Car names that should die/stay dead

[LosAngeles]

I want everyone to sound off here, but this post is inspired by the fact that the Chevelle name will not work in this millenium. Leave it in the 60s and 70s, where it belongs.... That goes for Bel Air as well....kinda flighty for a Chevy, not to mention the fact that it screams 50s. And there should be no more Broughams or Landaus either. At Nissan, I think the Sentra name should die with this current generation...I'd switch to Pulsar, a name that's a lot racier. Out in Japan, I'd kill their trend of getting too Japanese with the names like Fuga and Tiida...I didn't see anything wrong with Laurel, Cedric, or Gloria (even though that name belongs to Prince). And finally, companies really need to dead this whole switch to every vehicle in their line starting with the same letter. Ford with F (or E for their SUVs), Pontiac with G, Buick with L, Mercury's M, all scream of trying too hard for synergy. Toyota can slide with the C, since those names date pretty far back.

[Cory Wolfe]

Pontiac with G? :blink: ...Solstice, Torrent, Vibe, GTO, Grand Prix, G6, Montana/SV6...

Anyways, car names that I think SHOULDN'T be dead are Grand Am, Bonneville, Fiero, Firebird/Trans Am... :D

[daves87rs]

Cavalier-oh wait-never mind.... :( I would say Monte Carlo....but I noticed it is devolping a "pimped" out following.. even saw a fewer newer ones in a rap video... Grand Prix-As much as I love the name-they just need to retire it ..now. Besides the GXP, it's just floating the same way as the Cavalier... :angry: Ion-wait-that will be gone too. For the ones the shouldn't come back-No way to Nova. Those 80s versions left a real nasty taste...

[mustang84]

Country Squire and Colony Park.

[Croc]

I disagree. Chevelle and Bel Air could very well work in this day and age, as long as they were the right vehicles. The name I think should stay dead is Beaumont.

[ocnblu]

Probe.

[NOS2006]

Should die? Cobra. Then resurrect it as a Dodge, being a "baby Viper" but able to seat 4

[Cory Wolfe]

But NOS?!?!?!?!? What about Copperhead?!?!?!?!? :o :lol:

[NOS2006]

That sounds ridiculously stupid. Edited October 17, 2005 by NOS2006

[Flybrian]

Ford and Mercury are the only ones that have clearly definited an alpha-based naming scheme, on which I agree. It really stifiles creativity.

Alphanumeric names on American cars should stay dead with a few exceptions such as GTO and GT40. CTS is fine, but lets be honest, its had three different meanings and really still has no clear one. Cadillac is on the cusp of having a major naming issue because they have no defined structure as of yet. I much prefer the old way of a model name followed by a trim designation, i.e. DeVille DTS, Seville SLS, Eldorado ETC. Yes, taken together its semi-redundant (DeVille DeVille Touring Sedan), but in normal use, it works out logically being able to refer to a car line as Cadillac DeVille or an individual trim as Cadillac DTS.

And, so sue me, but names have meaning.

Pontiac's format is even worse with absolutely no definition. G6 stands alone against both older (Bonneville, Vibe) and newer (Solstice, Torrent) named models and looks very out of place. G6 itself has no meaning. Does it refer to the highest-output engine in cylinder count? If so, why the need for a 'G6 V6,' which appears especially foolish? Its such a shame to me as Pontiac has always had the most consistantly relevant nomenclature of all brands. Grand Prix, Grand Am, Trans Am, Can Am, Bonneville, GTO - all race-inspired for the performance nature of Pontiac. Even other names like Phoenix, Tempest, Firebird, and TranSport fit with the image, far more than 'G_'

Anyway, back to the original point of names that should be scrapped -

Sentra/Altima/Maxima - all meaningless, all very feminine names. Unfortunately, the latter two have far too much cache now to drop. Again, this is just based on my opinion of the name itself.

Mazda3/Mazda6 - I don't think Mazda is even sure how these are supposed to work. The formatting is odd to me and I think Mazda needs to convey the concept of their unified name better to some publications which list the cars as Mazda Mazda6.

Mazdaspeed - Why do we need to have the name of the company multiple times on the nameplate? Mazda6 Mazdaspeed? Mazdaspeed Mazda6? Too doofy.

