The automotive world used to be a simple place.
Luxury cars either had two things. An American name. Or a European alphanumeric designation.
Continental, Deville, Brougham, Park Avenue, Imperial. These were quintessential American names that gave forth an all-American luxury experience.
On the flip side were those crafty Europeans. Mercedes had a C, E, S and SL. Audi had stupendous numbers that could go all the way up to 5000. BMW put their numbers first, and Jaguar put their numbers last. Saab and Peugeot did their part of making their special cars an S, STI, or an SPG. But no one cared too much about them.
The world of luxury names had an order to it. Numbers and letters were decidedly European. Names were American.
Then the Lexus LS400 came along and screwed it up for everyone.
Lexus put forth a $35,000 car in 1989 that steamrolled competitor cars that were nearly twice the price here in the United States.
The LS400 was such a runaway success that within a few years Mercedes flipped their designations from number first to letter first.
The letter first trend for Mercedes was here to stay with the 10 year old 190E finally morphing into an all-new C220 in 1993. Followed in the same year by the E-Class and S-Class. By the late-90’s, nearly every Mercedes model had flipped their number to the back of the letter.
Why? Perhaps because that was the fashionable trend at the time. This marketing groupthink would represent just a small trickle to the flood that would soon come. Like all things disco, Polo, and Bon Jovi, the early success of the originals would soon be followed by a painful, never-ending series of poseurs and pretenders.
For luxury cars that meant nearly 20 years of mindless acronyms and alphanumerics.
The Lexus LS begat ES, which brought forth SC, which then gave forth GS, and by that time many stopped trying to figure out what a Lexus acronym actually meant.
But that didn’t stop Lexus. Soon there was an IS, HS, RX, GX, LX, LF-A, HS and six more acronyms that collectively codified the brand into a big fat WTF.
Lexus was not the only one drinking from the poisoned punchbowl of model mummification.
Acura had already ordained a Legend which was truly worth of the name. Along with an Integra that was always among the more rewarding cars to buy and keep.
Acura circa 2009 – Does not include the well-known ZDX and RLX models, or the upcoming NSX.
But some social malcontents within Acura decided that such appealing names were overshadowing the brand in much the same way as Cher routinely overshadowed Sonny. A satanic cult of three letter designations soon followed to the point where SLX, MDX, IL-X, and TSX gave Acura an identity that was SOL.
Infiniti already had the alphanumeric groove down with the G20, I30, and Q45 by the early-90’s. Which was fine because only the last one of those vehicles was remotely competitive.
Then Q sales nosedived thanks to a bland 2nd generation, and a “Do they still make that?” final generation. The demise of the Q led to the rise of the G, JX, and M. The hope being that Infiniti would be equal to a BMW in drag.
Now Infiniti is re-investing in seven brand new Q models. Will it be worth it?
Lincoln and Mercury – Back In The Good Old Days Of 1979
The Americans, overrun with MBA and PhD graduates, followed suit by early 2000. Pretty soon Sevilles received an honorary CTS. Devilles were given a DTS, Marks bowed down to a short-lived LS, and Zephyrs evolved into an MKZ. Or was it an MDX? Or an MRX? By the end of the decade American luxury found itself with European lipstick and Japanese (mostly Toyota) longings.
Everyone now could compete with everyone else in a luxury world where names no longer mattered.
So what do we have today? Confusion. Over 40 models given acronyms and alphanumerics that collectively have less brand equity than a box of Corn Flakes.
When everyone does the same thing, brand equity suffers. Even an entire class of vehicles can suffer the ill effects of ‘me too’ names. The Lexus LS no longer sells well and arguably, no flagship model laden with a glorified serial number in North America has a strong showing these days.
Names still matter to many of us. If you asked 95 plus percent of the average folks on the street a name of a Cadillac model, you know what name would come right at the top?
Escalade. Everybody knows that an Escalade is a big, vulgar, enormous SUV with all the luxury and pimpin’ style you could ever want in a quintessential American machine. The CTS may have been a better selling vehicle than the Escalade for most of the last ten years. But when it comes to name recognition, saying “I have an Escalade.” will make most non-enthusiasts recognize that you’re talking about an SUV while saying, “I have a CTS.” can conjure random images of a GPS or maybe even an STD.
A Lexus is still… an LS400. Some of us may have admired an ES that was little more than a glorified Camry. Or recommended an RX that arguably set the trend of a modern day crossover.
But the rest of the line-up means what exactly? To who?
Lexus obviously needs names at this point to identify their progeny in much the same way as the Octomom needs names for her brood. Lexus produces too much and needs to either give their models real names, or send them to the land of the dodo.
And Lexus is far from alone in that image driven quagmire.
The same is true for Acura.
Damn it Acura! Bring back the Integra, Legend, and think up a couple of names that would embody the virtues of your SUV models. Along with that sparsely equipped, near $30,000 car you have sold for nearly a decade now.
What is it called? I don’t even know what it is, and I sell these vehicles for a living. If your crowning achievement is a Legend, then give your cars an identity that fits that vision.
Give… them… names… ASAP. Please. Real names.
Forget about a Lincoln MKX SUV. Call it a Canyonero if you must.
Give them names so that car shoppers don’t have to read the serial numbers on the back of their vehicles to tell other people what it actually is.
Acronyms and alphanumerics should be for European luxury vehicles. Nobody else! This goes especially for non-luxury vehicles.
Mazda… sells Miatas…. not an MX-5.
A real MX is an LGM-118 Intercontinental Ballistic Missile that comes loaded with multi-kiloton nuclear bombs and was usually targeted squarely at the USSR. Not a $25,000 fashionable convertible targeted at the nearest Starbucks.
