(first posted 1/19/2016) In the 1990s, flagging sales had led GM to orchestrate a complete rebranding of the Oldsmobile line. The venerable Eighty-Eight, Cutlass and Ninety-Eight nameplates were scrapped, as Oldsmobile launched the new Aurora, Intrigue and Alero. Unfortunately, Oldsmobile sales didn’t increase as expected and the brand got the axe. This didn’t stop GM from employing a similar strategy during the 2000s, axing 19 nameplates that were 20-70 years old.
Chevrolet Astro
Final year? 2005
How old was the name?
It premiered in 1985 on GM’s first attempt at a minivan, a rear-wheel-drive, truck-derived offering.
How was it looking?
With strong towing ability and sensible dimensions, the Astro became popular with boat owners, campers and commercial users. Those preferring a more refined and conventional Chevy minivan had the Lumina APV and Venture minivans after 1990. Despite a facelift in 1995, it was much the same van underneath and had poor crash-test ratings.
Did it make sense to scrap the name?
With the death of the Ford Aerostar, the Astro had this capable mid-sized van niche to its self. But buyers were less interested, as sales pretty much halved around 2001/02 and continued to trail off. GM didn’t invest in a replacement and there was really no product suitable for the Astro name. Confusingly, a Saturn Astra was launched in 2008; keep in mind GM also once offered a Pontiac Astre, too.
GMC Safari
Final year? 2005
How old was the name?
If you thought GM’s fascination with names that start with “Astr” was confusing, consider this: two entirely different GM vehicles simultaneously carried the Safari nameplate from 1985 until 1989, one a rebadged Chevrolet Astro van, the other a body-on-frame Pontiac station wagon. The Safari name had debuted on a 2-door Pontiac station wagon in 1955, the arrowhead brand’s Chevrolet Nomad equivalent. From 1957, the name was applied to all Pontiac station wagons as a suffix except for the 1987-89 full-size wagon, which was simply Safari. The final Pontiac to wear the name was the 6000 Safari of 1991.
How was it looking?
As the Safari was identical to the Astro but for badges, it was the same story right down to the diminishing sales.
Did it make sense to scrap the name?
Well, it never really made sense to use it on a GMC van anyway. It also sounded quite close to Savana, GMC’s full-size van. Fortunately, both names were nicer than “Vandura” and “Rally Van”.
Pontiac Grand Prix
Final year? 2008
How old was the name?
It first premiered in 1962 on a full-size personal luxury coupe then became an intermediate personal luxury coupe from 1969 until 1987. By 1988, it was used on Pontiac’s mid-size coupe offering and with the addition of a sedan in 1990 and the demise of the 6000 in 1991, the Grand Prix was firmly ensconced as Pontiac’s mid-size nameplate.
How was it looking?
By its 2004 revision, it had lost its coupe variant and had less slinky, more squared-off styling. The following year, the Grand Am’s upsized replacement, the G6, was starting to put the squeeze on the Grand Prix from below and GP sales started to wane even with the axing of the full-size Bonneville in 2005 and the introduction of the V8 GXP the same year. The odd size of the W platform meant the Grand Prix was bigger than most mid-sizers but smaller than many full-size sedans.
What replaced it?
The FWD Grand Prix overlapped with the new, Australian-built G8 for 2008 but was retired for 2009. It had effectively been replaced by both the expanded G6 range and the G8.
Did it make sense to scrap the name?
The name wasn’t too tarnished, as the ’97 Grand Prix had been quite popular with retail buyers thanks to its sporty lines and competitive engines. The ’04 revision wasn’t as well-received, however, and Pontiac relied heavily on fleet sales and incentives. The 2008 G8 that replaced the Grand Prix was such a fundamentally different car – new platform, rear-wheel-drive, even more powerful V6 and V8 engines – that Pontiac saw it necessary to drop the Grand Prix nameplate.
Buick Regal
Final year? 2004
How old was the name?
The 1973 Century line, the A-Body “Colonnade” replacement for the Skylark, included a range-topping model known as the Regal. The Century and Regal eventually diverged, becoming separate lines riding on separate platforms, until 1997 when they became effectively the same car but with different trim and suspension tuning; the Regal also had an available supercharged 3.8 V6.
How was it looking?
While its styling had held up fairly well, the Regal had suffered from the same neglect as its fellow W-Bodies. This generation of Regal had first launched in 1997 and received no meaningful changes during its run.
What replaced it?
Like the Century, the Regal was replaced by the LaCrosse. Despite its all-new styling, the W-Body mechanicals were much the same and the base engine remained the venerable Buick 3.8.