300C - Chrysler needs to learn the alphabet as the letter N comes after M. The only explanation I've ever seen from Chrysler themselves has been something like, "The new 300C is more in line with the performance tradition of the past 300 letter-series." Uh, then why not continue appropriately with that tradition? If anything, the 300M was the odd-one-out (V6, FWD) compared to the present-day and historical letter cars. Really. for the sake of momentary historical significance, it throws real history into the wind as you know the next-generation 300 will retain the letter designation of 'C'. I'd call it 300S for 'shameful.'

LaCrosse - I was never in love with the name to begin with on the 2000 concept car when its application made some sort of sense, as the vehicle was a [La]cross[e] between a luxury sedan and utility vehicle. On the current sedan, it makes no sense and due to immaturity, is known as the Allure in Canada. Allure would've made a better name in the States, too, thought it comes off more Oldsmobile than Buick. Better yet, Regal would've been a fine name as this car doesn't really offer a clean break from the Regal as its name is intended to show. Also, there was never anything wrong with the 'Regal' name. Besides, the way LaCrosse is formatted is more in relation with LeSabre, which is gone. So...yeah...

Uplander - Do I really need to explain this one? The name sucks. And with Freelander, Highlander, Outlander, and Crosslander being used by various vehicles, it has no resonance whatsoever. Venture was a fine name and, damnit, it was a decent cheap van, just like the Uplander is today.

Pilot - A very weak name not helped by a weak vehicle. Lincoln made a better choice with 'Aviator', which conveys an image of bravado, brashness, and daring adventure. 'Pilot' is a more plebian descriptor, much like naming a vehicle 'Manager' instead of 'Commander' or 'Representative' instead of 'Ambassador.'

Touareg - Its cute that VW mocks its own unpronouncability, but it really is a sucky name. Hard to spell, harder to say, and has a meaning that no one is familiar with, which happens to be...

A member of a Muslim, Berber-speaking people inhabiting the western and central Sahara and western Sahel of northwest Africa.

What the f-? Plus, once you do learn to pronounce it, its harsh and ugly. Ethnic names are bad anyway because of multiple regional spellings, like Tureg.

Scaglietti - I really don't care what it actually means in Italian, but it sounds like something I'd be more likely to find at Olive Garden than on the Autostrada. She'll have the Scaglietti & meatballs and I'll take my shrimp Maranello with a side of warm Barchetta rolls. And have the chef prepare some Stradale for dessert.

Probe - Really, just a bad name all around. No one wants a probe, no matter how smooth and fun it looks. And, yes, Ford, I understand the hype over the space mission of the late 1980s and Chrysler debuting the Plymouth Voyager, but really...how about anything but Probe?

Hombre - Maybe its funny just to me how Korean companies choose Italian names for their worst cars (Nubira) and Isuzu chooses Spanish names for their trucks. And unlike the Spanish-dervied American trucks whose names made very much sense - Chevy's El Camino (the road/way/path) and Ford's Ranchero (rancher) - if you said to your friends you just picked up an Hombre, you told them your just got a man.

Ranger Splash - Naming a vehicle 'splash' guarantees its failure to the male market.

Plymouth _____ Expresso - Hacking a style of coffee also has no relevance to any vehicle.

[daves87rs]

I disagree.  Chevelle and Bel Air could very well work in this day and age, as long as they were the right vehicles.

The name I think should stay dead is Beaumont.

[post="29774"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Chevelle. No.

Bel Air could fly though...depends on the car...

[ocnblu]

Not trying to be a punkass, but I think the coffee is "espresso". Perhaps the Plymouth trim package was taking its meaning from "express"... buy this car to express yourself (?).

[daves87rs]

Not trying to be a punkass, but I think the coffee is "espresso".  Perhaps the Plymouth trim package was taking its meaning from "express"... buy this car to express yourself (?).

[post="29794"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Good point. :)

[Flybrian]

Not trying to be a punkass, but I think the coffee is "espresso".  Perhaps the Plymouth trim package was taking its meaning from "express"... buy this car to express yourself (?).

