Know what they are?
Of course, they are car names or I wouldn't be mentioning them in this blog. But my point is who can keep track of all these different letters and numbers? Whatever happened to the good old tradition of giving a car a real name, whether made up (like Camry) or a real word (like Civic)? Those names are certainly easier to remember. The letter and number combos are a chore even for a dedicated car guy like your blogger. Now, I wasn't born yesterday, so I know why the car companies christen their creations with these unmemorable letter/number combos, but is it really necessary?
Let's look at some current "real" car names and a bit of their history.........
Chevrolet' Impala has been around since 1958, easy to remember and now a tradition.......
Or their Malibu beginning in 1964.......
Or the first Dodge Charger from 1966......
Or even the relatively recent Ford Taurus introduced a short time ago in 1986........
Easy to remember and most folks know these names, whether they know the car or not. But how many people know that a MKS is a Lincoln or that a C350 is a Mercedes or even a car? Companies like Bentley have always used real names and it hasn't hurt their brand recognition. And isn't it much more interesting to own an Azure than an S550? If you know what both cars are, then that was a dumb question. But hopefully you get my point.
Acura is a great example that I've used many times. When they switched from real names (like Integra and Legend) to letters, their cars "disappeared" from the market and in my opinion, they are still trying to get their mojo back.
Oh, one more example of a name with a little history behind it. The Nissan Rogue. Thought that it was a new nameplate when Nissan intro'd it about six years ago? Think again readers, the Rogue name goes way back to the '60's, but with a "slightly" different vehicle........
Surprise!
Until next time......
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