Did it make sense to scrap the name?
Not really. Buick seemed to realise their mistake and dusted off the nameplate for a new mid-size offering in 2011, a rebadged Opel Insignia. However, they also committed to the LaCrosse nameplate and what started off as a stodgy mid-size sedan has become an expressively styled, near-luxury Lexus ES rival today.
Buick Century
Final year? 2005, outliving the related Regal by a year.
How old was the name?
It first debuted in 1936, using the larger inline eight-cylinder engine of the Roadmaster in the smaller Special body. The Century name came from its ability to cruise at sustained speeds of 100 mph. It was sold until 1942, when the nameplate went into hibernation. The 1954-58 Century followed a similar formula of offering a big engine in Buick’s smaller body; the range also included Buick’s first and only hardtop station wagon. The nameplate again disappeared until 1973, by which time it was simply applied to Buick’s mid-size line.
How was it looking?
Like the Regal, it had launched in 1997 and had scarcely been changed since then. It appealed to a generally older clientele with its inoffensive styling, soft ride and fairly low price, but a Toyota Camry offered higher levels of refinement and quality. The Century had become Buick’s entry-level model and was little plusher than a Chevrolet.
Did it make sense to scrap the name?
The Century nameplate had once denoted performance, but by 2005 its reputation had very much been cemented as an old person’s car. As the adage goes, “You can sell a young person’s car to an old person, but you can’t sell an old person’s car to a young person.”
Chevrolet Monte Carlo
Final year? 2007
How old was the name?
It first debuted in 1970 on a personal luxury coupe based on a mid-size Chevrolet. Unlike many old names, it remained on a personal luxury coupe based on a mid-size Chevrolet right until the end.
How was it looking?
The Monte Carlo was a survivor from a genre of cars that had become virtually extinct. Its only real competition was a small collection of Japanese mid-size coupes like the Honda Accord. Sales were fairly steady after 2000 at around 70k annual units, until they dropped by half in 2005 and never recovered. A 2006 revision eliminated some of the fussier details of the 2000 design and added a V8, an option last seen in 1988, but the Monte was axed after 2007.
Did it make sense to scrap the name?
Yes and no. It was not directly replaced and thus Chevy had no model that could wear the nameplate. Chevrolet was also readying a new Camaro, offering powerful V6 and V8 engines. In theory, Chevrolet could have developed a coupe version of the Malibu and used the Monte Carlo name but perhaps GM thought this would cannibalize V6 Camaro sales.
Pontiac Bonneville
Final year? 2005
How old was the name?
It debuted in 1957 on a limited-production, fuel-injected, high-performance convertible in the Star Chief line, before becoming its own line in 1958. It was usually applied to Pontiac’s largest and most prestigious model, exceptions being 1971-75 when it was positioned below the Grand Ville, and 1983-86 when it sat below the Parisienne.
How was it looking?
While not quite in the same sales league as the related Buick LeSabre, the Bonneville was a relatively strong seller throughout the 1990s. Dramatically restyled and shifted to the G-Body platform for 2000, the interior became a fussy mess – more so than the Aztek and Grand Am cabins – and the exterior was as wild as ever. A V8 returned to the line for 2004 in the top GXP trim and the exterior styling was pleasantly toned down, although the interior was as wacky as ever, but sales were in a downward spiral. In 2000, 65k Bonnevilles were sold but by 2004 that had dropped to approximately 29k. The Bonneville was axed after 2005 with no direct replacement.
Did it make sense to scrap the name?
As the whole Pontiac brand was shuttered just a few years later in 2009, we never did find out what their plan was with model names. Some of their passenger cars had been christened with alphanumeric nameplates – G3, G5, G6, G8 – but there remained real names in the form of Solstice, Vibe and Torrent.
Bonneville was one of the most evocative nameplates in Pontiac’s history; it had connotations of high performance as the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah are renowned for land speed record testing. The name had also never been shifted far downmarket, like Bel Air or LeMans. The G8 would have been an ideal application for the Bonneville name.
Which name fell furthest from grace, and which name went out on a high note? And which name do you mourn the most?
Next week, we’ll look at more of the 17 nameplates and discuss why GM thought it necessary to axe them.
Related Reading:
CCOTY Nomination: 1963 Pontiac Grand Prix
Curbside Classic: 1961 Pontiac Bonneville
Does any name say 1970’s better than Chevy Vandura?
I regretted seeing a lot of those nameplates go. The clean sweeps of names in the 2000s wasn’t without precedence. Buick got frustrated in the late ’50s and established new names across the board in 1959.
