Lincoln to use alphanumeric names
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Following the industry trend towards alphanumeric nomenclature, Lincoln has announced that it as well will be
moving to the alphabet soup technique as it prepares to launch its new crossover (a replacement for the Aviator SUV) as
the MKX. Nah, that doesn't sound anything like the Acura MDX now, does it? For the time being, the Zephyr will retain
its airy name, but the future of the Navigator name is in doubt. I'm not sure what the driving factor behind this change is, but I'm not a fan of such names considering that the near-lux and luxury markets are already so crowded with pseudoacronyms. I think that one of Cadillac's few mistakes during its recent resurgence was failing to capitalize on the strengths of its many historic model designations (come on - the XLR is the perfect modern-day interpretation of the Eldorado), and I'd hate to see Lincoln go down the same path. Needless to say, the success of Acura and Lexus will not be replicated simply by adapting the same naming strategy.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Lithous 4:12PM (1/02/2006)
FJ wasn't a play on CJ. Nah. Like it has never happened the other way around. Big deal.
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Gardiner Westbound 4:27PM (1/02/2006)
Many trace Acura's fall from marketplace grace to its 1996 decision to throw away the magical Legend name and replace it with two forgettable letters.
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Craig 4:47PM (1/02/2006)
I think this is just a TERRIBLE mistake by Lincoln. I was starting to see some brand consistency between the products - Zephyr, Aviator, Navigator...I was actually enjoying the aero/nautical theme as it certainly helped humanize the products.
Gardiner makes a great point regarding Acura's fall. If Honda ever got the marketing gusto back to rename their vehicles "Legend" or "Integra" or "Vigor", I bet consumers here would give a damn about them again.
Lincoln needs that emotional tie and to name a vehicle based on its displacement or randomly selected letters is certainly not the way to go.
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Car-la 4:57PM (1/02/2006)
I also don't like these alphanumeric names. But then, it's a lot easier to find some unoffending letters, than a word that is not offensive in any language. I guess, that's why so many international manufacturers changed their system to letters and numbers.
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Mike G 5:11PM (1/02/2006)
I agree completely with the article author and these other posters. It's almost impossible to remember what model Cadillac someone is referring to when they say, "Hey, have you seen the new XLR?" You can confuse one model for another too easily. Is this guy talking about an SUV, a sedan or a sport coupe? But if someone says "Check out that sweet new Zephyr" most people immediately know what car is being referred to. This I believe is important in building an effective brand strategy, and is a major shortcoming of the current vogue for alphanumeric names, sadly.
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gottacook 5:28PM (1/02/2006)
Well, at least a manufacturer that gets into alphanumerics can get out again, although it can be slow and awkward. In the early 1980s Pontiac intended to go this route with its Cavalier equivalent, introduced as J2000. After introducing the larger 6000, Pontiac thought better of its scheme, and the J2000 became simply the 2000, then the 2000 Sunbird, and then just the Sunbird over a span of four model years. Better they had never gone down that road. I agree that it's quite stupid in the case of Cadillac and Acura - who can tell which is which?
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Realist 5:53PM (1/02/2006)
They can change their naming convention, sugar-coat it a bit to make it sound like an Acura/Lexus. But the bottom line is that it's still a Lincoln/Cadillac. And that my friends is a no/no.
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Garris 6:18PM (1/02/2006)
Sorry, folks. I think this is a great move. The modern luxury buyer expects alphanumerics, series, and classes. Acura's "fall from grace" (and I don't know about that, as they're doing extremely well right now) was due to bad product, not bad naming.
Frankly, the focus at Lincoln should increasing be on what Lincoln means, not a Town Car, Continental, or Zephyr's meaning.
Nope, this is a good move. Next for Lincoln: How about some killer product?
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DarkKnight67 7:00PM (1/02/2006)
For many people, the alphanumeric names go right over their heads. But, if you have paid attention, each alpha name designates the body style or particular size class in which it competes. In Cadillac, the C is the "C-series" sedan with "TS" standing for "Touring Sedan". I do miss some of the old names, but I will take the alphabet soup for now.
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Max 7:09PM (1/02/2006)
I'm not really sure who started with the alphanumeric, but I'm sure they wanted to stand out in the industry. Seemed good at the time, but now it's a mess. You need a program just to see who the player's are.
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derrado 7:15PM (1/02/2006)
I'm sorry, but Navigator and Aviator are two of my favourite names when it comes to cars. MKX is just some rubbish name. Ok, Acura, Aston Martin, BMW, Audi, et all, you can keep your alphanumeric names, but jeez, will other manufacturers stop copying?
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the friendly grizzly 8:05PM (1/02/2006)
I don't know which is sillier: all the lettre combinations, or the nonce-word names like Alero, Imprezza, Lanos, and other such things that mean nothing.
