Model Renaming

Volvoboy

I've always wondered why car manufactures rename thier cars,

Cherry-Sunny-Almera-Tidia

Carina-Avensis

Kaddet-Astra

Jetta-Bora-Jetta

Is it just to keep the models fresh or to distingush between cars?


Saying that two of the best known models have never changed

Corolla & Golf



-VB-

L-M

The hatch corrolla is now the Auris:D And the avensis and carina were both great selling cars in there own respects. In my own opinion they changed the bora back to the jetta because the made an absolute disgrace of themselves withthe bora nad wanted to forgt about it... But i see where ur coming from, and i don't know...

colm_mcm

The Jetta was always the Jetta in the US.
In a lot of cases it's to distinguish from the outdated model it's replacing.

Also, why should a manufacturer keep a name if the car is different?
depends on the manufacturer I suppose, some use names, some use numbers.

DonJose

In Mexico they still sell the old Jetta alongside the new Bora

http://www.volkswagen.com/vwcms_publish/vwcms/master_public/virtualmaster/es_mx/models.html

colm_mcm

that reskinned bora is interesting looking:


So in Mexico the Bora is now called the Jetta Mexico, and the Jetta is called the Bora!


It's easy to forget that a huge chunk of what VW and Toyota produce globally is rehashed old models.

bazz26

I suppose it is alot to do with brand name marketing. The VW Golf continues to sell in large numbers yet the Jetta, Vento, Bora and Jetta again always seem to struggle despite being the same vehicle, just with a boot instead of a hatch.

Maybe changing names of models means that the manufacturer is trying to attract a different type of buyer than the tradional type who bought the previous named model.

Its all down to marketing.

Stephen

You should see China, where the top selling car is still the Volkswagen Santana (i.e. freshly manufactured 1981 Passats!). They're sold alongside another Volkswagen Passat which looks like the model we had since 1997, and the VW Santana 3000 which is some kind of Seat Toledo based abomination designed specifically for the Chinese market.

cjt156

Its "out with the old - in with the new".

The Golf sold (sells) consistently high numbers in Europe but the saloon never did (it was Jetta, Vento, Bora, Jetta, BTW) In the states where hatchbacks are considered treason the Jetta didn't need a relaunch every 7 years to generate interest.

Sometimes a complete revision in name is deserved; Escort vs Focus for example.

woop

In my own opinion they changed the bora back to the jetta because the made an absolute disgrace of themselves withthe bora nad wanted to forgt about it...

what do you mean? I didnt think it was that bad?

C_Breeze

Just had a look at the mexican and chinese VW website showroom.

Thats mad the santana - the way its a fully modernised 80's car (new prjector headlights, modern blue dash lights etc). Our latest passat is called the Mangon and their passat is just an odd looking skoda superb. :eek:

Its kind of surreal to see those showrooms

Stephen

Yeah, some of those old Santanas even have stuff like ABS and airbags now too. Most Chinese taxis are Santanas, and they all cover the rear seats with white sheets in such a way as to make the seatbelts impossible to use :eek:

Every one I was in had more than 500,000km on it and knackered suspension, but they all still seemed to be pulling strongly Many (all?) of them are running on LPG as well. The Santana 2000/3000 models even have the modern VW badges, which look really out of place on ancient models like that. A lot of them have these brushed steel 80s style alloys that look like the knobs of a hifi system

Check this bad boy out: http://www.csvw.com/csvw/cpjs/santana/index.shtml

RobAMerc

I suspect they change names so people make no connection between a new car and its usually horrific predecessors.

Cherry-Sunny-Almera-Tidia - kinda speaks for itself, I suspect the next in line for Nissan wont be called Tiidia too

Conversely they will use a good brand name to keep loyalty - Golf and Corrolla

Toyota even use it to falsely advertise the Corrolla as the best selling car ever !

Stephen

Oo, spot the Seat Ibiza in disguise: Volkswagen "Gol"

MugMugs

Stephen wrote: »

Oo, spot the Seat Ibiza in disguise: Volkswagen "Gol"

Looks like a cross with the pre facelift Polo and a 1 series

colm_mcm

Can you please show me one similarity between that and the 1 series?
Fair enough both cars are ugly, but in completely different ways. the Gol has no curves to speak of, and the BM has too many!

JoeA3

MugMugs wrote: »

Looks like a cross with the pre facelift Polo and a 1 series

mmm, it looks like its based on the old Polo. Not sure where you're getting the 1-series similarity... oh, I see, both have 4 wheels...

colm_mcm

it's based on the old, old SEAT Ibiza

zilog_jones

Volvoboy wrote: »

Cherry-Sunny-Almera-Tidia

The Japanese like to screw around with selling different models over here, as (especially in the '80s/'90s) they had a ridiculously large domestic line-up of many mostly similar cars. For example, the above cars versus what models they originally were in Japan:

• Cherry - originally Cherry, last model was a Pulsar
• Sunny - originally Sunny (I think), but the Sunny went a bit bigger/upmarket in Japan so was replaced by the Pulsar (last 2 Sunnys here were N13 and N14 Pulsars)
• Almera - Mk. I was N15 Pulsar, Mk. II was N16 platform (dunno what equiv. was sold in Japan)
• Tiida - Tiida

Carina-Avensis

Similar screwing around with European line-up for your beloved Carina too:

• Carina up until '84 - Actual Carinas (up to A60 series)
• First "Carina II" - T150 Corona (Carina and Corona merged to same platform in Japan, so they gave us the cheaper more boring version)
• Second "Carina II" - T170 Corona
• Carina E - T190 Corona (T180 is the '89-'93 Celica in case you're wondering)
• Avensis Mk. I - Model designed specifically for Europe (though looks similar to JDM Caldina), based on T210 platform I assume (Corona/Carina badges being phased out in JP)
• Avensis Mk. II - Avensis (imported from UK to Japan AFAIK)

I personally don't like Mazda's name changes the most. Their cars all get actual words for names in Japan instead of boring numbers. E.g.:
121 = Ford Festiva (Mk. I)/Autozam Revue (Mk. II - not the best example!)
323 = Familia
626 = Capella
2 = Demio
3 = Axela
6 = Atenza
E-series van = Bongo

OK, they're not all the best names in the world, but IMO numbers are just lame.

