Posted By
MELISSA ANDERSON
on
7/19/2010 4:48 PM
Our recent poll posed the question of whether our readers are fans of the trend toward dropping product names in favor of alphanumerics. This was prompted by the news that Kia is considering changing some names, i.e. making the Optima the K5 instead, re-naming the Cadenza the K7, and the Forte the K3. Hyundai Motor vice chairman Chung Eui-sun says that alphanumerics can increase the strength of an auto brand, but do we agree?
To the extent that letter-number combinations are heavily associated with European and Japanese luxury brands, the answer might be yes. Kia is reaching for that halo effect. IRN poll results suggest that we are not fooled by such superficial moves: 60% of the respondents are unimpressed by a meaningless letter and numeral, while 40%, on the other hand, hear the sizzle and smell the steak. It would have been interesting to get some demographic data to go with the survey results. Is it just crotchety old people like myself and John Teahen of Automotive News that are put off by this? Just how old was the letter-writer who suggested that the alphanumeric idea should be extended to families? “If I were young and starting a family, I would certainly embrace the idea. My first child would be D1, the second could be D2, and on and on.”
Hyundai Group’s US sales are up 21% for the first six months of 2010 over 2009. How much better could they do with names of symbols rather than substance? Perhaps we will find out.
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