What I always liked was the names for a line of cars that related to something. Saratoga, Windsor, New Yorker, etc (cities) for Chryslers. DelRay, Bel Air, Biscayne, etc for resorts (Chevy). Even hotels, for pete sake! Plaza, Belevdere, Savoy, Cranbrook, all Plymouths.
As for Cadillac, maybe they decided that having names from the olden days would have folks thinking "still an old man's car". Eldorado conjures up vinyl tops and gooey suspension. Deville: "I am an old man who plays golf and wears my fedora in the car".
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2Suave 8:24PM (1/02/2006)
Note that the best cars tend to have continuity in their easy to remember names and they also have high resale value: Accord, Civic, Camry, Corolla, and a few others that have withstood the test of time.
Now note Cavalier, Sunbird, DeVille, Roadmaster, Super, Special, Tempo, Topaz, Fairlane, Fairmount, and other names that were dropped--some after only a few years. Some of those obsolete models were good cars and others were POS, but at least people knew what they were.
All these silly letter and number designations do is confuse people, I think. Acura is a great brand, but this TSX, TL, RSX, and RL crap is a mess. I think Acura marketing braintrusts didn't like people referring to their cars as "Legends" or "Integras" and wanted owners and others to use the brand name, not the model name to describe the cars. This does make some sense, but I still don't like it. Bring back car model names and skip the nitwit alphanumeric BS!
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Steve B. 10:56PM (1/02/2006)
It seems that they (Asia and North America) are trying to follow the German style of names, but failing in the process. They are creating letter/numeral combinations, but treating them like nouns. CTS sounds like a disorder, MDX sounds like a rapper, and MKX? A bad Vin Diesel movie?
The correct use is a class designator (A,C,E,M,S for Mercedes-Benz, 1,3,5,7 for BMW, allowing of course for the M & Z exceptions) followed by the engine size expressed in some form of liters, usually centiliters for Mercedes, deciliters for BMW.
Lexus uses this system to some extent, but without a clear, linear heirarchy of models (Why is an ES larger than a GS?) Infinity is a bit better, but Acura has failed miserably with the RSX, TSX, etc.
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RaslDasl 11:20PM (1/02/2006)
Yeah, because the LS worked out so well. I mean the Lincoln LS, not the Saturn LS (ok, that one too) or the Lexus LS. It's the product, stupid!
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Rick 1:11AM (1/03/2006)
Ford appears to be run by attention-defecit-disorder ridden schizophrenics.
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DJ 9:41AM (1/03/2006)
Just look at some of the possibilities: Lincoln SUX, Lincoln 4Q2, Lincoln FUX, or Lincoln PMS. I hate the concept of using three letter "names" when a manufacturer has a wealth of real names to draw upon. Wonder if anyone at Lincoln asked anyone at Jaguar for permission to use one of their monikers (The MK X was an early 60's predessor to the current XJ series)?
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Kevin Buchanan 11:01AM (1/03/2006)
I think another big part of using alphanumerics is an attempt to not tie consumers' expectations to a particular name. For example, if I've got a car called the "Drivios" or something, and try to introduce a new Drivios that's, say, bigger, more luxurious, or more expensive than the previous generation, there will be those who will react by saying "That much for a Drivios? That's crazy! A Drivios isn't worth that - it's always been a small/simple/cheap car!" The theory goes that if that car had been called, say, a "TXG280," that if I came out with the bigger/more luxurious/more expensive new generation, I could call it the "TXG330" or something like that and be able to pull it off more easily. After all, people won't have such a built-in expectation of what the car is supposed to be based on the name.
That's the theory, anyway. Not saying I agree or disagree, but that's what I've always heard.
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Corey W. 11:15AM (1/03/2006)
Just seems lazy to me, especially if your not going to be as consistant as MB or BMW, at least they're clear in their designations.
Like previously posted what the hell is XLR?? Yes, Eldorado, as a name, does have some history to it, but you have to be blind to see that the new Caddies are not the car your fatherunclegrandfather...etc use to drive.
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David 12:10PM (1/03/2006)
We get the emphasis that manufacturers want to get that brand name out front. I drive a Mercedes "X"-Class, Or BMW "X"-Series, or Audi XXX. That works. Don't know how much brand equity people can get from:
"I drive a MKS." What's that?
"I mean, I drive a new Lincoln." Huh? They still make Lincolns?
"I drive a re-badged Mazda." Ooooooh, why didn't you say so?
At least Cadillac has a couple of halo products they can claim in rap songs. A gussied up Expedition (read- that name works for Ford.) or that wannabe Jetta (that name works for VW) Zepher/Milan/Focus thing just doesn't cut it. For god sakes, Ford. Kill Lincoln already. You're just making this painful for everybody.
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