Scion…. should sell a Celica or a Supra. Not an FR-S. Those initials can be any one of thirty things listed on Wikipedia with the Scion FR-S ranked dead last in that order.
Pontiac… no longer sells anything because nobody figured out what the G in G3, G5, G6, G8 actually meant. A painful lesson that a multitude of other brands need to reconsider if they are to maintain a recognizable model name for the non-enthusiast.
So what do you think? Should American and Japanese luxury models be given names? Or should the alphanumeric alphabet soup that is the US car market devolve into a nonsensical emulsion of initials and numbers that mean nothing?
What would be your solution?
LTZ – what, exactly does that stand for? As in my Impala LTZ. “Luxury Trim for Zackman”, perhaps? Works for me!
Alpha-numeric model names drive me crazy, except “SS” as in “Super Sport” NOT the Nazi “Schutzstaffel”, but that’s an easy one for me.
“Galaxie 500” is perfect, as is Impala SS, Chevelle SS, et al.
Oh yeah…I like “RS” as in Camaro Rallye Sport. That’s very good as well.
I’m all for actually naming car models, for they tend to mean more to those who buy them. Impala, Galaxie, Imperial, El Dorado, Charger, Mustang, Road Runner, Camaro… you get the idea.
And WTF with Chevy and its 1LT and 2LT trim levels, but both being badged LT on the cars themselves?
If you think that’s bad, check out the list for a Buick Lacrosse! Mind-numbing!
LTZ, why that’s LuTZ my dear boy… 😛
Honorable Principal Dan – I think you nailed it! It’s not all about me, after all…
I honestly cracked up at both of your interpretations. Nicely done!
And let’s be honest. LT2 is really just LT Brougham or LTZ-lite.
Although I guess we should be glad its not the Lawrence Taylor edition or each car would come with standard hookers and coke.
Why can’t they just rename the “LS” the “L” or “S”, the “1LT” the “LS”, and the “2LT” the “LT”? Sounds easy enough…
LTZ dates back to early 90’s when it was supposed to be the ‘sporty’ Chevy. Think 1991 Caprice LTZ, which won MT COTY, and only the LTZ version.
But then it was used on Corsica and Beretta and meant just top trim, and now is ‘bling’.
1LT and 2LT sre trim levels and can be used to differentiate price points.
Buick did away with trim tags, to try and emulate import makes. CX to me meant ‘Century X’, the cheap versions.
We talked about this before on here. For what I understand the alphanumeric code not only has to do with trends, but since most cars are world platform based its an easier sell overseas.
My old 1991 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham d’Elegance was a name you did not forget.
I think if I ever have to go shopping for a vehicle with space as a replacement for my Century wagon I will get a ‘lade.
I do miss the slang associated with the American cars of yore. Even Europeans got into it sometimes, everyone used to call a MB just a Benz, Bimmer, Jag, etc.
Japanese never seemed to perhaps, it is that over efficiency, something would just not be right if I heard someone say “Hey man look at that ‘rolla…” (Corolla)
Very few American cars sell well on foreign markets it doesnt matter what they are called pickups yep those sell but the cars not so much we get Cadillac CTS and Camaros but the V6 powertrain comes from OZ not the US, our Chrysler 300s come from Belgium not the US. Ford rangers come from Tailand and the new one is cool though not available in the US apparently. When your gas hits real world prices you’ll see why on $20 per hour I cant afford $10 per gallon gas in the sort of quantities US cars can guzzle.
Speaking of Fleetwood Broughams…
When I started my search for one I was on the internet a lot, to the point where people would ask me what I was doing. I’d say… Oh I’m looking for one of those old Cadillac Broughams, I’ve always liked them.
A woman said to me once “those are nice cars my mom had one”. To which I replied was it the 2-door or 4-door and she said “I think it was a Mercury”.
So many models had Brougham as part of their name that I realized Cadillac Brougham sounded pretty ordinary to anyone not in the know.
Luckily mine is an ’86 so technically it’s the Fleetwood Brougham and man does that roll off the tongue nicely. Everyone’s face lights up twice, once upon seeing the car and then again after hearing the name. Then I show them the badging and they nod their heads in approval.
The word Brougham by itself looks so lonely on the rear fenders of the 87-92s.
My advice to car-makers is simple:
1) STOP CHANGING THE NAMES OF YOUR CARS!
That’s it. Your brand is your most important asset. Make sure each generation of the car is worth the name you’ve given it, and stick by the name. If you blew it and dropped your names for other names or meaningless number/letter combos, you can still make amends – so long as the revival is worth the name.
WTF is a Cruze, anyway? Why not Nova or Chevelle? Oh yeah, you destroyed the value of those names in the bad old days…
The segments cars live in change, though. When Chevy reintroduced the Impala, it didn’t do it on a large RWD car, it did it on a four-door car aimed at, presumably, families who wanted decent transportation. I assume they were banking on the memories of 30- and 40-somethings who remember Dad’s old Impala. But the modern Impala isn’t the same kind of car as the one ol’ Dad had.
There are probably lots of examples of car names changing segment. Dodge Charger is certainly an obvious one. The original incarnation of the Dodge Magnum was a 2-door coupe, not a station wagon. The Chrysler 300 was a “fullsize muscle” car, then a Cordoba-based coupe like the Magnum, and now it’s fullsize again (or at least what passes for fullsize today).
Historically, I don’t believe there was a 4-door Mercury Marauder either.
Yep the black Marauder featured recently has a 4door cuzzie nearby.
Marauders were indeed offered as four door hardtops in ’63 and ’64. I distinctly remember trying to talk my Dad into going down to a 2nd tier San Rafael used car dealership (Dervin Motors) to check out a black over black ’64 Mercury Maruader four door hardtop (with a top loader four speed! and ribbed metal console!) as I saw this car riding my back home from (junior) high school, 7th grade (this would be about 1971-72).
