Anyone else notice how it seems that more and more automobiles are being cranked out with derivative names? For example, "Protege," "Seville," and "Discovery" have been replaced by "3," "STS," and "LR3."

You'd think that actual names might be easier for the public to remember and identify with...

I dunno :)

Maybe they are trying to gain the Luxury appeal.. like the BMW and Benz series... M3s, SL500..etc etc.

Mazda Spinneroonie, Infiniti Tomahawk Chop, Honda Shoryuken, Mitsubishi Penetrator, Ford Pinto-X2... those are some names I'd like to see.

its a viscious cycle. they go with numbers for awhile then names then back to numbers. then they start making up new words and use names again etc etc etc

i think it may be an american thing, because look at the names of things back in japan. Nissan 300ZX/350Z= Fairlady; one of the mazdas (3 or 6?) is called familia, G35= skyline and so on...

Also, an Acura RSX is still called an Integra in Japan. Heck, Acura is still called Honda in Japan! lol

Originally posted by zoom44
its a viscious cycle. they go with numbers for awhile then names then back to numbers. then they start making up new words and use names again etc etc etc

True. At least here in the USA.

I miss the name Probe! (I had a 1990 for 13 years, wish they'd bring it back!)

;)

Well actually (don't mean to nit pick or what not) the Mazda Protege was called the Mazda Familia.

Other Mazda vehicles got cool names like:

Mazda 3- Axela
Mazda 6- Atenza

...thats about it (besides RX-8 :) )

Therefore, I have named mine Mya (Yes, after the sessi singer). Im currently rethinking it to Milian (Christina Milian)...

Anyhoot, Some names are cool others can get out of hand like the new Mercedes SV1000000.

ima keep this list going
lexus is300 = toyota altezza

Honda THAT's
http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/thats/image/top-image.jpg

Honda LIFE
http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/life/image/top-image.jpg

I think that by designating a car with just a letters and numbers has a bit of european cache to it.

But there are probably practical reasons for doing so as well. By not assigning a name to a model, carmakers avoid the embarassment of an akward car name if that car is destined for foreign markets. For instance, remember the Chevy NOVA? NOVA=no go in spanish. There are probably other example of oddly named products out there.

Am I making sense? Maybe I need another coffee......

Originally posted by MTLbroker
I think that by designating a car with just a letters and numbers has a bit of european cache to it.

But there are probably practical reasons for doing so as well. By not assigning a name to a model, carmakers avoid the embarassment of an akward car name if that car is destined for foreign markets. For instance, remember the Chevy NOVA? NOVA=no go in spanish. There are probably other example of oddly named products out there.

Am I making sense? Maybe I need another coffee......

YEP! and in the "Troll" language -RX-8 means "better than me so I better bash it"

I'm not so sure about that... check out these cars. If you understand Spanish you will find this amusing.

Mazda's LA PUTA. Translation to Spanish "The Bit@h"

Nissan's Moco. Translation to Spanish "Bugger"

Countach = some sort of Italian expletive

I like Ford's nomenclature for their SUV's (all starting with "Ex":

Explorer
Expedition
Excursion
Escape (well, a lot of people pronounce this "Exscape")

If they continue this, imagine the possibilities:
Excuse
Exclamation
Exclusive
Excrement
Extravagance

the Exit
the Expensive
the Exploder
the Exorcised
the Excersize (so you can be fat and unhealthy, but feel good about it)

Originally posted by MTLbroker
...
But there are probably practical reasons for doing so as well. By not assigning a name to a model, carmakers avoid the embarassment of an akward car name if that car is destined for foreign markets. For instance, remember the Chevy NOVA? NOVA=no go in spanish...

I just read Car & Driver July 2004 issue with the story on Car Urban Legends (page 111)

Claim: The Chevrolet Nova sold poorly in Spanish-speaking countries because its name translates as "doesn't go" in Spanish.

Status: False.

The truth is that the Chevrolet Nova's name didn't significantly affect its sales: it sold well in both its primary Spanish-language markets, Mexico and Venezuela. (Its Venezuelan sales figures actually surpassed GM's expectations.) The whole "Nova = "doesn't go" tale was merely another in a long line of automotive jokes, like the ones about "Ford" being an acronym for "Fix or repair daily" or "Found on road dead" or "Fiat" being an acronym for "Fix it again, Tony!" These humorous inventions might adequately reflect the tellers' feelings about the worthiness of various types of automobiles, but we don't really expect that anyone ever refrained from buying a Ford because he actually believed they needed to be repaired on a daily basis.

The one bit of supporting evidence offered to back up this legend is spurious as well. General Motors, we're told, finally wised up and changed the model name of their automobile from Nova to Caribe, after which sales of the car "took off." One small problem with this claim: the Caribe sold in Mexico was manufactured by Volkswagen, not General Motors. (The Caribe was the model name used by VW in Mexico for the car more commonly known in the USA as the Volkswagen Golf.) The Nova's model name was never changed for the Spanish-speaking market.

http://www.snopes.com/business/misxlate/nova.asp

Gee wiz, I did not know that and I work in Advertising!

:D

Name of a car may not affect sales. It IS nonetheless, a corporate gaff that can subject the manufacturer the butt of ridicule.

Would I not buy a car because it's named "Fairlady"? Who knows, depends on the car.

I still think it's simpler just to call something the ABC123.