Dumb car names

PF_Flyer

Maybe I'm weird, but a name pretty much doesn't matter to me. The name is just an attempt to get my attention intially. It doesn't have to mean anything as far as I'm concerned. True, I'm not likely to consider a car called the Oxidation :P but then again, nobody is going to be silly enough to manufacture one with that name so I don't have to worry about that.

(Obi Wan voice ON)... give them time Luke...(Obi Wan voice OFF)

I know people who won't have certain paint colors because they don't like the name. They like the color, but the name doesn't fit to their mind. I don't get that. If you like the color, what does the name matter?? I'm going to be looking at the Versa when it comes out. What do I care what the name means. Sounds sorta like a car for poets if you ask me

prosa

could anyone be offended by 'ES300'?

Me?
Okay, "offended" is too strong of a word and not quite accurate, but I most definitely do not like the trend toward alphanumeric names on so-called "quality" cars. Mercedes and BMW can get away with it because they were first, maybe a couple of others as well, but now it seems like any expensive brand is engaging in me-tooism and using alphanumerics because they sound prestigious - I'm talking to you, Lexus/Infiniti/Acura
Porsche and Mazda seem to be partial exceptions to the cheap car - name/expensive car - alphanumeric rule.

lemko

...I thought the FWD Oldsmobile was an Oldsmobile "Tornado!" What an awesome name that would be for a high-performance car!

210delray

..."smart," with a small "s." Why?

Sort of like the Audi allroad. Speaking of Audi, isn't it "quattro" also?

socala4

Aspire = Aspiring to be a car

I heard the Click and Clack guys on NPR use this joke just the other day. (Something about the Aspire aspiring to be a real car.)

Maybe that should be another marketing test: the Car Talk test. If those guys would have an easy time of mocking the name of your car, then it may not be such a good idea.

fintail

I think "Tornado" is a great name for a car. There was a "Hurricane", but it is pretty unknown...of course, the "Storm" was pretty lacklustre.

I can't believe a focus group didn't mock the name "Aspire"...that leads me to believe the marketing bozos didn't do their work at all. From the first time I saw that tin can I mocked the name.

au1994

always gets me because Lucerne is also the "store" brand name of dairy products sold at Safeway and Tom Thumb stores.

oregonboy

Hey, it fits! It's just as exciting as cottage cheese.

jefferyg

It really makes you aspire to have a better car. Actually it wasn't that bad. Great gas mileage, so other cars now days might aspire to get 45 mpg on the highway.

I think Pontiac should run with the vibe idea. They could also have the "groovy" and the "cool" :shades: . And for today's teen drivers, they could have like the "like".

One that seems a bit strange to me is the new Honda Fit? Do they mean in the sense of fitness? If so it looks to me like it needs some more time in the gym. Or does it make you want to have a fit. Perhaps with all that cargo space they talk about it has room for your 3 year old to throw a fit. Or is the car the perfect fit?

Another one that cracks me up is this new Chinese company, Geely. Wouldn't you love to spin a wheelie in a Geely?. If they come out with a hulking 4WD pickup they could call it the Geely Monster. :P

john_324

Speaking of questionable names, the VW Rabbit is back... :surprise:

As for great names for cars, I think "Fury" needs to come back, preferrably on a rwd car with a decent engine. Uplevel version can be the Gran Fury (though I'm sure DC will call the best version an "SRT-something") :shades:

au1994

I like the Fury idea as well. Would be nice on a rwd coupe with a hemi.

Unfortunately in today's PC society I'm not sure if anyone would want to hang their name on Fury. That might be considered mean!

Remember when the Washington Bullets changed their name to the Wizards so they would not be associated with anything violent.

john_324

"Remember when the Washington Bullets changed their name to the Wizards so they would not be associated with anything violent."

Worst part was that they chose the dumbest possible name out of all the choices (with the exception of the inexplicable "Seadogs".) I always favored the "Washington Monuments."

emmanuelchoke

Lumina. Horribly bland. It's got the patented formula of consonant, vowel, consonant for six letters, but misses the mark completely.
Decent car with the 3800 engine.

fintail

On that note, there is something unacceptably lame about any dishwater-dull GM sedan with a "Euro" or "Eurosport" badge.

My brother had a Lumina Euro with the 3.1. Awful unrefined dull cheap car - transmission failed, rough engine with a horrible exhaust note, playskool interior, ugly styling. I always used to say 'that's one crappy BMW'. "Euro"...who do they think they were fooling...

socala4

Awful unrefined dull cheap car - transmission failed, rough engine with a horrible exhaust note, playskool interior, ugly styling.

That could describe a 70's-era Renault. Maybe that's GM's idea of "Euro"!

rockylee

The 95 Lumina's (That bodystyle) however make good inexpensive fuel efficient safe work vehicles, so they aren't all that bad.

Rocky

emmanuelchoke

I've owned two. The name is bad though. Lumina is actually the plural of lumen. One of the definitions is "The bore of a tube". And , "The cavity of a tubular organ". There's another word for that :P . Not a good car name.
Others, The Mitsubishi Cordia and Tredia twins. I never heard of them either. The Plymouth Cricket?

toomanyfumes

My mother-in-law just got rid of her late 80's Celebrity Eurosport. It had been well maintained, but had a 4-cyl. and an automatic. Slow, crappy-driving car.

grabowsky

How about the Chevy Luv?Amc Matador?Or Mitsubishi Mighty Max(sounds like a sex toy to me)?

jipster

I always thought the "Gremlin" was a bit odd. When the thing broke down... well blame it on those horrible little gremlins. The AMC Pacer reminded me quite a bit of the spaceship Jupiter 2, in the old tv series "Lost In Space". Circular shaped vehicle with so much glass it had to make the driver paranoid of getting into a accident.