Of course, he was not interested.
Ok, I wasn’t sure about the Marauder.
Name changes started in the 50s and 60s. Buick renamed the whole line in 1959. it was part of the ‘annual changes’.
But eventually confused people. Like overusing Cutlass and LeBaron to get shoppers. “I want a Cutlass” thinking of a 1977 V8 Supreme, but sales is trying to push the FWD Calais.
Nova was once just top trim of Chevy II, but once more Chevys were for sale, the II didnt make sense anymore. Chevelle was more appropriate to be the ‘Chevy II’ i think.
Sometimes rebranding is absolutely necessary. Chevy sold Cavaliers by the pant load, but they did not have a particularly good reputation and the name had been dragged through the mud for years.
Hence Cobalt (which failed to resonate in any positive way with customers) and now Cruze… which is just a flat-out awful name, for many reasons.
As Walter said, “Make sure each generation of the car is worth the name you’ve given it, and stick by the name.” Don’t make garbage that taints your brand image and you won’t have to change the name later to try to fool your customers.
Chevy’s horrid Cavalier somehow gained Toyota badging and showed up here used ex JDM and of course being a toyota people bought them even toyota import their own used cars to NZ and refurbish them at the old assembly plant in Thames, they are sold thru the gealer network as Signature class and every one of them carries an as new warranty.
The Cavalier is such a piece of crap it stands out as the worst Toyota EVER.
A little hard on the Chevy Cavalier, aren’t you Bryce? They may be underwhelming, but the vast majority of the millions made in Lordstown, Ohio USA are still on the road (the J car moniker “cockroach of the road” fits) . . . . they were ultra-simplistic (OHV four banger); cheap to buy, cheap to insure, cheap to run. The cars for ‘non-car’ type people. I appreciate your enthusiasm for vintage commonwealth cars, but there’s a reason they didn’t last too long in the U.S. – horrible, unreliable, poorly built shitboxes. J car GM models, at their worst, when compared to a Brit machine of similar vintage (let’s be fair . . . late 70’s and 80’s) makes the J-car look like a Lexus!!
In retorspect, it was the Japanese who really showed everyone how to “do it right.”
Uh, Bryce,
The simple fact that GM sold millions of Cavaliers to people who were totally uninterested in automobiles except as a transportation tool (a niche it fitted very well) easily says that the car was nowhere near as bad as you’d like to believe.
If the car was half as bad as you’re claiming, it wouldn’t have survived past the 1985 model year, no matter how cheaply it was priced.
Well, FWIW, even Asian makes rename cars due to model erosion.
Nissan renamed Stanza to Altima, and Toyota Corona became the Camry, and were hits. Kia Sephia has been rebranded, but I dont know what it’s current successor is!
Seeing as how so many of these “premium” cars all have the same family look (same sausage, different lengths), it seems perfectly appropriate to give them indistinguishable names. Look, I’ve pointed out two problems with European, Japanese … and now, sadly, American luxury cars.
I think that the letter-numberization of these cars’ names is about making the make the brand. I’m not saying I agree with this strategy, but that’s how I read what’s going on.
A guy I work with drives some sort of new Acura sedan. When asked what he drives, he just says, “An Acura.” I think that’s what Acura wants.
That is precisely why Acura opted to rename its cars in the 90s (and arguably drove this trend at least as much as Lexus did.) Customers were proud to say they drove Integras and Legends, but few mentioned they drove Acuras.
I have read before that that is exactly what they want. I don’t like it either.
That’s true but it’s always been a chicken and egg debate on this. The argument for alphanumerics is as you say, have people think more brand than specific model.
That works best though when the brand itself is already strong. Probably wouldn’t matter too much if BMW, Benz or Lexus changed model names again.
I would argue a series of hits, homers and grand slams is what builds a desirable brand to begin with. Your best chance at having a breakthrough car like that is with a breakthrough name. The 300C and Escalade are two good examples.
If a brand’s reputation is weak to middling and they combine that with new forgettable model names then it’s a tough row to hoe. Lincoln, Infiniti and Volvo are the examples.
The only time I remember seeing more emphasis on the brand than the model work was with Saturn. The cars weren’t very good but there was no baggage with the all-new name and there was a ton of marketing support. The launch of the brand was also very newsworthy, everyone knew Saturn’s “story”.
Believe it or not one of the main benefits of alphanumerics is not having to deal with trademark issues. Even if you can clear a pet name for one market there can be issues clearing it in another. Big hassle with everything going so global.
This fact is why legacy names are a particularly good idea, chances are no one else has “Seville” or “Eldorado” locked up.
Acura . . . . ugliest line up of cars on the market today. Underwhelming . . . the garden variety Hondas (upon which they are based on) shine. Not my opinion; Acura dealers are offering 0% financing and lots of cash on the hood to move these dog-ass ugly, can-opener styled goof machines out the door. At one time, Honda’s upscale for North America Acura division showed true leadership . . . those days are long gone . . . .
As this article states, I agree that the ‘real’ Lexus would have to be an LS400; the ES350 is still a Camry with lipstick. The better value is a Toyota Camry XLE essentially the same car, better looking for about $3K less (same level of equipment save a couple strips of bark the Lexus has). Audis? Except for the A8, they’re VW’s in slutty clothes and still questionable in long term quality and reliability. Cadillac? Resurgent. You don’t mistake a Caddy today for anything else but a Cadillac. Can you say that about the myriad of egg-drop soup Asian cars? Nope . . .
That’s the explanation I’ve heard, too.