I think with the new 1959, Buick wanted to start with a fresh start instead of continuing with Special, Century, Roadmaster. Althought the Special nameplate will return for the “senior compact” line for 1961. Dodge did the same for 1960 when they dropped Coronet, Royal and Custom Royal for Dart, Matador and Polara. But the Coronet monicker did return as a mid-size/intermediate model for 1965.
Yes, “Vandura” seems ’70s But I thought it actually was a cool name for van.
Sounds like it should be the name of a seventies rock band, the Vanduras. 🙂
I understand the humanitarian situation in Vanduras is really quite dire.
All fairly short lived names except for Century, how about Velox used pre GM ownership by Vauxhall on their 30/98 model and in regular use on their 6 cylinder sedan models post WW2 untill dumped by GM in 1966.
Names as opposed to letters/numbers to me are a lot less confusing to envision what the car looks like.
Although the 80’s-90’s Oldsmobile had 5 different cars all called Cutlass. Supreme, Supreme Classic, Ciera, Calais.
It seemed like when people came in (many elderly) to buy parts for them, they only knew the Cutlass part and were unaware of which version they owned.
Cutlass and LeBaron were overused, to get showroom prospects to get the popular names. But what happened was confusion. Maybe should have renamed Olds as “Cutlass Division” in the 80’s instead?
But, even the Asians do it. Accord Crosstour, Camry Solara, Corolla Matrix, and Santa Fe Sport.
Toyota’s doing it again with the Corolla iM and Yaris iA.
Lincoln almost overused Continental too. There are still plenty of people outside of US calling Lincoln Continental Mark VIII.
IIRC Ford founded the Continental division as a separate entity in the mid-1950’s. That and the Edsel brand were intended to fill the Ford stable so it could face GM brand for brand in every market niche.
Robert MacNamera recognised the inefficiency in this and killed it. The Continental division was merged with Lincoln. But they couldn’t let what little brand image go, so for the next 20 years, it seemed every Lincoln was also a Continental.
I think it was the early 80’s when the Town Car dropped the Continental name for good.
After Town Car dropped the Continental name, there was a brief Town Car Continental Edition in 2010. The naming is so complicated with that many series.
It always seemed to me like the “Detroit 3” would stumble on a successful nameplate and make every effort to “milk it dry” and throw it away. Where as Honda and Toyota would invest in their nameplates and as such the Corolla, Camry, Civic and Accord are still here and relevant.
A very interesting subject to bring up Will. It was indeed curious how GM sent so many historic names to the sky in such a short period of time.
My feelings on this is that if the nameplate still has meaning and strong equity, and there’s still a market for that vehicle, then it’s wise to keep it. If the vehicle which a nameplate is attached to is so radically different with no ties to its origins, as well as is far more pedestrian than it historically was, it’s a just move to scrap it. Sadly, most of these cars fall into the latter category.
Probably after learning the lessons from Olds Toronado and Buick Electra, they realized it could be a better idea to discontinue a nameplate when the successors couldn’t be matched up, and use the nameplate again when good products happen to appear again. ( Camaro, Impala, Caprice, Continental etc )
Some of these nameplates had plenty of equity left if they had been attached to compelling, competitive cars. Just look at that hideous Bonny with that playschool dashboard. That was the Pontiac flagship?! Renaming the vehicles at Pontiac and Olds tells you just how deep the panic was at GM, but it was just rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic. Look at how Buick sales rebounded when they simply started producing truly competitive, world-class vehicles again. My father in law has a Lacrosse and it is truly a Lexus ES competitor in design, quality, fit/finish, etc.
GM didn’t need to drop these names nor did it fix any of their problems. What has righted the ship is better products.
GM was doing some massive fleet dumping at the time, often they burned the resale values of these nameplates on the way out.
A lot of these names got dumped in a misguided effort to “be more European (and maybe Japanese)”
People were buying foreign cars with alphanumeric names, so GM figured if they gave their cars numbers and letters, people would buy them.
HA!
That just goes to show how totally misguided if not downright stupid GM management were. Couldn’t they see that people were buying those foreign cars with alphanumeric names not because of the clunky name because they were a superior product?
Living in the free world means you have a choice, and can buy the best product available for your needs. If your country doesn’t make it……
Ford did the same thing with the –
Taurus– –500– –Five Hundred– Taurus. They might’ve been a little skittish about it because Americans mostly didn’t buy the –Exerati– XR4Ti.When Volkswagen introduced the Golf in North America in 1975, they called it the Rabbit, until the 2nd generation arrived in ’84 and it became Golf here too. Then back to Rabbit again for the Mk5 in 2006, then back a second time to Golf for 2010. But there have been some Rabbit Editions of the Golf GTI since then, so VWoA just can’t make up their mind.
