Shakespeare once said, “What’s in a name?” Well, sometimes a lot depends on a name. For eg, a lot of thought process goes into naming a car. There are times when the names turn out to be so good that they define a company itself. For example, the Maruti 800 used to be the brand in itself. But, sometimes, carmakers are so busy making the cars perfect that they don’t spend a lot of time naming them. Today, we take a look at 5 such cars 8which might be close to perfect but bear names that don’t match their persona. Let’s start the list with the latest to this edition, the Tata Punch.
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Tata Punch: Or the Chota Harrier
Exclusive footage from Tata Punch’s naming meeting It was showcased at the Auto Expo 2020. Tata HBX or Hornbill or any other name could have done them justice. But naming it as if it was another commercial vehicle is not a job done well, Tata. You might have a product that is going to give the rivals a run for their money, but the name is not going to serve the car right.
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Tata Safari: Clever or not?
Why use the Safari moniker when you have people calling it Gravitas! While the Safari moniker was an SUV icon in the early 2000s, Tata decided to name the 7-seater Harrier, Safari! Fans were not happy with the decision at all. What once used to be the synonym for 4WD was now a mere happy face family car with 7 seats and front-wheel drive. Gravitas was a good name and would have gone great with the 7-seater SUV. But it looks like Tata has a team dedicated to analyzing the audience, see what name is gaining popularity, and decide not to go with that name!
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Skoda Laura: Cars may come and the cars may go, but names stay forever!
Skoda To People: Did I Stutter! The Czech carmaker decided to launch the second-generation Octavia in India while the first one was still on sale. The best option was to rename the second-gen and launch it along with the first-gen Skoda Octavia. A meeting was called upon. The name had to be decided. After a long discussion and brainstorming, it was decided that the sedan would be named Laura! I just want to call upon someone from Skoda and ask, was there any Indian in that meeting where you decided to keep this controversial name?
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Toyota Belta: Rhyming with Covid Delta?
Delta, Belta, what’s the big deal Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, a segment-leading sedan that has been offered through the NEXA channel is going to be rebadged by Toyota. Now, this is not the first rebadging so the disappointment factor is already out of the sight. But, Toyota decided to do no work at all. They just chose the variant’s name, Delta, and replaced ‘D’ with a ‘B’. A lot of effort was made that day.
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Volkswagen Taigun, Tiguan, Scramble the jumbled words!
Tiguan, Taigun, Tungai, Tangui, Endless Possibilities, What if? I overheard a discussion between two friends, it goes like, “Bhai Tiguan aani hai Taigun aa chuki hai, while the other friend says, nahi Bhai tu ulta Bol Raha hai, Taigun aani hai Tiguan aa chuki hai.” And that is how Volkswagen has come to bargain (For those who don’t get the reference, no worries, it happens!) By creating the endless loop of infinite names using the letters, ‘T’, ‘A’, ‘G’, ‘I’, ‘U’, and ‘N’, Volkswagen has given its car naming team a long break.
There are many other cars that bear the curse of having a name at all. But let’s save those for some other day. Meanwhile, Tata is going to launch the Punch soon which is going to rival the Nissan Magnite, Renault Kiger, and Maruti Suzuki Ignis. Will it be enough to Punch all of them out of reality or will it be ignored like all the names it could have had? What do you think? Do let us know in the comments section below.