The guy who drives a $31,000 128i tells his friends, “Oh, I drive a BMW,” and he feels like a big shot. That’s what the automakers are all trying to achieve with their luxury brands.
Maybe that’s the right thing to do, maybe it’s not. But it’s definitely the current thinking.
Cars had great names even if they were crap eg Hillman,/Chrysler/Talbot Avenger(Plymouth Cricket in the USA).
Nuthin crap about Hillmans. You couldnt fix one but the cars are good and if you leave them alone they are reliable, I’m sorry but your tale of Rapier problems speaks more of your mechanical skills than faults the cars actually had. By the way the Hunter your Rapier was based on only recently ceased production in Iran, yeah they used Peugeot petrol engines to meet emissions but the rest of it was Hillman so crap I think not.
Mechanical skills – a good thing to have as it’s a necessaray talent regarding ownership and maintenance of Commonwealth cars. “Push to start” is literal !
Why do the English drink warm beer?
Because their refrigerators have Lucas electricals !!
Lexus don’t sell well in Europe..At all…AFAIK they shifted about 20,000 units all told last year..
And how did Infinti try and dress up our European Nissan Primera and sell it as a luxury car in the USA???
That car was designed to compete against the Ford Sierra/Mondeo Opel Vectra, Peugeot 406 family saloons.
They pulled the Primera from the UK market years ago..Diito the Renault Laguna as these family saloons are being overtaken by the soft roaders..Nissan Qashqui,Rav 4, Land Rover Freelander etc.Or premium brands like BMW 3 series,
I am waiting for Honda to pull their Accord..It doesn’t sell well either. I wonder why they bother offering it..I think I saw one new accord recently on the road.
I would love to take this opportunity to slam American car manufacturer’s misguided attempts to attempt to copy the Europeans, but it’s been done to death. The worst offender now seems to be BMW: Z4 sDrive35is???
I’m not sure Mercedes did that change because of Lexus. Their old system didn’t work anymore, as it was based on engine size. How was one to tell the difference between a 230 C class or E class? The problem already partially existed before the 190 came along, but that really exacerbated it. Calling it a 190 2.3, or 190 2.6 jor 190 2.2, or a 190 2.0 just wasn’t cutting it.
Mercedes wisely realized that they had to differentiate their cars by their respective classes, not by engine displacement. It’s actually a much cleaner and more logical system now.
BMW actually led the way with that: the first number indicating which class it was. And Audi got on the bandwagon. Much more logical.
agreed. in the early nineties, it must have been clear to the people in Untertürkheim that they would not march along with two or three model lines in the future. until then, they had the midsize sedans identified by numbers matching the displacement of the engine (like 300E) and the bigger S-class, which was also matched by numbers indicating the displacement (450SE). that was topped up with a “C” for the coupes and the “SL” for the sportier cars. maybe with a “D” for diesel and starting 1977 the “T” for the estates. using the old 190 moniker for the third line already showed the diffilculties to keep this system.
look at MB today (even it’s not a pretty sight): you have three SUV’s, three two seater sportscars, a few coupes and convertibles, a sort-of minivan and four sedans … how should that have worked out when sticking to the old nomenclatura? not at all. and the system they use is still somewhat coherent and surely much better than anything from Munich … I mean, X5M 50i xdrive efficient dynamics? really?
Mercedes make a range of vans and trucks but you wont catch me in another, If they figured out how to reverse engineer a proper truck transmission maybe but until the fone Eaton Fuller for components ah Thank you NO.
But even with BMW now that’s a misnomer. Up until recently a 528i was a five series, 2.8 Litre (six) cylinder engine. Now, it’s a 2.0L direct-gas injected turbo four. Great cars, by the way. If BMW was to follow tradition, it would be a 520i.
Sort of like the problem Intel had when clock speed no longer told you anything about CPU performance. They went from marketing a Pentium 66 that was a little faster than a Pentium 60 to offering a “ladder of success” of product lines (Celeron, Pentium, Centrino) to the current mess where it’s impossible to tell if a slow Core i5 is better than a fast Core i3 or if you really want a Pentium M or one of any of the other dozens of name variations they have now.
I wonder if it is a coincidence that the one carmaker on a real roll these days is the one using old-fashioned names – Hyundai/Kia. Sedona, Santa Fe, Soul, Genesis – good names for cars. Now, if they can slow down on the constant barrage of new names and just keep improving the cars that use them.
I have never understood how Ford failed (on two different cars) to bring back the Galaxie name.
I understand alpha-numerics if they actually mean something (like the old Mercedes 240D used to) but I agree with you completely. I am a car nut, and still cannot name most models of Lexus, Acura or Infiniti. I have to think really hard with Lincolns. This is just stupid.
Yeah JP the Lincoln alphanumeric system is a mystery to me and of course it gets worse with the nonexistant Japanese luxury brands as we get those cars in the original Toyota,Honda and Nissan badging or nameplates that are hillariously funny it sometimes takes me a while to spot the exact cars you describe on here.
Lincoln, once they ever start building CARS (cars people would actually want – not bloated XUV/SUVs) again, should revert back to names that mean something. Premiere – Capri – Custom – Continental – Lido . . . . . (not Zephyr as that was a bastardized Mercury in later years). In Lincoln-esque (even “K”), that meant something.
Chrysler would do wise to re-examine their car names for example, V-6 less-sporty 300’s could be “Windsor” “Saratoga” “New Yorker” . . . .
Just a thought . . .
I’m OK with alphanumeric as long as it has strong meaning. Example – LS 400 = 4.0V8 and in my head LS always meant “Large Sedan”. lol LS 430 = 4.3V8. LS 460 = 4.6V8.
