Wall Street Journal weighs in on alphanumeric naming

The Wall Street Journal has finally picked up on the increasingly popular (and entropic) automotive trend that is alphanumeric naming. Writer Gina Chon is less than complementary about the whole business of going from actual word-based name to strings of numbers and letters, going to great lengths to catalog the legal mess that has ensued between manufacturers (Lincoln MKX vs Acura MDX, etc.), as well as the confusion that the practice has been causing consumers.

Most of this isn't news, but interestingly, Chon speaks with a brand consultant who points out that car companies are avoiding certain letters due to undesirable associations. Namely, O, P, U and Y, with B, F and N not far behind. The article also nicely sums up the clinic process as it applies to automotive monikers.

Further ranting on the subject can be read here.

[Source: Wall Street Journal via Arizona Republic; TheTruthAboutCars.com; Surfnetkids.com]