YACT: how come some cars have multiple names?

[NeoPTLD]

Ford Contour aka Mercury Mystique
Ford Tarus aka Mercury Sable
Lexus ES300 aka Toyota Camry
Dodge Caravan aka Chrysler Voyager

What do they accomplish from naming them to sound like completely different cars?

 

[Kelemvor]

Uhh, they are sold by different amanufacturers and have minor things that are different. Some people don't like buying from a certain brand for some reason so they think they get a better vehicle by going to a different one... Even though they sometimes get just about the same car.

 

[akubi]

Lexus ES300 aka Toyota Camry

wtf??

 

[Mrvile]

Originally posted by: akubi

Lexus ES300 aka Toyota Camry

wtf??

Seriously, completely , our household owns an ES300 and a Camry and they're completely different.

 

[rh71]

Isuzu Rodeo = Honda Passport

 

[Rallispec]

it doesnt even end there... sometimes the EXACT same car gets a different name over seas.

the Subaru Legacy is called the Legend in australia. The Infiniti G35 is the Skyline in japan.. etc...


FOr the most part though, its marketing. Ford thinks if they slap on a mercury badge, they can sell a contour for more money. And theyr'e right, seeing as how i see Mercury mistiques on the road. At least some cars - like the Mountaineer, gets some nice interiour upgrades over its ford counterpart.

 

[NeoPTLD]

Rallispec, hmmm I have always thought Skyline was not available in the US.

 

[Aimster]

ES330 has a lot more than the Camry offers
RX330 has a lot more than the Highlander offers

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Different styling cues account for alot. Look at the 350Z and it's Infiniti counterpart. If you look at the major lines, they are odviously the same car, but enough details differ to make them look vastly different.

...also, who on this board wants to be seen driving a Chevy Prism or Pontiac Vibe when they can drive a Toyota Corolla or Matrix? Or perhaps a Chevy Trailblazer vs. an Isuzu Ascender or Saab 9-7? Japanese and european cars are better than americans according to most people on this board.

 

[MmmSkyscraper]

Some names don't translate well in different countries.

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: Aimster
ES330 has a lot more than the Camry offers
RX330 has a lot more than the Highlander offers

The highlander looks nothing like the RX330.

 

[Scarpozzi]

It's all about trim and options on the American car front.
Here's the scale:

Lincoln > Mercury > Ford

Cadillac>Buick>Oldsmobile(nolonger produced)>Pontiac>GMC > Chevy

It's not uncommon for a car or truck to be the same chassis with different interior and finishes. Example, Chevy S10 is the same as Chevy Sonoma.

You can also get this in cross-brands when companies want to make money and sell their designs across brands.

Ford Escape = Mazda Tribute

 

[Quixfire]

Ford Mustang = Mercury Cougar 1967 -73
Ford Thunderbird = Mercury Cougar 1974-97
Ford Contour = Mercury Mystique 1996-04 & Cougar 1999-04

Camaro = Firebird
Nova = Apollo, Omega, & Skylark

Superbird = Daytona
Charger = Challenger

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: NeoPTLD
Ford Contour aka Mercury Mystique
Ford Tarus aka Mercury Sable
Lexus ES300 aka Toyota Camry
Dodge Caravan aka Chrysler Voyager

What do they accomplish from naming them to sound like completely different cars?

You know what's really confusing? The Nissan 240SX was called the Nissan 200SX over in Japan. But over here there was a 200SX, which wasn't anything like 240SX. So if you imported a Nissan 200SX from Japan, it would be a totally different car than than a 200SX over here.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Originally posted by: Quixfire
Superbird = Daytona
Charger = Challenger

No, Superbird==Dayona Charger
Charger=Barracuda

The Challenger was a smaller car than the Charger, and also was a Dodge.

 

[bmacd]

here's a good list

-=bmacd=-

 

[whistleclient]

you should buy a ThunderCougarFalconBird

 

[So]

Originally posted by: tangent1138
you should buy a ThunderCougarFalconBird

Inlaid eagle beaks.

 

[Aves]

Originally posted by: NeoPTLD
Rallispec, hmmm I have always thought Skyline was not available in the US.

The Nissan Skyline is sold in the US as the Infinity G35.

 

[thechinesehero]

some people are dumb.. some of these references are completely off..

the thing that loks the same is the eagle talon and the mitsu eclipse.. but ur dumb to say a camry and a es300

also the g35 is the skyline in japan yes... but they get named differently in other places.. like the honda accord is called acura legend or some sh!t like that in japan but since its the same companies its fine

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: NeoPTLD
Rallispec, hmmm I have always thought Skyline was not available in the US.

The older ones aren't. The new Skyline is the same as the G35.

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: thechinesehero
some people are dumb.. some of these references are completely off..

the thing that loks the same is the eagle talon and the mitsu eclipse.. but ur dumb to say a camry and a es300

also the g35 is the skyline in japan yes... but they get named differently in other places.. like the honda accord is called acura legend or some sh!t like that in japan but since its the same companies its fine

umm, we have an Eagle Talon in the family and the rear quarter is different than the Eclipse's. Different spoilers, different lights. If you were to follow from behind, you could easily tell they are different cars... it's not that subtle.

 

[Phoenix86]

Multiple competing brands of the same product will result in deeper penetration















in the market.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Originally posted by: rh71

Originally posted by: thechinesehero
some people are dumb.. some of these references are completely off..

the thing that loks the same is the eagle talon and the mitsu eclipse.. but ur dumb to say a camry and a es300

also the g35 is the skyline in japan yes... but they get named differently in other places.. like the honda accord is called acura legend or some sh!t like that in japan but since its the same companies its fine

umm, we have an Eagle Talon in the family and the rear quarter is different than the Eclipse's. Different spoilers, different lights. If you were to follow from behind, you could easily tell they are different cars... it's not that subtle.

It's not the skin that makes it the same, but the chassis. Often, the skin is what's different. Compare the Grand Prix with the Buick Regal. No body parts will swap, but damned near everything else will.

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth

Originally posted by: rh71

Originally posted by: thechinesehero
some people are dumb.. some of these references are completely off..

the thing that loks the same is the eagle talon and the mitsu eclipse.. but ur dumb to say a camry and a es300

also the g35 is the skyline in japan yes... but they get named differently in other places.. like the honda accord is called acura legend or some sh!t like that in japan but since its the same companies its fine

umm, we have an Eagle Talon in the family and the rear quarter is different than the Eclipse's. Different spoilers, different lights. If you were to follow from behind, you could easily tell they are different cars... it's not that subtle.

It's not the skin that makes it the same, but the chassis. Often, the skin is what's different. Compare the Grand Prix with the Buick Regal. No body parts will swap, but damned near everything else will.

That's understandable, but I thought the OP was talking about only re-badging the same exact car... (which were poorly chosen, of course).