RL or TL? Lincoln stop calling it MarK everything. MKT = MarK Truck? MKX = MarK (X) crossover? Don’t forget for a while it wasn’t just Cadillac DTS there was also the DHS, supposedly Deville Touring Sedan and Deville High-luxury Sedan.
WTF?
“DHS” was not used by itself, but as a trim level of DeVille, ie: DeVille DHS. DTS was formerly another trim level of DeVille. Starting in 2006 the DeVille name was dropped and all DeVilles were rebranded as DTS.
WTF… isn’t that a Scion model? 😉
So again we get into the silliness where GM technically “double named the cars”. Deville DHS = Deville Deville High-luxury Sedan or Seville STS which meant Seville Seville Touring Sedan. Although the dumbest was Eldorado ETC which could either be Eldorado Eldorado Touring Sedan or Eldorado excreta…
I do appreciate the humor in the WTF reference. I once actually had a situation as a middle school teacher in which I simply told a class “whiskey tango foxtrot” and to their credit they “got it.”
ETC, the C, was for Coupe.
typo, but it doesn’t change the silliness.
Cadillac Etcetera… that has and always will come to mind first when I see ETC on the back of a Caddy.
There once were, “Chrysler New Yorker Deluxe St. Regis” , “Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale” . . . . . “DeSoto Fireflite Seville Coronado” . . . . “Ford Mustang Shelby Cobra GT” . . . . “Dodge Custom Royal Lancer La Femme”. . . .
I think the problem is that luxury manufacturers try to push brand before model. If the layman doesn’t recognize the difference in name between a S80 versus an S500, they do know Volvo vs Mercedes.
Beyond the enthusiasts I know, the general response I get when asking someone what they drive usually goes like
(Owns a Honda Civic) I drive a Civic
(Owns a 335ix) I drive a BMW
Audi – who was as boneheaded as they could be about model designations until the mid-90s – figured that prescription out, and it fit their brand. Why name every single car they had then A-something (or S-)? God knows, but you do know instantly that it is an Audi and how big it is. And you know mass-market v. performance v. massive SUV for Americans.
Mercedes Benz C-250 . . . . C class, but it has a direct-injection turbocharged 1.8L engine . . .
I loved my Mazda6, but hated that it did not have a proper name. DMV and Farmers Insurance also struggled with the branding – both called my car a “Mazda Mazda6 S.”
> Pretty soon Sevilles received an honorary CTS. Devilles were given a DTS
I’m pretty sure the Catera replacement was the CTS and the Seville became the STS. At one time the Caddy nomenclature made sense, because the first letter of the old name became the first letter of the new name, then ‘T’, presumably for Touring, and either ‘S’ for Sedan or ‘C’ for Coupe…. which unfortunately made the Eldorado the ETC. Who wants to buy a luxury car with the short-hand form of “et cetera” emblazoned on it.
Yes it was, the CTS was green lighted in 1997 shortly after the Catera came out! The Catera was only intended to be a stop gap for the CTS. No matter how successful it was, there was never going to be a Catera II.
The Sigma platform was probably the biggest development in GM design rationale since the decision was made to go deep into FWD in the 70s. Not only engineering but styling (Arts&Science) and a brand new facility at Lansing Grand River. At one point, it consumed 50% of Cadillac budget once the 00 deVilles were released.
The coming of the CTS felt like the lead up to the release of the X cars.
BUT this time we got it right the CTS and Cadillac, even 10 years later is booming.
Who would have thought Chrysler would be leading the way with the most successful name revival in the industry… 300C, Charger, Challenger and now Dart. Good cars, great names.
We will see a flagship out of Cadillac soon and my bet is they will use Eldorado or Fleetwood or Seville for that. It worked for them the last time they brought back a famous name in 1976.
No one could remember Catera, the name or the car, and even something as seemingly outlandish as a Corvette-based sports car failed miserably. I always have to pause a sec to remember that car’s name which was XLR. Outstanding point on the Escalade.
Good point about Chrysler.
I too prefer names as opposed to letters, although some names are a bit on the long side like Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo.
If Caddy starts using names again, my vote would be for “Talisman” on their flagship car. A cool name that didn’t get much use the first time around, so it doesn’t have the “old money” associations of their historic names.
Excellent point about Chrysler, we have been looking at a Challenger and this subject just might help seal the deal.
The XLR always sounded like either a radio station or a dishwasher rinse aid.
I actually like that name because you can add an 8 to the end and get “Accelerate”. Everyone with an XLR should be required to get custom plates. 🙂
XLR is also a type of connector used in professional audio and timecode applications.
Bringing up 300C is sort of an odd example, given that it (a) is an alphanumeric name and (b) in the late ’50s and early ’60s, Chrysler proceeded to apply both the 300 designation and the letter series in a variety of puzzling and confusing ways. Also, let’s not forget the new Chrysler 200…
I dunno. I think the 300C is targeted to car guy types as much as it is to style leaders. Chances are “300C” to them means good old days at Chrysler more than cockamamie new name. I’m surprised how many ordinary folks are aware of how valuable classic old Chryslers have become.
200 is a terrific example of a forgettable name out of left field.
My point is that mentioning the 300C as an example of a great non-alphanumeric name seems a little odd…
No one has mentioned Lincoln’s faux pas of dropping all their titles, turning to the current ridiculous names (initials) they use today.
I still love the names Continental and Town Car.
I hate the “MK” in all Lincoln names, not only because of the confusion it creates, but also because it precludes a future “Continental Mark ##” flagship.
I have little doubt that both the Continental and Town Car names will return eventually, but probably not in the near term even if Lincoln sorts out its very, very confusing alphanumerics. The issue is that the Continental and Town Car badges are still strongly associated with the retiree and livery fleet sales markets from which Lincoln was understandably eager to distance itself.
