Coolest and Weirdest: The Highs and Lows of Car Names

Names are one of those things that we tend to take for granted, and it's often easy to overlook the effort that went into coming up with a particular handle.

In a field as competitive as the automotive industry, having the right name can spell the difference between being memorable in history or fading away into obscurity.

An episode of the Philkotse Shift Happens podcast tackles the lengths that car manufacturers go in order to make their offerings stand out. A model name can be classified as weird or cool, likely depending on what kind of image the automaker wants to project.

There’s no hard and fast rule that we’re aware of, but a cool name is often the go-to when a brand wants to imbibe aspirational qualities to a particular automobile. The Nissan Sentra is one example, which was intended to convey the image of safety and security, as in a sentry or guard. Another would be the Kia Stinger, where the South Korean carmaker positions its sedan as a bold and aggressive challenger in the market.

On the more premium end of the spectrum lies Rolls-Royce. Most of its models are named after paranormal beings such as Ghost, Phantom, and Wraith, as if the luxury carmaker wanted to say that the cars it makes are supernaturally good. The only notable difference is the Cullinan SUV, named after the largest gem-quality diamond ever discovered.

And then there are the cars with the quirky monikers that don’t necessarily sound bad; it’s just that you can tell it was a conscious attempt to stand out by being different. The Geely Coolray comes to mind, supposedly combining its cool tech and performance features with the model being Geely’s ray of hope for its future growth prospects. In any case, it’s better than another name used on one of its subcompact cars in China, the KingKong.

There are the cars with the quirky monikers that don’t necessarily sound bad

Others take on the name of what might be their spirit animals. The iconic Ford Mustang, for instance, was originally named the Torino as the Blue Oval brand was fielding it against Italian rivals at the time. But at the last minute, the company changed it to Mustang (a free-roaming horse) to evoke adventure, cowboys, and the Wild West. The Pontiac Firebird was initially called the Banshee, until General Motors realized the connection to the harbinger of death in Irish folklore and drew on Native American culture instead.

And then of course, there’s Hyundai’s knack for naming its models after scenic locales such as Tucson, Santa Fe, Kona, and Veracruz. It’s as if the South Korean automaker wants to infuse the corresponding vehicles with the same interesting and dynamic vibe.

Ultimately, a car’s name is just the beginning of the ownership experience.

If the model’s features, performance, and even aftersales service don’t live to expectations, even the most sophisticated-sounding name will end up carrying a tarnished image.