The Naming Conventions of Cars
Jay
March 3, 2010, 10:19 pm

You've got the BMW 3, 5, and 7 Series. The Mercedes C, E, and S Class. The Lexus ES, RX, GS, and LS. Audi A4, A5, A6, A8. Cadillac CTS, DTS, SRX. Lincoln MKS, MKT, MKZ. Acura TSX, TL, RL, MDX, ZDX. Infiniti G, M, EX, FX, QX. Jaguar XF, XJ, XK.



And on the other side, you've got the Ford Focus, Fiesta, Fusion, Mustang, Taurus, etc. Toyota Corolla, Camry, Avalon, Siena, Landcruiser. Chevy Cobalt, Malibu, Impala, Corvette. Honda Civic, Fit, Accord, Odyssey. Volkswagen Golf, Jetta, Passat, Beetle.

Notice a trend here? The premium/luxury auto brands have alphanumeric designations while the mainstream brands have cars with actual names. With certain exceptions, like the Cadillac Escalade and the Honda S2000, this is the way of the automotive world. Why is that?

To be fair, it was not always like this. The German premium brands have been doing it since the beginning, but the American and Japanese (with the exception of Lexus) luxury brands started out with names like the Cadillac Deville and Seville, Acura Legend, Integra, Vigor, Lincoln Zeyphr, Continental, etc.

So why did the Americans and Japanese copy the Germans when it came to the premium nameplates? The socioeconomic reasoning is fairly obvious when you think about it. The reasons have to do with general attitudes when it comes to wealth and one's standing in society.

Find a reasonably success lawyer. Ask him what he drives. 9 times out of 10, his answer is either going to be "I drive a Lexus" or "I drive a Mercedes" or "I drive a BMW". They tell you the make. They don't tell you the model. But on the flip side...

Find an average joe. Ask him what he drives. He isn't going to say "I drive a Ford" or "I drive a Chevy" or "I drive a Toyota." He'll say something along the lines of "I drive a Ford Mustang" or "I drive a Chevy Malibu" or "I drive a Toyota Camry". This guy will tell you about the make and model.

Some people will say that cars are status symbols. That's not entirely accurate. Only expensive cars are status symbols. The rest are utilities. Yet they're important utilities.

The vast majority of people are not automotive enthusiasts. Their rationale for buying a certain type of car is fairly predictable. If they're rich, they want a premium brand. If they're average, they'll buy a particular type of car from a mainstream brand depending on their taste.



For the rich guy, their car is like a suit. Suits convey power, wealth, status. And yet, for the past 100 years, the suit has largely stayed the same. You can barely tell one from another. Buying a luxury car is like joining an exclusive club that everyone knows about. It has the same effect that wearing a suit has. It tells other people that you're somebody important. For these guys, they couldn't care less about what the actual car is called. They just want to be associated with the 3 pointed star, or the roundel, or the L.

But for the guy who isn't rich, they have to stick with the mainstream brands. And that means they need to differentiate themselves. Do you drive a large sedan? You're boring or you have a family. What about a gas guzzling SUV? You're compensating for something. A coupe? You're a boy-racer. A hybrid? Tree hugging hippie. People in this category are trying to differentiate themselves from others.

That's why the Americans and Japanese copied the Germans in their naming schemes. Luxury brands are about promoting uniformity. As in, "people who drive our cars are uniformly rich." This brand marketing strategy works. For the premium brands, they have their image to protect. Whereas in a traditional brand, they have to differentiate themselves from the other companies. So they make cars like the Mustang, Corvette, S2000, and give their compact, midsized, and large sedans different names.

Buy a regular car and you're telling people "I belong to this club." You're trying for semi-diversity. Buy a luxury car and you're telling people "I belong to the club."