«Golf season!»
»Rabbit season!«
«Golf season!»
»Rabbit season!«
Fantastic article! I really love the Astro/Safari vans. Their sheer look is timeless. Too bad they had poor foot room up front, so I’ve heard.
I am not sure what GM management was up to by redirecting Oldsmobile to become “European Style”. Both Buick and Olds had European style cars (T-types for Buick), but I think that these sold in very limited numbers. As a trim option for a particular model they were profitable. But they (management) had to know that making Olds all Euro style would reduce sales.
GM didn’t really know what to do with two upper-medium brands and hadn’t since the Olds = experimental division/Buick = conservative engineering with style pairing had last been used with the first Toronado.
The plan in the ’90s was that Saturn buyers would move up to Olds, and for a while Olds got the best styling of the B-O-P group as though they styled an Oldsmobile first and added either cheesegrater wheels, spoilers and cladding to make a Pontiac or chrome and whitewalls to turn it into a Buick.
But still, it seemed like most of the final generation of Oldsmobiles sold better in the long fire sale between the announcement of the division’s closure and the actual end of the line.
GM’s problem was the dealers. Once the Sloan system had broken down, the dealers became adament in having one of everything that every other GM division had, so as to (theoretically) never lose a sale. The 14th (or whatever) floor may have had the good idea of using Oldsmobile to go after European car customers, but the Buick dealers weren’t going to sit around selling last cars to senior citizens. They wanted in on the Euro market, too. Thus, the T-type.
Of course, in the end, the result of keeping all the dealers happy was that, with the exception of Chevrolet on the low end and Cadillac on the high end, no division had any kind of identity of all. And the determination to fight for every sale ensured that profit margins would stay low on the dealer end.
Dealers can be VERY stupid in the long run. Because they’re always just thinking of today.
I think the whole era of Buick performance (the T-Types and the turbo Regal leading to the GNX) were all children of Lloyd Reuss, who went on to higher management at GM. When he was promoted from Buick all those hot rods disappeared. He reminded me a lot of John DeLorean.
Astro was recycled from GMC oddly. The GMC Astro ran from 1969-1987 overlapping the Chevy Astro for 2 years.
I doubt there’d be any confusion between them though.
Dang, you beat me to it!
For purely whimsical reasons, I envisioned the Astro van was really named after the Jetson’s dog.
The Grand Prix should never have become a generic sedan as it did. Down sizing to the 69 model was good.
If the Grand Prix could survive and thrive after the radical 1969 restyle, I’m sure that the G8 would have done better as a Grand Prix. The G8 received rave reviews but G8 meant nothing to the Pontiac faithful.
Grand Prix as a sedan just seems odd to me. I can’t imagine a Grand Prix sedan (any Grand Prix sedan) buzzing around a Grand Prix circuit at speed. 🙂 A Grand Prix coupe on the track is still quite a stretch, but maybe doable.
Maybe the G8 should have got the once-coveted Grand Prix name. They had a genuine competition history. Okay, I know that’s not what Grand Prix stands for in Pontiac-speak, but imagine it.
You mentioned that there were two GM vehicles with the Safari name produced at the same time. There was also the GMC Astro cabover truck produced through 1988, sharing its name with the Chevy Astro van for 3 model years.
Cadillac in the long dead history used quite a few names. The first models were letters. The model 30 was one of the first for a longer production period. In the late 30’s the names were series 60, 75, and 90 with a few other numbers from time to time. After ww2 the de Ville was a specialty version of the series 62.
Fascinating study William!
Yeah, a lot of these names ran their course after a considerable period of debasement. Others suffered from uneven execution.
F’r example, I owned two Astros and liked both…more accurately I was willing to deal with their shortcomings to enjoy their benefits. The second one…a 1994 EXT, received a K&N air filter and 3″ Gibson exhaust, which greatly helped traversing hills w/o excessive downshifting. Plus it gave slightly better mileage than stone stock.
But I know a few people for whom Astro ownership was a disaster. Like the S-10s/Blazers I’ve owned…if you got a good one, it was very good. If you didn’t…
I always liked the styling of the last Monte Carlo but hated that cheap GM FWD feeling endemic to every single W-body I ever tried. So I never owned one. The ’70, however, is an all-time favorite. I owned one many years ago and it would be tempting to own another as a daily driver if the circumstances were correct.