Kaddet-Astra

GM decided to harmonise the Opel/Vauxhall names in the '90s, to save money on badges I guess (since that was pretty much the only difference by then ). Kadett D onwards was Astra in Vauxhall Land. IIRC it was the other way round for all the other models, i.e. Vauxhalls got the Opel names (Corsa, Vectra, etc.).

Saying that two of the best known models have never changed

Corolla & Golf

Golf Mk. I and V are the Rabbit in North America, so it's not just us who get screwed around!

it's based on the old, old SEAT Ibiza

According to WP it's somehow based on the B2 Passat (what the Santana is). It dates back to 1994, so I wouldn't be surprised if it shared parts with the old Ibiza too. The "Nanjing Yuejin Soyat" is a real rehashed Mk. I Ibiza

G Luxel

There is another name for the Tilda in Japan, the hatchback is called the Latio. And I think there is still a model bearing the Sunny name. Having looked at nissan.jp, I notice there is no Primera and in one of the Russian automagazines for sale here, there is an advert for the Almera Classic.

There are also two types of Carina, the model for Europe and a JDM model that resembles a Peugeot 405 known as Carina Myroad shown above. It's now replaced by the Allion, below is the rear of a Mark 1, notice rear wash wipe on a saloon.
The Avenis Mk 1 has been sold in Argentina as a Corona.

crosstownk

Bora A cold, northerly wind blowing from the Hungarian basin into the Adriatic Sea.

Sirocco A warm wind of the Mediterranean area, either a foehn or a hot southerly wind in advance of a low pressure area moving from the Sahara or Arabian deserts

Trade Winds : Their name derives from the Middle English 'trade', meaning "path" or "track," and thus the phrase "the wind blows trade," that is to say, on track. In German they are known as Passat winds.

Santana - Hot desert blast accross the Sea of Cortez.

Jetta - Jet stream (East/West wind, affecting Pacific air travel).

Vento - Italian for wind.
Corrado - Not a wind, it's derived from Spanish Correr which means to run. The original name for the car was Taifun (Typhoon)which means huricane except it was already a registered trade mark for a GM truck.

Golf - the Germanic equivalent of Gulf (as in the Gulf air stream).



Useless information, but there you go...... None of the above explains where the Polo fits into the 'wind' theme. The Caddy seems to switch into a Golfing theme, given it's a commercial version of the Golf.





/Is that my anorak over there?

Stephen

I thought the caddy was a van-ified Polo? Sure looks like one at the front anyway.

crosstownk

Stephen wrote: »

I thought the caddy was a van-ified Polo? Sure looks like one at the front anyway.

Not the original one. But the later Caddy was Polo based.

Stephen

Yeah, definately a later model I'm thinking of. I've never seen one like that with a big greenhouse in the back
Take that yoke off and you've got yourself a German El Camino!

Max_Damage

zilog_jones wrote: »

626 = Capella

Also in Japan (and in Oz too I think), the 626/Capella was also called the Ford Telstar.

Here's a Jap-import Telstar in Russia:


The Mazda Bongo was also called the Ford Freeda.

As far as I know, the Mazda 121 Mk1 was only known as the Ford Festiva in America.

On another note, the Opel Kadett / Vauxhall Astra Mk2 was also rebadged as a Pontiac LeMans in America and as a Daewoo LeMans in Korea.

colm_mcm

I think we've gone off on a tangent here!

zilog_jones

Max_Damage wrote: »

As far as I know, the Mazda 121 Mk1 was only known as the Ford Festiva in America.

Nah, it was the Ford Festiva first in Japan in '86. Like the Laser, Telstar, etc., it was a Ford made by Mazda. It may have been a replacement of some sorts to the Fiesta over there - I know the Mk. I Fiesta was sold in Japan at least.

The Festiva sold in the US AFAIK was built by Kia.

Gwynston

Max_Damage wrote: »

On another note, the Opel Kadett / Vauxhall Astra Mk2 was also rebadged as a Pontiac LeMans in America

Yes, my brother bought one of those when he moved to Canada in 1990. And never was a car more over-ambitiously named! It was a piece of junk - made in Mexico, I think, and they kept producing them for years after the Mk3 Astra came out in Europe. All the switch gear was straight out of the Mk1 Cavalier!

Max_Damage

Gwynston wrote: »

Yes, my brother bought one of those when he moved to Canada in 1990. And never was a car more over-ambitiously named! It was a piece of junk - made in Mexico, I think, and they kept producing them for years after the Mk3 Astra came out in Europe. All the switch gear was straight out of the Mk1 Cavalier!

They were built in Korea by Daewoo (another GM-Daewoo venture). They shared the same body panals as the Kadett/Astra, however the engines were different as far as I can recall, the Lemans used Daewoo engines, which were rubbish in comparison to the Opel engines. It also called the Daewoo Lemans in Korea.

I remember seeing a Pontiac Lemans here in Ireland many years ago, looked odd to see a Kadett with Pontiac badges!