I recently passed a black MKT (the Lincoln version of the Flex, in case you do not have your scorecards handy). “Town Car” was spelled out on the lower front doors in chrome block letters. This must be the new livery version of the MKT I have read about. That nameplate is both cool and horrifying at the same time.
The Lincoln brand itself connotes retiree and livery sales. If Alphanumerics by way of emkay___ are supposed to shift the spotlight away from models and to the brand, Lincoln is still screwed.
I think Continental has gone unused long enough now that a revival could work IF the car it’s attached to is a true stand alone flagship worthy of it.
Town Car? Who cares? It was a trim package that overgrew it’s model(the Continental), just as LTD did with Galaxie, and Crown Vic did with LTD. The original stand alone names were better anyway.
Also, I have always been confused by the Ford “LX” trim level. In the 1980s and through most of the 1990s it represented a “luxury” trim, yet by 2000 it was a base model, at least on the Taurus.
Commonplace on American makes going back to the ’50s. Most car lines had their “deluxe” (which was actually standard trim) and their “custom” (which WAS the deluxe). Go figure.
Jim Grey is correct — the alphanumeric approach is supposed to shift the focus to the brand. It’s also supposed to help with the consumer understanding the branding ladder — you guide them to the lower rung, then hope that they want to keep climbing it.
Walter Moore has the right idea. Some degree of consistency would be preferable at this point. The Infiniti decision make everything a “Q” is just dumb. I realize that they are copying Audi (letter, followed by number that denotes rank rather than engine size), but that decision makes no sense when they were already using alphanumeric names that were starting to work. I still can’t remember what the next G37 is going to be called, and I pay attention to these things.
I understand the rationale behind Infiniti’s rebranding: to establish the Infiniti as a world car they need to get rid of designations known mostly in North America; however, I’m not sure it is going to work or that it’s the best idea. I drive a G37 and virtually everyone I know, regardless of age group, knows what a “G” is when you tell them what you drive. To throw away the very well-established identity of their most successful model (and the one that saved the division) and to saddle it with Q50 – so close to the designation of the Q45, a model that was a failure – ultimately just doesn’t sit well with a lot of us on the G forums. I suppose it is better than doing what Pontiac did with GTO toward the end – using the revered performance nameplate on a “Nova,” or later on the Holden.
Nissan ought to dump the Maxima and just call it the G37. Infiniti has been weak at best since it’s inception and chased death numerous times. Most of the Infinitis over the last 20 years have been near blatant badge engineered and have squandered any cache the brand name may have had. Acura is only considered upscale compared to Honda. They never had a flagship model the Legend was a midsize V6. Only Lexus, mainly with the Ls cars has been able to break out.
“the rationale behind Infiniti’s rebranding: to establish the Infiniti as a world car they need to get rid of designations known mostly in North America”
Is that what they’re claiming? I don’t see why that would be necessary.
I dunno, but this sounds as if the head of the unit is trying to change things for the sake of changing them. There was serious discussion about cutting the brand entirely, and this might have been some sort of half-baked symbolic act that was supposed to lend credibility to the revival plan.
The idea of a letter designation based upon class, followed by some digits based upon engine displacement, is already a fairly universal idea. It’s not as if they were naming the cars after towns in Texas or something. (Yes, the Infiniti Corpus Christi or Waco would probably need to be globalized.)
Yes, that is one of reasons posited by Infiniti Division President Johan de Nysschen. I’m not buying it either. I would have been comfortable with G-Class, something equivalent to M-B C-Class (where C250 doesn’t equate to the 1.8 liter four under the hood) but to abandon the G designation – not smart.
It’s a tougher call than it would appear. Infiniti is getting ready to enter new markets, some very important. It doesn’t really matter how they start there in terms of model naming. Towards the beginning of the alphabet for lower priced cars, towards the end for higher priced has limitations.
You are looking at it from an American consumer’s perspective. I suppose they could have gone Q/QX in new markets and kept G etc. here but that doesn’t show much confidence in my opinion.
Well, I certainly hope they succeed but I think G could have been used internationally. And catering to the American market has been quite important for Mercedes-Benz, BMW, etc. Of course, the G really is just a Nissan Skyline…
The whole “entry level” luxury car market is becoming amazingly competitive. I was part of a marketing survey project this week where we examined and rated several cars, including the new Mercedes CLA and a BMW concept car (sized between the 1 and 3 series). It will be interesting to see how well the CLA (again with the confusing model designations) succeeds in the US.
I don’t see how expanding the use of model names would betray a lack of confidence if they were. Make a near-luxury car and call it G___ (engine size), a larger car and call it M___ (engine size), etc., I can’t see why another nationality would dislike this idea or demand something different.
It would actually be similar to what BMW and Mercedes have done. (Or at least that’s what they used to do until they decided that the digits could be rounded to whatever they felt like…) The common single letter, followed by digits that have nothing to do with the motor size, is an Audi convention.
On the confidence I mean more like when Nissan decided to jettison Datsun in the US market. Considering their success and how global things have gone it would have been plenty weird if it was Datsun in America, and Nissan everywhere else. How would you handle something like the Nissan Leaf, for instance?
There were some growing pains at first but then, after a few successful models, people stopped even talking about. Not sure if it was ever much of a business issue (but it was sure fun to talk about!)
My main point isn’t about Infiniti or Lincoln it’s about the power of a good pet name, especially a legacy name and especially for Cadillac. Leaf and Volt are terrific examples that helped the cars break out, from competitors and kin in their own line-up. No such help needed for Tesla.
I’m just not seeing why someone in the UK, Germany, Australian or China couldn’t drive a G-whatever or an M-whatever. It’s not as if driving a 3-whatever or E-whatever has been culturally offensive.