I remember LOL’ing when that 1970 ad appeared in the buff books. I was 13.
Bonneville went thru some debasement when it was on the G-platform, but the 90’s – 2000’s versions were nice. I still think Pontiac had no reason to exist after 1982 and therefore believe with a few styling tweaks, those later models could’ve been Impalas that aimed higher…like the current ones do.
GM is one disaster away from serious trouble, IMO.
It pains me to say that but they need to permanently put away the “good enough” mentality Paul so accurately described last week in a Toyota article. Seems like their current offerings are on the right track but it’s going to take many more years of excellence before the tarnish of past Deadly Sins fades away.
I didn’t know that the Astro/Safari ownership experience was so hit-or-miss. In 1986, my parents wanted an Astro van, but the dealer they went to wouldn’t budge on price. They wound up the local Ford dealership and bought an Aerostar, even though my dad wasn’t a Ford fan at all. The Astro couldn’t have possibly been any worse!
My best friend’s Dad had an Astro van, I think it was a 1991 or 92. That thing was virtually indestructible! I think it had 300k+ miles on it when it finally died. He put that van through its paces, too. It was used for work, hauling a boat, and numerous other daunting tasks. Said it was one of the best vehicles he ever had.
I read once, don’t know if true, that Lutz wanted to dump Malibu name in 2008, but it stayed. The Cobalt should have been called Cavalier, if GM was planning to dump name in 5 years for Cruze.
Marketers say name-recognition is important. Coca-Cola, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, & Bon Ami are all successful products over a century old now; it would be insane to change them. Therefore, it’s an indication of how poorly Detroit has fared when they feel compelled to rename theirs so often compared to Japan.
Note how smallest & biggest cars have changed:
Pinto→Escort→Focus
Chevette→Aveo→Sonic
No more Caprices, deVilles, Eldos, Crown Vics, Contis, & Town Cars.
The smallest Ford now is the Fiesta, which is a well-known name across the pond, but your basic argument is correct. I was surprised to see Chevy continue calling their compact car the Cruze for a second generation.
“Corn Flakes,” though, is such a generic name that it can’t be legally trademarked, the same as “Frosted Flakes” or “Raisin Bran.” Kellog trademarked “Frosted Flakes of Corn” instead.
On renaming niche’ marketing mini compacts, subcompacts, compact/mid-sized cars, just think that both today’s Spark, Sonic, Cruze, Malibu and Impala had a rather unusual predecessor renamings:
For the 2016 Spark:
Sprint
For the 2016 Sonic:
Chevette→Spectrum/Storm→Metro→Aveo.
For the 2016 Cruze:
Vega→Monza→Cavalier→Cobalt→Cruze.
For the 2016 Malibu:
Chevy II/Nova→Nova→Citation→Toyota Corolla based NUMMI Nova→Corsica/Beretta→Malibu.
For the 2016 Impala:
Chevelle Malibu→Malibu→Celebrity→Lumina→Impala.
The only ones without different predecessor names and do have fractured lineages were the following Chevrolets arranged according to their physical sizes: Prizm, Volt, Corvair, Corvette, Camaro, SS, Monte Carlo and Caprice PPV.
I would mostly agree, but it should be said that the Escort lasted more than 30 years — the first Escort (as a distinct subcompact car, not a sub-series of the Anglia), which was RWD, first appeared in Europe in 1968.
The decision to drop the name and replace it with the Focus, though, is in keeping with your point. (Both here and in Europe, the old Escort survived for a while after the Focus appeared, perhaps to help emphasize that the Focus was a new car and not just a new name on the old one.)
Isn’t there still a Ford Ka in Europe? Not the funky-looking original, but a FIAT 500 made over to look like a miniature Fiesta. (I don’t know if it’s still on sale.)
Correct, and still available. Built in a Fiat plant in Poland.
