Autoblog

It's been a period of big changes for Fiat's commercial truck division recently. First the brand gained independent incorporation in the restructuring of the Fiat Group, and now the division is getting a new name and image. What was incorporated just a few months ago as Fiat Light Commercial Vehicles is now being re-named Fiat Professional.

Along with the more serious moniker, Fiat Professional is getting a new badge. The logo pictured above is based on the Fiat badge revealed on the new Bravo, spruced up for the commercial division by Robilant Associati, the same marketing consultants that collaborated with the Italian industrial giant on the creation of the new Fiat logo revealed last October.

The name change and new logo aren't likely to change anything concrete for Fiat's light truck and van division, aside from giving it a more professional image with which to stand up to the competition. Nor is the image shift expected to have any implications for Iveco, Fiat's more heavy-duty truck subsidiary.

[Source: Just Autos]

Shakespeare has proven himself ahead of his time yet again. While Alfa Romeo is making a comeback of epic proportions, parent company Fiat is ordering a new naming scheme for the Torino automaker's models. That's the word according to a report in the British car magazine Autocar.

The current Alfa nomenclature is a mixed bag. Sedans and hatchbacks get numeric designations (147, 159, 166), coupes and convertibles get names (Brera, Spider, GT), while the upcoming models get both (8C Competizione). The name of the upcoming "baby Alfa" is expected to follow the latter, with 4C Junior tipped as the handle.

Rather than reach into its past to resuscitate historic Alfa nameplates like Giulietta and Alfasud, the carmaker is expected to go with a "linked family of names", which should mean some consistency across the range. They can call them what they want, we'll continue to call them beautiful – we just hope the new naming scheme is carefully selected to match.

[Source: Autocar via Winding Road]

We're fired up about a few things for episode #61. We eventually get to an enthusiastic discussion of the American LeMans Series, but we wind our way through a few subjects to get there. We start off with the snub to Chrysler by some DCX shareholders who suggest a return to Daimler-Benz AG name. Not only is that a kick in the pants to the Chrysler group, but it's incredibly arrogant and illustrates that it was never really a merger of equals. In a froth, we move on to the anti-surprise that Nissan has nixed the heavy-duty Titan. In the death match that is the US pickup truck marketplace, the Japanese are having a tough fight. The Titan has its own charms but low sales, and the Tundra is taking criticism and underperforming in crash tests. We get the truck wars out of our system and move on to rhapsodic descriptions of the GT2 finish at this weekend's ALMS Sebring kickoff. Oh yeah, there were some kind of Audis there, and Acuras, too. We can't get the last-lap dogfight between the Ferrari and Porsche for the GT2 crown out of our heads, though. Before we go, we touch briefly on Smart's recently-opened registration for US buyers, as well as marvel at the low price for the practical city car that will end up as an effette bauble, as well. That's it in a nutshell, enjoy!

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Hatchback, Toyota hath named thee, and thy name is Auris. Based on the Corolla sedan and placed up-market from the sprightly Yaris, the Auris five-door hatch features design elements similar to its kid brother, particularly around the front end with its the bulbous hood, oversized headlamps and grille with prominent emblem.

With the popularity of hatchbacks over sedans a fact in overseas markets, the Auris will be sold in Europe. There are many variations of the Corolla sold around the world, and the one sold in the U.S. is not the same as the hatchback that Europeans are offered, so it's unlikely we'll ever see the Auris this side of the pond. There likely will never by an Aygo sold here, as well.

Auris is the Latin word for "good taste". Think it's fitting, or is it a misnomer?

[Source: paultan.org]

Ford informed BMW today that it would be exercising its right to buy the Rover name from the German automaker and also announced that it will not be putting it up for sale. The Detroit automaker purchased Land Rover from BMW in 2000 and has since had the option to buy the Rover name or at least first refusal rights if BMW tried to sell the name to a third party. Well, that's exactly what BMW tried to do and had reportedly arranged a deal already with Chinese automaker Shanghai Automotive Corp. (SAIC) for the Rover name. From the rubble of the MG Rover collapse, SAIC emerged with the design rights for a pair of Rover models, the Rover 25 and 75. Looks like they won't be calling them Rovers anymore.

Why would Ford go out and spend more money when its North American operations are operating in the red? It looks to us like Ford is planning to sit on the Rover for a while. Clearly the automaker doesn't want the brand prestige of the Land Rover threatened by Chinese-built cars bearing the Rover name, and was left the choice of either buying the name now or allowing SAIC to scoop it up. Whether Ford will do anything with the Rover name in the future remains to be seen, but for now it will likely be put in a drawer and forgot about. However, with SAIC having invested millions of dollars in its quest to revive the Rover brand, Ford now has the Chinese automaker over a barrel. Though it claims it won't, Ford could end up selling the name to SAIC and turning a tidy profit.

[Source: Reuters]

Related posts:

• BMW Shainghai Automotive talks still in progress for Rover name
• Chinese automaker drops soem coin for Rover badge
• Rover brand to live on

MotoringFile is reporting that MINI will be dropping the Traveller name for its upcoming long-wheelbase version of its iconic small car in favor of 'Clubman'. Several sources have told the site that a mess of copyright issues with the Traveller name provoked the switch, and while the MINI crew still needs to gain approval in order to use the Clubman badge (Honda owns the Clubman name in Japan), the effort will be small potatoes compared to what would've been required to legally use their first choice. We're not up on our MINI history, so we'll defer to MotoringFile to fill you in on the history of the Clubman name in the MINI brand. MotoringFile readers also collected a long list of name suggestions for the vehicle that was reportedly read by some people at MINI. Whether or not it was the janitor or the CEO is unknown. You can check out the full list here. Our favorites include the MINI XL, MINI+, MINI Canyonero and MINI Longfellow.

[Source: MotoringFile via Jalopnik]