I owned the AMC Concord, which at the time reminded me of,well... a bunch of grapes. The AMC Spirit?...marketed towards the patriotic inclined.

fezo

Oh, there was a name that was far too accurate for its own good.

Who mentioned 70s French cars? Renault Le Car. Le dumb.

john_324

"Who mentioned 70s French cars? Renault Le Car. Le dumb."

Fuego?

rorr

Fuego....I forgot about that one. Always reminded me of spagetti sauce for some reason.... :P

Mr_Shiftright

CROSSFIRE: Never like that name...who wants to be caught in a crossfire?

Or an Avalanche? I suppose we could have a real slow car called a Glacier.

Yep, you're right..."Tiburon" is Spanish for shark.

rockylee

LOL, you do bring up a few goodens. I guess like many I prefer names vs. alpha soup.

Rocky

derrado1

I think they chose it because Crossfire sounds athletic and lively, plus the alliteration factor - Chrysler Crossfire.

I always thought it sounded cool... it's just one of those names you don't think about too much. But then, I like Rendezvous and Avalanche, so maybe I'm not the best judge. :P

tom1sharon2

What does the "PT" stand for in PT Cruiser?

socala4

What does the "PT" stand for in PT Cruiser?

According to this link, "PT" stands for "Personal Transportation."

(Yeah, I was unimpressed by that, too...)

fintail

I was thinking P.T. Barnum when early Cruisers were going for just shy of 30K, you know, a fool and his money, the misattributed sucker born every minute, and all that.

john_324

What bugs me about the PT Cruiser name is the name of the performance variant...the PT Cruiser GT. Woulda been much cooler if it simply were the "GT Cruiser".

jefferyg

Woulda been much cooler if it simply were the "GT Cruiser".

Hey, why not just go the alpha route and call it a GTC?

rorr

"Hey, why not just go the alpha route and call it a GTC?"

I guess it's a good thing I'm not in the auto naming department......I probably would have called it the PT GT.

fintail

One that bugs me is the Subaru Impreza "TS". I always think of my mother saying "TS" whenever any of us would whine about not getting what we wanted...kind of a bad car acronym.

astegman

Whenever I see this car name in print - the WRX - it looks to me like an abbreviation for "wrecks." Not really the connotation I want to have with a car!

rorr

.....and I can't help thinking that Toyota could have come up with a better acronym than "TRD" for their racing division....

emmanuelchoke

A guy at work wears a hat with that unfortunate acronym on it...I'm tempted to tell him it's a perfect fit.

john_324

I can't understand what Mercury was thinking with "Aviator" and "Mariner"...

Seems an odd choice to name vehicles designed (in theory) for rugged use on the Earth's surface with names implying use above or below the surface.

rorr

Well, Lincoln had already taken 'Navigator'.

Personally, I think 'Bombadier' would have been awesome but probably wouldn't have been approved by their focus groups...

210delray

Oh, I don't know, we've had Rampage and Avenger, not exactly names that conjure up pleasant thoughts!

rorr

Maybe instead of stuff like 'Avaitor' and 'Mariner', Mercury could name their SUVs after tanks?

I wonder how a Mercury Abrams or Bradley would sell?

john_324

"Oh, I don't know, we've had Rampage and Avenger, not exactly names that conjure up pleasant thoughts!"

Worst part about the Avenger name was: what was the car avenging? The previous Daytona? Jeeze...I'd rather have had one of those than an Avenger... :P

Stratus coupe was better though, in execution if not in name...

grabowsky

Tiguan. Yes, Tiguan. A new car from Volkswagon. It is the combination of tiger and the german word for iguana.I'm not making this up. I think maybe german car companies should'nt be allowed to use anything but numbers and letters when naming their cars. I used to think that was boring but now I see the sense in it. At least for the germans. :confuse:

john_324

How about "Liger?" It's pretty much my favorite animal right now...

carlisimo

lol, good one. someone should actually take advantage of that name...

grabowsky

Call VW. I bet they'd use it.

lahiri

Worst name ever award should go to Acura's new RDX. RDX is a chemical routinely used by Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups for bomb-making. Terrorists killed over 200 in Mumbai-India recently by placing RDX bombs in commuter trains. I don't understand the obsession with three-letter naming. Why name a cool looking car after what terrorists love? :mad:

grabowsky

Why name an suv after a barbaric saharan tribe that sometimes deals in slavery? Toureg.

odie6l

I know Chevy tried them in the past and I think the Avalanche is the only one left.

If I remember right they were;
1. Cyclone
2. Storm (Geo)
3. Typhoon (GMC)
4. Avalanche
5. Blazer (Fire?)

Now all they need is the;
1. Quake
2. Tornado
3. Hurricane
4. Monsoon
5. Blizzard
6. Volcano

I'm sure there are others that could be thought up. :shades:

Odie
Odie's Carspace

john_324

IIRC, Monsoon was the name for GM's high-end stereo systems not too long ago...

grabowsky

Why stop there?How about Flood,rockslide,tsunami(sure to be popular in south asia),magma flow,wild fire,stroke,heart attack,brain embolism,aggravated bowel,toe fungus and leprosy?