[post="29794"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

No, its is. And I realize that, hence me saying 'hacked' the name from the coffee. I think Plymouth intended it to be a play on both words as espresso coffee would motivate you to get-up-and-go for your active 'express' lifestyle, hence the Plymouth Breeze Expresso would fit that lifestyle.

Anyway, I've seen enough classified ad listings selling Plymouth Neon Espressos to conclude whatever the point was, it was lost on everyone but Chrysler marketeers.

Also, at least on the Voyager minivan, Expresso replaced Rallye. Which sounds better?

[balthazar]

Brian nailed it for me, especially: nissan, vw, ferrari, mazda, Ford/Merc, and the 300. "G6" doesn't bother me much because it's the only one at Pontiac; if the entire lineup was a G-something my head would probably explode.

[Variance]

Ford Aspire: If you aspire to own one of these, you must have some pretty low standards. Chevy Nova: (Most of you know why.) Hyundai Excel: This car never excelled at anything. Chrysler Cirrus/Dodge Stratus: Naming cars after fluffy clouds...ok. Plmouth Breeze: It was about as noticeable as one.

[bobo]

Chevy LUV. Vega too. Dodge St. Regis. Chrysler Cordoba. Maxima is a real word, being the plural of maximum. I prefer all of Nissan's current names compared to the old alphanumerics (B210, 310 GX, etc). But 510 may be worth bringing back.

[Enzora]

Camaro, Firebird, El Camino, Fiero, Seville, Deville, LeSabre, Aurora, is there anyone on these boards I haven't pissed off yet? Alternatively, the one that will elicit the most positive responses: Toyota.

[ToniCipriani]

I guess you are wrong with the Mazda scheme, Fly. The cars are actually called 3, 6, etc. They are just badged that way on the actual car. In most countries they didn't even get the original NA names such as Protege. They just retained the 323, 626, etcetera. I think previously for Mazda only NA and Japan the cars had actual names. Although it would be interesting if Mazda unified to use the names, e.g. 3 -> Axela 6 -> Atenza MX-5 -> Roadster And so on... I don't get why they use different names for different markets in the first place... *cough* Lacrosse... who cares about Quebec... *cough*

[Satty]

Camaro, seriously, what will all of you bitch about if it comes back?

[Sixty8panther]

At Nissan, I think the Sentra name should die with this current generation...I'd switch to Pulsar, a name that's a lot racier. 

[post="29758"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

LA: C'mon budy you think Brougham, BelAir and Chevelle are tainted and yet you LIKE Pulsar??? Are you kidding?

Pulsar makes me think ugly, flimsy, underwhelming, cheap & ubber-1980s (not in a good 5.0 mustang kind of way either)

I would se your point wiht Landau a little bit, I also agree wiht a few of Fly's too.. the Expresso included.

Variance:

Ford Aspire: If you aspire to own one of these, you must have some pretty low standards.

Hyundai Excel: This car never excelled at anything.

Now that is damn funny. :lol:


Satty: I don;t know why, I apologize if this comes out as cold but you really get on my nerve wiht your constant posts of what annoys you. Its' like Why hte hell would you constantly throw fuel on the fire (BOF, Camaro, RWD...) if it supposeldy annoys you so much? You some kind of glutton for punishment?


Go have a Tranny Prostitute stomp on your nuts for a while. http://www.cheersandgears.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/AH-HA_wink.gif

[Drew Dowdell]

I think the Ambassador name should come back. Chrysler owns it now don't they? Certainly would be better then Avenger. :-P Riviera and ElDorado should come back. I'd love for a premium Buick above Lucerne to be called Roadmaster or Invicta. Either name is fine with me. Probe, Stratus, Avenger should all stay dead.

[the_yellow_dart]

I always liked the Avenger and Stratus names... One that should stay dead, having been ruined in the 80s: Le Mans.

[z28luvr01]

I'm of the belief that, in most cases, the car makes the name, not vice versa. Names like Altima and Sonata started out on really crappy cars, yet were kept for successive generations until the current cars which currently are a force to be reckoned with. That said, names like Regal, LeSabre, Park Avenue, Cavalier, and Grand Am DEFINITELY could have been salvaged. Anyhoo..trying my best to separate the names from the cars, here's my list of stupid names: - Bronco II, Mustang II, anything II - Golf - Stanza - Tempo - Precis - Chevette - Diplomat - Aspen

[Drew Dowdell]

I think Aspen would have made sense on a completey different vehicle. It sounds more like an SUV name.