Same can be said with the Chevrolet Nova’s replacement/successors as well: Chevy II→Nova (RWD X-Body only)→Citation→Corsica/Beretta→Malibu (from 1997 through current showing various redesigns). IMO, the Malibu was not really a replacement for its Rear Wheel Drive predecessors from 1964-83 because the Malibu after 1983 was eventually replaced by the Celebrity, then the Lumina and then afterwards the various iterations of the Impala from 2000 through 2018. In addition, the 2000 Chevy Impala did not also directly replaced the 1977-96 RWD B-Body version of the Caprice Classic because many decades after hiatus its true replacement the Holden Caprice version of the Chevrolet Caprice PPV which was a RWD (and chassis related both to Pontiac G8, Chevrolet SS and the 2010-15 Camaro) slightly larger than the otherwise different FWD W-Bodied Impala served as its actual replacement. Lastly the Malibu was not really exclusively relegated to the Chevelle name because other countries such as Mexico and Argentina used the Malibu name on what were originally Novas here in the U.S. such as the 1968-78 Chevrolet Chevy Malibu (our 1968-72 Nova 4 Door Sedan ) and the 1977-78 Chevrolet Malibu Rally (our 1976-78 Nova SS/Rallye). On this photo montage compilation of the Nova “family tree” don’t mind the Toyota Corolla based NUMMI Chevy Nova on the photo because its just placed there for the virtue of the Nova name which many Nova loyalist find a sacrilege. The Holden based Chevrolet SS if Chevrolet had the brains and may become a decent seller if it was given the “Nova” name just in my opinion because it was a RWD and its physical exterior size were identical to those of the 1975-79 Chevy Nova. The Chevy Cruze along with its predecessors the Cobalt/HHR and Cavalier actually replaced the Vega/Monza and the 1960-69 Corvair and NOT the Nova as others may claim. First here are the Sedans.
Now the Coupes’. Let me add also that the North American 1975-79 Chevrolet Nova which was discontinued in 1979 actually carried on with the same basic design in Iran by Pars Khodro/Chevrolet IRAN Nova through 1992 way beyond even after its American replacement the Citation was discontinued in Mexico after 1986 since it carried on there for one more year after the U.S. and Canadian versions were discontinued after 1985. The Corsica and Beretta were midway on their production life in 1992. The Iranian Nova BTW were only available as 4 Door Sedans only no 2 Door Coupes’.
It is always sort of depressing to see once iconic nameplates get reduced to such drivel at the end of their lives. If only because they leave bad tastes in the mouth of the buying public that prevent likelyhoods of these names being considered to be brought back. Especially if they eclipse the older, better, models in the process.
That being said, I could see the Monte Carlo nameplate come back in some form. I realize that the Personal Luxury Coupe market is pretty much non-existent, but Monte Carlo can evoke some pretty good memories better than some of the others on here. This may just be me and no one else, but I don’t think of the body clad final versions whenever I hear that name, usually I think of the older ones, in particular, the 1979 model Denzel Washington drove in Training Day. Plus, I could see the (potential) market for a reasonably upscale two door Chevrolet, or even a two door Chevy that’s not a Camaro or Corvette for those that want such a thing. I could easily see a Monte Carlo being from Chevrolet, just take the Current Impala they have, slice two doors off of it, make the interior more upscale and have the V6 engine and AWD standard, I would definitely think a car like that might have a chance of getting an audience and have a good chance of being somewhat successful.
apparently no one wants a two door luxury car any more…only four doors. I’ve always wondered how big two doors went from halo cars to unwanted within such a short period of time. What happened? can’t figure it out.
Child safety seat laws and the SUV craze happened. Two doors were just seen as too impractical, and for the luxury makers, not all the guys who are leasing their cars are single. Sometimes, the customers often have something, called families. Yeah, its cool to have a two door car sometimes, but what about having to bolt Junior into the back with the required safety seat equipped, lest Mr. law man slap you in cuffs for non-compliance? Total, utter, misery. That’s why you get a four door, or an SUV.
I’m not going to act like everyone wants a sport sedan or a crossover from a car maker, I sure as hell don’t. But the remaining two doors are all specialty vehicles designed for markets that are niche at best. That’s why the two door car in general has gone the way of the dodo. It’s just not viable in the market and it has too much past stigmas attached to comeback, just like the station wagon. Two doors may come back, but for now, we can’t get ’em unless we want a Muscle car or a luxury coupe, two options most of us can’t afford to get.
Not so–there are still a few non-muscle, non-premium coupes left. You can still get a Kia Forte Koup, Scion tC, Honda Accord coupe, and the redesigned-for-2016 Honda Civic coupe will be available later this year. Plus there is the Subaru BRZ, which is a sports coupe, but not “muscle” like the Mustang/Camaro/Challenger. Also worth mention are the “almost coupe” 2-door hatchbacks like the VW Beetle and Golf/GTI 2-door, Fiat 500, MINI Cooper,
True about child safety seat laws having a great deal to do with the rarity though. My wife currently drives a ’12 Kia Forte Koup, which she is quite fond of, but when we start a family it will be replaced with something with more doors as it would take gymnastic flexibility to get a baby strapped into a car seat in that car.
Just to give the Grand Prix its due,1962 its first year.
Great catch, I thought of that too. Good article, thank you.
