figure it out the other way too. You won’t see an electric Citation or Cavalier or Allegro or Pinto, even though all sold in quite large numbers.
You apparently will though see a Corvette electric SUV though within two years…Ford makes plenty of hay in the fact that the Mustang Mach-E and Lightning allow it to be the “Number two” player in the US EV market, I’m sure GM wants to take that second place crown, not that coming in second has traditionally been something to celebrate in the United States. What’s left unsaid is the absolutely gigantic gap to the “Number one” player, it’s not like it’s even remotely close. Besides actually building a competitive product, using positive imagery is the only other thing available to the legacy manufacturers, they should use it to every advantage they can get.
One can only imagine the resulting sales success had Ford accepted the suggested name of Utopian Turtletop for the Edsel.
https://www.pentagram.com/work/may-i-submit-utopian-turtletop/story
Interesting link, thanks!
The charachterfull front-drive Renault 5 with longitudinally-mounted engine was replaced with a rather boring transversely-mounted engined front-drive Renault 5
Executive VP: So have you picked the contest winner to name the upcoming Kaiser compact yet?
Marketing Manager: No sir, not yet. We have a number of excellent suggestions though.
Executive VP: What did you think of Mr. Kaiser’s suggestion?
Marketing Manager: I don’t recall seeing a suggestion from Mr. Kaiser.
Executive VP: I just happen to have a copy on this piece of paper.
Marketing Manager unfold paper: I don’t understand sir. There is nothing on this paper except Mr. Kaiser’s signature, “Henry J”.
Executive VP: Exactly!
Never could figure out the screaming regarding the use of the Mustang name.
Ford invented the Mustang.
Ford builds the Mustang.
Ford has legal ownership to the name/brand Mustang.
Therefore, whatever Ford decides is a Mustang . . . . is a Mustang. And all those cars & coffee Boomers/Gen Xers still living in their high school days can go pound sand. Their opinion doesn’t matter.