I don’t think that CA Guy is suggesting that different markets get different names. Rather, the idea is that everyone else gets the same names, which happen to be names that are already familiar to us.
Oh if you meant G everywhere that would work, though obviously they would have to give up the Q+ naming rule. I was talking about how it wouldn’t show much confidence to use G only in the US and Q50 (or whatever it is) in new markets.
Not worth the headache and shortsighted in my book.
As for the risk, aside from a few bruised American egos I’m not sure there is any. We don’t know how much easier Q+ makes it for them to manage, to sell in other markets and we don’t know the share of profit by region. Although it’s gotten better, the $/Y exchange rate has made it tough to extract much profit from the US.
Q+ is not the disaster that MK is over at Lincoln. I just don’t get that. It’s not like Lincoln needed a simple naming convention for their vast global plans.
Maybe they wanted something super neutral, so that they could experiment with hip shot product ideas, to see which direction might fly for Lincoln.
I was not arguing for a separate designation for the US model. Rather that G be used internationally. I have a good Chinese friend and work colleague in Beijing who loves cars and the G – he’s ridden in mine here and the car is available there; I saw quite a few when in China in 2011. He was surprised at the change to Q50.
And of course de Nysschen is from Audi.
Note that Nissan is in the process of reviving the Datsun name for use in emerging markets:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-20/nissan-to-revive-datsun-brand-after-three-decades-to-boost-sales.html
I thought, as a kid, that “Ventura”, as in Pontiac Ventura, sounded very exotic, very Californian. I kept on hoping that Pontiac would someday come out with the Oxnard but that never happened.
Oxnard? That’s because people would probably call it the “Ox Cart”. 🙂
Ventura was very Californian indeed. There was the Frank Sinatra Imperial, and the Pontiac named for Charlie Ventura. Unfortunately, GM failed to realize that the target demographic had moved beyond the tenor sax to the electric guitar. 🙂
California was very mystical for auto manufacturers . . . the locales and cities made great names for their cars.
Pacifica . . . Ventura . . . . Malibu . . . Sonoma . . . Laguna . . . . Monterey . . .Sierra . . . El Camino . . . Silverado . . .
I don’t think “Hayward”, “Placer”, “Stockton” or “El Monte” were in the running . . .
Don’t forget Catalina.
On the other hand, I have my doubts that there will ever be a Compton, Barstow, Fresno or Bakersfield in our automotive future.
Hehe and Catalina made me think of another one… Avalon!
I’m assuming that Toyota’s use of the Avalon comes from the Arthurian legend. But I’d prefer to think that someone at TMC was a Roxy Music fan.
How about the Buick Burbank Brougham?
Somehow only Chrysler was enamored of East coast names – New Yorker, Saratoga, Newport, Plymouth, Cambridge come to mind.
Or perhaps a Mercury Anaheim or Plymouth Reseda…
Nissan Reseda I think you’ll find its trademarked
Plymouth Van Nuys, then — just go south a bit…
Ive got two cars I drive regularly both have names and come from manufacturers of long ago, my DD is a Citroen Xsara 2 names maker and model the other designations it comes in debote body style or engine mine has Turbo D on the door rubbing strips.
the other is a Hillman Minx, base model only automatic feature is self cancelling trafficators even the wipers didnt self park in 59 on those though they did on the Singer Gazelle and Ive been given one of those for parts, yeah and I own a 66 Super Minx 1600 for parts and my name is on a 89 Toyota Corolla Ive yet to collect. They all have names not letters or numbers, I’d never thought about it before though. Thanx.
I don’t think a BMW Stalingrad would be too popular hence the numbers
On the Escalade note, I’d also like to point out that the lone recognized Lincoln name today is probably the Navigator.
I echo others sentiments, leave alphanumerics to the Europeans. I personally perceive the shift American brands took to them as yet another admission of inferiority to the foreign competition, just like all the other shallow “euro inspired” touches they keep getting watered down with. Cadillac and Lincoln can’t be the “standard of the world” if all they do is just copy some other company’s lead, and they can’t be premier American luxury cars when the only thing American left on them is the brand name.
I think it’s important to note that automakers do face a number of legitimate dilemmas in regard to naming even if we set aside the brand identity thing:
First, very few automakers focus on a single market anymore, which means that all of the oh-so-fun aspects of naming a new product (“Does this sound catchy? Does it have any unhappy connotations? Can we clear the trademark?”) are multiplied by all the different potential markets and languages. (“Does this mean something unfortunate in Italian or Portuguese?”)
Second, modern legal affairs goons are trying strenuously to trademark every conceivable word or combination of words in every major language. Unless an automaker has a longstanding claim to a particular name, this means that non-alphanumeric designations are less likely to be evocative, romantic, or mellifluous and more likely to be awkwardly invented (what is a Versa, exactly?), arbitrary (“Acura Credenza?”), or obnoxiously cutesy.
Third, most automakers now have a huge array of product variations. Take the number of model lines (generally separated by size) and multiply that by the different engine options (which in many markets are just blinding) and significant equipment variations (e.g., AWD, hybrids) and you have a headache. You can invent names for features and engines, and many automakers do, although that returns you to the circus of points one and two. However, if you assign an arbitrary word to every variation, you get an even bigger mess than with alphanumerics.
Fourth, in a lot of markets, vehicle and engine size have a more direct relationship to running costs than they necessarily do in the U.S. Even before WW2, a lot of British and European cars were named for their taxable horsepower ratings — the Citroën 2CV being perhaps the most famous and obvious example. (The way things are going, I wouldn’t be surprised to see automakers start naming their models after their CO2 emissions bands.) Therefore, there is value in having a naming system that gives people some immediate sense of a model’s position in those respects.
