Marque the name

Why are some car names more like alphanumeric soups? Why are some manufacturers ditching emotion-stirring 'buy' factor names in favour of numbers and letters like X and L? Shiva Kumar Thekkepat talks to a few carmakers and industry professionals to better understand the naming game.

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."

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.

The numbers and letters also spell prestige. According to Beckhardt, "Someone who is buying a 7 Series BMW is buying that knowing it is a higher calibre car than the 3 Series or 5 Series. Also, everyone else around him knows that it is of the highest calibre. So, when these alphanumeric names are viewed in relation to one another, they can hold a lot of weight in terms of status." Apparently you make a statement just by arriving in your car and you don't have to say a word.

But how far do names actually matter when it comes to customer identification? A lot, say the professionals. "Audi's naming is concise and simple and it connotes the size/price hierarchy of their cars, which is nice," says Howell. "Mercedes might be an example in the other direction, as the naming is intended to be 'coded' but is not consistent in this respect. BMW uses numbers that originally stood for engine displacement, but in recent years that tradition has been broken. For instance, both the BMW 328 and 335 have a 3.0-litre engine."

"Frankly, all brands do have these kinds of struggles. It is difficult in a crowded marketplace for consumers to recall and make sense of vehicle names. We at Cadillac have this issue as well. Vehicle naming is tricky for everyone and this is yet another reason why we want to maintain maximum focus on the main brand and not the sub-brands."

As product director at Cadillac, Howell has been involved in naming cars, and feels the weight of his responsibility. "There is an element of continuity and consistency that is a big part of vehicle naming and branding. We're building the Cadillac brand consistently and with great focus. A lot of the naming strategy relates to making sure consumers recognise our products, so we strive to keep the names relatively consistent over time. One might come up with a great name for our new crossover, but we chose to keep the name SRX for the all-new 2010 model. This is in part because we have used this name for several years in that segment of the market.

"Changing over to new names can be tempting, but again our priority is maximum focus on the Cadillac brand rather than diluting the focus to many other names. Another key aspect is global trademark restrictions and protocols. Frankly, it can be challenging to identify a new name these days simply given that historically many trademarks and names may belong to other companies even in other industries. So, this is a big factor all brands must work within."

Volkswagen, obviously has no such issues. It sticks to its nouns and that's it. According to Stefan Mecha, managing director at Volkswagen Middle East, "We, at Volkswagen prefer to give our car model names a deeper meaning. In many cases, the name of a Volkswagen model is chosen to reflect the car's style, capabilities and performance.

"For example, our regional bestseller and luxury SUV, the Touareg, got its name from the Berber-speaking Tuareg tribe in North Africa. This group of inhabitants of the Sahara are well-known for travelling long distances in the desert. So it is obvious why Volkswagen borrowed this name for its off-road flagship car since this automotive globetrotter has been on countless expeditions, circling the world and setting numerous records.

"Another example is the Tiguan, our compact SUV. The name Tiguan was selected together with more than 350,000 readers of AutoBild, the leading motoring publication in Germany. It is a combination of the words 'Tiger' which reflects quickness, power and elegance and 'Iguana' which are highly capable of surviving in harsh habitats. We wanted to use this exotic name to evoke associations with travel, adventure and excitement while at the same time reflecting the capabilities of the car. The Tiguan is a powerful vehicle (Tiger) and can adapt to driving on- and off-road (Iguana).

"The Eos is another example of how a name is selected to reflect the emotions a car can evoke. This sporty, contemporary coupé convertible is named after the deity of dawn... the name brings to mind the association of driving a stylish convertible with the ideal image of driving with the top down in the early hours of a sunny day."

Cars have always been equated with emotion. Naturally, their names have struck emotional chords down the ages. But times are changing, and so is the significance of names. Cadillac's first priority is building the main brand's equity. "Vehicle naming should be at the service of the main goal, so naming is not the goal unto itself," says Howell. "We want everything we do, including naming, to elevate and support the Cadillac brand. It's important also to maintain some level of consistency over time for consumers. Any brand's destiny will be determined by its designs, products, technology, quality and customer service.

Xavier says, "I think that car manufacturers are trying to make their models sound interesting and, at the same time, give some information on the specific chassis, engine and options package that each car has. If the name of the car is complex, the car must be too, right? The other consideration is language. Most people don't speak many different languages. So, instead of making the car sound [exciting] in one language, and completely absurd in another, alpha-numeric naming makes it easier for the manufacturers to identify their cars globally."

"I believe that car manufacturers want to express not only an emotion, but an intrigue about each vehicle," says Xavier.

"For popular models, the car companies are obviously trying to take advantage of the already popular name. In a sense, the car companies want to relate personally with the buyer. Each car is so unique and so is its driver."

Which brings us to the question: would the Bard have called the rose-coloured Acura an RSX if he had been a car maker? You bet!