|
From the Accord to the Zephyr, car manufacturers have come up with some pretty interesting names for their models. But finding a compelling name for a new car requires ingenuity, intensive research, and a little luck. Some car companies hire a brand consulting firm to suggest model monikers. The consultants may come up with as many as 1,000 names, which they winnow down to a few to present to the client. Other times, the name is developed by employees of the car company. Sometimes, the code name for a model under development becomes the final name, as in the case of the Chrysler Crossfire. Over at Honda, a product planner came up with the name Insight for
Honda's first hybrid vehicle. At Chrysler Canada Ltd., all members of the team developing a new model take part in naming it. Other manufacturers use the results of focus groups and consumer research, which can indicate names car buyers feel more favorable toward. Car makers that want to emphasize the name of the make rather than the model (such as Lexus and BMW) may choose simple alphanumerics for names -- some combination of letters and numbers or just letters.
|