Of course, having good reasons for doing something doesn’t necessarily mean it isn’t still confusing, misguided, or just inept, but the answer isn’t necessarily so simple, either.
very true on all accounts!
mind, Rolls Royce infamously intended to release the Silver Shadow as the Silver Mist – which in German would mean something like Silver Poop. But then again, the same can happen with alphanumericals, as the Toyota MR2 showed in France (MR2 = “merde” = … well, Mist)
and also, the legal / trademark bit is something not laugh at. in todays world, almost any even remotely nice sounding name tends to be trademarked for something, somewhere and if you’re planning on releasing a product that took a very high investment to develop as a car on a world-wide basis, you’re certainly wise not to take chances on this side. plus, marketing tends to be streamlined world-wide, too, if only to save costs.
Yeah a friend has a 1928 Humber 14/4, 4 cylinders 14 taxable horsepower, there were many more examples that came out of England where they specialized in small bore long stroke engines for tax purposes.
The old pre-war Chrysler Kew cars – small displacement Plymouths . . . .
I should get off my okole and post something of my own (an article). A fun one would be all the goofy JDM names of cars. Sometimes, they’re exported to other (English) speaking countries with their weird names; Nissan Sunny Excellent, Mazda Bongo, Mitsubishi Debonair, Isuzu Faster . . . . the list could be endless as English to market to Japanese usually incorporate adjectives . . . . .
Oh, we get all of those weird names here in NZ on our used JDM imports! Occasionally manufacturers give up and sell them new here with the JDM name too – eg we get the Nissan Wingroad station wagon new, I guess leaving it Wingroad saved Nissan the 10c it would have cost to prise off the Wingroad badge and glue a Tiida badge on instead. Of course the Tiida’s now reverted back to being badged a Pulsar. My fave strange JDM name is the afore-mentioned Mazda Bongo, but in its Brawny or Friendee designations. Mind you, I’d rather drive a Skyline with its storied nameplate history than a G37, so sometimes the JDM names work. Although Infiniti Q70 is possibly better than Nissan Fuga. Anyway, back to my Nissan Laurel Medalist…
Laughing out loud over this post and the comments. Automotive model names truly are in an abysmal state. The Americans did have some of the absolute best model names that still resontate today (even if they are long gone). Almost tragic the way the names have been discarded. The Japanese and Europeans are really no better as they confuse letters, numbers, displacements, “classes” etc. and add to the hodgepodge. A great multiple choice game would be to put down on the current model alphanumerics and vehicle brands, and try to have people match properly–I bet some of the manufacturers themselves wouldn’t get them all right. Never mind the consumer.
Also the debate over the “brand” versus the “model” seems so ridiculous. As long as people are buying, enjoying and recognizing the cars, who cares?!? I had a ’91 Integra, loved it, told people I drove it. Never meant I didn’t like Acura, just conveyed I had the smaller, sportier one. Today I tell people I drive a Jeep (Grand Cherokee), while I know Wrangler drivers who call out the model. Meanwhile the company counts all of us as customers and enjoys the brand equity in whatever form it takes. Amazes me that the companies in this industry just don’t get it.
The other naming convention that reached comical proportions, in the 1980s (at Oldsmobile at least), was the insame trim name layering. Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale Brougham LS has to be one of the longest, silliest names ever. The plastic badge suppliers of suburban Detroit must have enjoyed a record breaking season.
Oh, and a special shout out to Acura for the Vigor, one of the craziest model names ever for the U.S. market. That must have gotten people to say the make instead of the model …
So true. Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Classic Brougham is the one I remember.
Or, Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency Brougham.
The first Regency in ’72 was a limited edtion ‘super luxury’ 98, then became a rebadged 88 job for old timers, by 1997-98.
Forget Lincoln or BMW, JDM cars take the cake. Sometimes it’s just the translation but the context is face palming. Sort of like watching Jay Leno’s Headlines and Weddings.
Daihatsu Naked, Mazda Bongo Friendee (sounds x-rated), Isuzu Mysterious Utility Wizard, Honda Life Dunk, Yamaha Pantryboy Supreme (I know Japanese culture is stratified but gee), Nissan Elgrand Homy, Daihatsu Charade Social Pose, Mitsubishi MUM 500 Shall We Join Us?, Suzuki Every Joy Pop Turbo, Honda Vamos Hobo Travel Dog, Mazda Scrum, Toyota Deliboy, Isuzu Mini Active Urban Sandal, Mitsubishi Delica Space Gear, and of course my personal all-time favorite the:
Daihatsu Move – I hope it does…
And Craig I drive amongst this stuff all day its great entertainment and of course being in the artdeco capital there is lots of oldies driven about daily there is an elderly couple locally that drive a prewar Vauxhall 14hp and local tour cars of the Brands Packard Mclauglin Buick and Austin that pass a rigorous biannual safety inspection as commercial vehicles.
Sometimes on strategy it’s a simple matter of regime change. Like when the Daimler guys took over Chrysler and pushed for the LX cars. The rank and file was jazzed and the end result was a very cohesive come-to-market strategy including the legacy names.
Over at Infiniti it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if the new guy running things (from Audi) pushed for and got the new naming structure. “It sure worked well over at Audi look how well we did after the name change”. Half the room would say hard to argue with that, the other half would say but Infiniti doesn’t have a breakthrough car like the A4 that made that all work.
Out with the old in with the new. Classic human nature.
“the new guy running things (from Audi)” — de Nysschen!
(Gesundheit)
Few people remember that the Yugo model designation in its home market was Chingadero, a model name that wouldn’t fly in a US market rife with Lithuanians, at least in Chicago.