Bob
I always thought G8 was a stupid name. It would have made a great Bonneville.
That would be even better on the LWB version you guys got as the Caprice PPV. Here’s the range-topper Caprice V.
After ww2 Buick could do no wrong,culminating in 55,blowing Plymouth out of third place
everybody wanted a Buick. By 59 and 60 everybody hated them I wonder if GM gave
any thought to getting rid of Buick?
In a word, yes.
“Buick” still had a lot of cachet to the name in the 1960’s and beyond. It was for doctors and bank presidents who had no reason to show off their money with a Cadillac. I know my grandmother and uncle would own nothing but Buicks, even if they were gently used. It meant something back then. The ’70s gentrification and dilution of GM nameplates, where a loaded Caprice was nearly an Olds 98, hurt greatly…it all boiled down to front and rear design. By the ’80s they totally lost any semblance of meaningful uniqueness except trim levels and slight design.
Truthfully though, the late ’80s would have been a great time for GM to contract their lines; maybe not ditching brands but with their two houses developing specific brands and models unique to that house….Chevy-Cadillac in one house and Buick-Pontiac-Olds-GMC in the other. You didn’t need 3-4 versions of the same minivan…just one for each house in the appropriate brand.
Hindsight is always 20-20.
Not really about names but I want to write about the 1936 Buick Century. Can you imagine what driving 100 mph in that car must have been like given the roads of that era and the suspension/brakes of a 1936 car? My guess is that it would be harrowing and certainly not for anyone with any sense.
I know exactly what it’s like, on for me it was in a 1937 Special. On a downhill, as the smaller straight eight was only capable of 80-85 on the flat.
In a word: scary. To someone used to modern (late 60’s/early 70’s) cars. And the look on the face of my buddy in his ’65 Catalina two door hardtop (389 four barrel) was priceless.
Cadillac Seville.
Chrysler Imperial.
What’s wrong with GM re-using some names from Pontiac for current vehicles?
Chevrolet Trans Am? What is GM saving them for?
Absolutely there is nothing wrong with cross divisional name usage. Remember that the 1994-99 Cadillac DeVille Concours was the same example by using the former top of the line Chevrolet Nova aptly name the “Concours” as well.
Certainly NOT out of line with GMs past to reuse names across divisional lines:
Cadillac Calais -> Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais
Cadillac Park Avenue -> Buick Park Avenue
There are probably more!
Well, “Trans Am” is actually a trademark or registered trademark of the SCCA — Pontiac used it under license. So, GM doesn’t own it to reuse, although they could license it for something else.
Plymouth Prowler–>Chrysler Prowler. Ditto for the Voyager. I saw that transition take place when I worked at a dealership. And the Neon was sold as a Plymouth and a Dodge.
Hell, Ma Mopar is the guiltiest of all at playing the name game. The current Dart came from the Caliber, which superceded the Neon, which replaced the Shadow/Sundance, which were semi-successors to the OmniRizon and Aries/Reliant. Those of course supplanted the Volare/Aspen which replaced the Valiant and the original Dart.
Look how the Charger and Challenger names have been applied to both fitting and preposterous cars as well. Tradesman was at first a van and now….a base level Ram truck!
The latter seems a pretty reasonable application of the name to me, even if it’s not the same as the original.
To add to the Chrysler name game:
Dodge Magnum was a B-body personal luxury car long before it was a station wagon. Aspen was an interesting choice when they recycled the name to use on a Chrysler-branded SUV. Sebring was a top trim level Plymouth Satellite before being recycled as a small Chrysler.
Now I hear the Chrysler Pacifica name is coming back, replacing Town & Country as the Chrysler minivan for 2017. I actually approve this change; the name Town & Country will always remind me of DiNoc fake wood veneer. What I don’t get is the decision to axe the Dodge Caravan version. (I know, Sergio is taking Chrysler down-market and turning Dodge into the new Pontiac.)
I always thought the Japanese would invest and build a brand. So many of their brands stay around.
American companies tend to come up with new names, then maximize profits as quickly as they can from those names, running them into the ground.
Then they come out with some new name for a top of the line model. Then water it down to a mainstream or budget model, all the while coming up with another attention grabbing new name for the top models. It’s a cycle. The only American name I know that defies this is the Corvette.
Bob
Although, as I pointed out in Toyota week, the spiritual successors to Toyota’s long running Celica and Supra names are now badged with anonymous alphanumeric names under the Scion and Lexus brands. Definitely not the same situation as GM’s name dilution but they certainly don’t cling to the camcord formula. Also to play devil’s advocate and possibly sling a bit of mud, Japanese sedans never nearly had the romance and desirability some of the American names like Grand Prix had prior to their dilution, they were and always were superbly built commuter cars, there’s no denying that, but nobody really ever aspired to them, so what would there to be to cash into?