[ocnblu]

I don't think the VW Golf has anything to do with plaid knickers. Isn't it the German spelling of "Gulf"?

Anyhow, I like Rabbit better to be honest.

[Robert Hall]

I think Aspen would have made sense on a completey different vehicle.  It sounds more like an SUV name.

Well, it is coming back as an SUV name--the Chrysler Aspen (Chrysler version of the Durango).

[Drew Dowdell]

Well, it is coming back as an SUV name--the Chrysler Aspen (Chrysler version of the Durango).

[post="30138"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Wow! I should like.... be a Chrysler exec or something. :P

[ToniCipriani]

(Under)Achieva? It's a wierd name...

[Drew Dowdell]

I think Chrysler could get away with reusing some of it's older, more important sounding names. Imagine a LX based car, perhaps a lil stretch in the wheel base, geared more on the luxury side of the spectrum. Base around 38k. V8 standard. called the Imperial A front drive large mid-sized car to replace the Sebring called the Ambassador with a Dodge varient called the Diplomat. A neon sized car could be called the Rambler, and a sub-neon sized car could be called the Metropolitan. I'm only half joking....

[LosAngeles]

One that should stay dead, having been ruined in the 80s: Le Mans.

[post="30109"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

There's another one for C&G: EVERY name got ruined in the 80s, get over it. The manufacturers wanted to use familiar names, but no one ever knows a car is going to be a flop or have a bad record until it happens. It's like Blu said, is it the car that made the names great or the other way around? We get it, folks, let it go....

[LosAngeles]

I don't think the VW Golf has anything to do with plaid knickers.  Isn't it the German spelling of "Gulf"?

Anyhow, I like Rabbit better to be honest.

[post="30136"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

But then VW also has a Polo, so basically the two go together.

I always thought they should complete the trifecta of billionaire boys club sports names with a sports coupe called a Tennis (no joke).

"Rabbit" is simply too cheeky, I'm glad that's gone....folks couldn't take the (quite good) car seriously.

[the_yellow_dart]

There's another one for C&G: EVERY name got ruined in the 80s, get over it.  The manufacturers wanted to use familiar names, but no one ever knows a car is going to be a flop or have a bad record until it happens.  It's like Blu said, is it the car that made the names great or the other way around?  We get it, folks, let it go....

[post="30171"][/post]

It's how far they went from the heritage that bothers me. Camaro at least stayed somewhat sporty in the 80s.

What bothered me about Le Mans was that it went from:

to


(yes, I know the pic is an Opel Kadett, but they're the same thing)

[LosAngeles]

I know going to a compact hatch was a bit extreme (I think the name should have gone to the 6000 instead, staying on an A-body)....but really, did we all expect cars to stay that big and thirsty forever? It's like we try too hard to live in the past.

[HarleyEarl]

I would like to see a Pontiac G-Spot.

[Drew Dowdell]

I would like to see a Pontiac G-Spot.

[post="30193"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Imagine trying to find that in a parking lot! :blink:

[NOS2006]

Imagine trying to find that in a parking lot!  :blink:

[post="30208"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Could be fun.. depending on who you're with while searching http://www.cheersandgears.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/AH-HA_wink.gif

[LosAngeles]

I would like to see a Pontiac G-Spot.

[post="30193"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Wouldn't THAT be a great competitor to the Mercury Mistress?

[Cory Wolfe]

There's another one for C&G: EVERY name got ruined in the 80s, get over it.  The manufacturers wanted to use familiar names, but no one ever knows a car is going to be a flop or have a bad record until it happens.  It's like Blu said, is it the car that made the names great or the other way around?  We get it, folks, let it go....

..but really, did we all expect cars to stay that big and thirsty forever? It's like we try too hard to live in the past.

There are two quotes to live by... Now start doing it, bitches!

[Clownzilla]

Bring back the GTO Judge.............good name..........good history. Get rid of the Kia Sportage. Sounds like a flu symptom. Example: "Oh.......I have got some bad Sportage."