Oh, and

[weaktwos]

What kind if name is "Tuareg" for a sport ute? Historically, I think Volkswagon has had great names for vehicles:

-Bug/Beetle
-Rabbit
-Jetta
-Cabriolet

But Tuareg? It sounds like something from the realm of Carroll's "Jabberwocky", but not nearly as cool. Sure, why not have a sport ute named "Brilliig" or "Wabe"?

Comments

[scottage.livejournal.com]

I would buy a car called "The Bandersnatch" in a heartbeat. Especially if there was the sportier "Frumious Bandersnatch" deluxe model.

[saintrigger.livejournal.com]

It's the name of a nomadic people in the sahara desert. *shrug*

Perhaps they are evolving.

[weaktwos.livejournal.com]

Okay, well, when I think of travelling long distances in sporty luxury, I don't think of nomadic tribes from the Sahara.

[spooble.livejournal.com]

Except that the idea is supposedly that the Touraeg were known for traveling great distances under nasty circumstances and surviving.

...and as it turns out, keeping slaves. Which has been pointed out to VW, and VW said (I think) something to the effect of "oh...crud. Well, we can't change the name now. Keep thinking about the traveling long distances over extreme conditions part."

[weaktwos.livejournal.com]

Exactly. Furthermore, I don't just want to survive when I pay 20k for a car. Bad marketing. Bad.

[spooble.livejournal.com]

Impressively enough, the slavery story hasn't really made the news, to a great extent, which suggests that their PR is really good, or someone who hates VW made it up.

It wasn't VW who made up the name, if normal naming strategy works out anyway. Usually their agency does it for them.

They might've been fired.

Hey, you can get one for $20k? Where? I thought they started at $36k or something.

[whysoblue.livejournal.com]

I think it is ridiculous that they are hyping the fact that the name is hard for people to remember how to pronounce. You'd think car manufacturers learned this a long time ago -- it's always a bad idea to make the auto's name too complicated.

Fukengruven

[myasma.livejournal.com]

Remember that this is the company that brought us Farvergnugen.

[scottage.livejournal.com]

Still not as bad as the Chevy Nova.

Sure, "Nova" sounds nifty to english speakers, since it makes them think of stars and sci-fi type stuff. The problem was that they also tried to sell the same car in Spanish-speaking countries under the same name. It was a complete failure.

"No va" would be spanish for "Doesn't go."

[weaktwos.livejournal.com]

Ah yes. I know many fine instances of marketing that gets lost in the translation.

There's "nothing sucks like an Electrolux", and my favorite was the effort to ask hispanic people "Got Milk?" actually asked them "Are you Lactating?".

Niiice.

[atomicnumber51.livejournal.com]

I think VW needs to jump on the math-word trend and come out with the...

Volkswagon Eigenvector

Wouldn't it be perfect? I think it would totally out-sell the Toyota Matrix and the Isuzu Axiom (both real, I promise)