Marque the name

Aaron Xavier is pretty certain that the Lincoln is going to survive the global depression in the automotive market and come out on top again. Why? “Because the folks at Ford Motors (which owns the Lincoln marque) seem to have figured out what’s wrong with their vehicles,” says the vice president of business development at Car Overload, in San Francisco. “It’s the name, dummy!”

What he’s referring to is the new name of their flagship crossover. It’s called the MKX – the first time the carmaker is using a set of letters instead of a name. Of course, Xavier is being sarcastic. The MKX has not saved the Lincoln from the slump, nor is it the first company to go down the alphanumeric route.

The name Aviator was bandied about when they were developing the car. Apparently Lincoln decided that its cars have too many ‘real’ names. Mazda, another Ford marque, took the same route a few years ago with a roadster called the Miata. It’s now called the MX-5. So, have sales increased? “Good question,” says Xavier. 

If you look at the car names around us on the roads, alphanumeric seems to be here for keeps: S500, M3, A8, G35, M45, QX4, GS430, LS430, LX 470, RX330, to name (number?) just a few. 

Take a look at American car companies for example, which have historically given their vehicles real names. Cars like the Mustang, Thunderbird, Camaro, and Impala often project strong visual images of power, speed, and strength. They just roll off the tongue. They may have even influenced the styling of the vehicle they adorn.

So, why the letters and numbers? Why not ‘real’ names? “Many auto manufacturers use numerals to identify the chassis series, engine capacity, and sometimes horsepower,” says Xavier. “BMW has a few different models in its range, from the smallest 1 Series cars to the large 7 Series models. They also use numerals to identify which engine is in each car. For example, the BMW 330 is a 3 Series chassis with a 3.0-litre engine, hence the name 330. Audi on the other hand uses ‘A’ to identify its saloons followed by a numeral to identify the chassis. This results in the A3, A4, A5, A6 and so on. They then identify the specific engine for each car separately. So, an Audi A4 with a 3.2-litre engine is simply the A4 3.2.”

Avoiding multilingual hassles
John Howell, Global Cadillac product director, has another take on the subject. “Cadillac, like many top luxury car manufacturers in recent decades, has made more use of alphanumeric names. The first reason is to focus consumer attention on the top-line brand, whether it is Mercedes, Lexus, Cadillac or BMW. The main brand name is the primary focus and often the primary reason for purchase among consumers, so we like to place maximum focus on the top brand.”

The secondary consideration is that noun or word names can be more challenging on a global basis, he says. Translations into numerous languages around the world can lead to complexities. Clearly, alphanumeric naming helps avoid the issues related to multilingual and global translations.

“Cadillac maintains the excellent brand name of Escalade, which works well around the world,” explains Howell. “This name works well globally, and we certainly like the tradition and luxury image that Escalade is so well-known for. But generally speaking, we do like the advantages of alphanumeric naming for the reasons mentioned.”
Many car manufacturers such as Honda, Toyota, VW and Ford continue to use names. Others, such as Porsche and BMW, have always used numeric designations.
“I have noticed a trend in the last decade or so that shows more manufacturers are using alphanumeric naming conventions,” says Xavier.

“One notable manufacturer in the United States that has changed its naming conventions is Acura, which is a luxury brand built by Honda. In my personal opinion, this change took place for a couple of reasons. The first being status. It sounds a lot more chic to say that you drive a ‘3.2 TL’ as opposed to a ‘Legend’. The second is pure branding. If the model has an alphanumeric name, it almost forces you to say the name of the manufacturer. Many people won’t know what you’re referring to when you mention an E350 without saying Mercedes first.”

The idea is brilliant because for the most part no one really remembers those letter combinations, but they recall the names like Mercedes, BMW Audi, Lexus and Infiniti. Somehow, this has an important effect.

The key is to maintain maximum focus on the main brand, rather than diluting the focus to lots of other sub-brands, reiterates Howell. “At Cadillac, we are not using the letters as codes or as a direct acronym. The letters are not intended to be defined in that specific manner.”

But would BMW ever have such a problem? “At BMW we only use alphanumerical combinations. Choosing real names like those of animals, exotic places and so on is risky, as the name in one language might not mean the same in another,” explains Hamid Haqparwar, manager, Product and Price, for BMW Group Middle East.
Xavier has a favourite story to recount about car-naming gone wrong. “My favourite example of a car name that didn’t work was the Chevrolet Nova. In Spanish, Nova means “doesn’t go” which of course  is not exactly what you want your  car name to represent.”

Most cars with alpha-numeral names feature the letter X. What is so attractive about the X factor? Xavier has an answer. “I think that X does have some sexiness to it. Would the
X-Men be as cool if they were called the L-Men?” he asks.

Is that a good enough reason to attach it to their car’s flanks? Do they expect it to sound mysterious and inviting enough to set cash registers ringing? Apparently they do – and it does. “Research shows that the letters X, Z, S, T and R have positive connotations and also sound good in an aural or phonetic sense,” says Howell. “They are easy to say, frankly, and sound better than other letters. X in particular has found its way into the lexicon, as it can carry additional meaning to consumers. Many brands use ‘X’ to connote AWD (all-wheel drive) capability, or crossover capability. Also, ‘X’ can be an indication of something new, or even mystery (as in Type X or Project X) that kind of vernacular is used in mathematics and science to indicate an unknown. It’s an unusual phenomenon, frankly [but] the letter X has these sorts of connotations and
it’s valid.”

That’s not all. “The letter X is a plosive,” says Nina Beckhardt, president and creative director of Namebase, a branding firm in New York. “It is a letter that, when pronounced, creates a small explosion in the ears of listeners that gets their attention and engages them. When you’re trying to make a strong statement (about a product) or have a strong name, a letter with a plosive feel can accomplish that.” And BMW takes it – the X factor, that is – seriously enough. They use X to identify their all-wheel-drive vehicles.