Plus don’t forget Mustang or Camaro as far as American brands go. Despite the latter’s several year hiatus it still is a 50 year old, or at least near 50 year old name.
Some of the old very American names STILL conjure an image even to those not old enough to remember them. My neice (age 15) was telling me how “lame” modern alpha-numeric car names are, pointing out that she (not a car enthusiast) knows what a Camaro is but has no clue what a CTS is. I told her that there was once a car called a Chrysler New Yorker Fifth Avenue. She thought it sounded “very American AND upscale”. Natch, I also told her my concept for its blue collar stablemate the Plymouth Pittsburgher South Eighteenth Street. I earned a groan!
How about Camaro, Mustang, Silverado, Suburban, Impala and Malibu. Those are all old names that have survived for many years that are all still being used to this day.
Corvette is pretty much a brand itself in the minds of many folk.
Imagine if the marketeers had tried renaming Corvette, just because the new model was so different!
They could’ve picked up and run with their toxic-heavy-metals naming theme begun with the Cobalt and replaced the Corvette with the all-new Cadmium!
The 54-58 Buicks were not the only GM hardtop station wagons as Oldsmobile as also offered a hardtop station wagon in this same time frame.
Apologies. I meant to say Buick’s only.
That first photo of the Chevy Astro sure makes it look sharp! What if Chevy reused Astro instead of City Express? Remember when Suburban was a Chevy and a GMC?
I am glad GM is mainly using actual names still instead of alphabet soup with some digits. I did find it amusing when GM changed names frequently for example, Cavalier, Cobalt, Cruze..
From what I know, they did that because of the problems in them (Cavalier was seen as too cheap and low-budget, enter the Cobalt, ignition failure, here comes Cruze, and because there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with it it gets a second generation) I rather like the Japanese approach (there’s something bad with the model, let’s make it better) than the GM compact approach.
An interesting discussion. It was sad to see so many really good model names go away. I still think that dynamic, evocative names like Buick Century and Pontiac Bonneville would have worked with better cars. The current Lacrosse and the late, lamented G8 would have been perfect with those older names.
Perhaps it is just my age, but names that appeared in the 70s seem to me uniquely suited to 70s Brougham-style cars that are best forgotten. The Buick Regal and Chevy Monte Carlo always gave me a “luxury on the cheap” kind of vibe. I think that names evoking power, performance and exclusivity have weathered better.
My folks had a 2000 Bonneville exactly like the picture above. It was even the same Galaxy silver paint color. It was one of there favorite cars. Dad was looking for a replacement car for his 1989 Tempo which was suffering from transmission issues, the annoying power should belts were acting up, the ball joints were going bad a second time and the car failed inspection because of this and other issues so it was promptly traded on the Bonny under my recommendation. The car was not even a year old with only 18K miles and in pristine condition. It made a wonderful road car and was very solid and sporty and the 3800 provided more than enough oomph. It was also very reliable never suffering from one break down, would easily pull 30 plus MPG on the open road and went 10 years with no rust showing despite being driven in the Winter months of road salt and mud. The only replaced items were the battery, located under the rear seat, one front wheel bearing and the passenger side power window motor during it’s 130K mile stay with the folks. Sadly dad was forced to quit driving in 2013 because of Dementia and mom had to sell the car early in 2015 for $2200 bucks and the car still lives on with it’s third female
owner. Sad memories for a car name that deserved to live on.
Of all those names, the ones that probably most deserved to live on were the ones that could not–Bonneville and Grand Prix. They were so identified with the Pontiac brand that they just wouldn’t make sense on a Buick or Chevy.
As a sidenote, what the heck was up with that 2000 Bonneville interior? When I was shopping for a new used car in ’04, I briefly thought of a higher-trim Bonneville. I rather liked the ’96 to ’99 models, inside and out, and I thought the 2000+ had an agreeable look outside. As soon as I saw the interior? Nope. 2000-up generation promptly removed from consideration.
This story is about GM products, but look at the HUGE nameplate kill that Chrysler just did with “Caravan” and “Town & County” just to reuse a recent name from a lackluster vehicle.
Idiots, throwing away 30 years of name recognition. For what?!
as a funny side note to this I used to spend my lunch hours at work reading car mags. when the buick lacrosse came out a French Canadian girl I worked with read the name and just about fell off her chair laughing. she explained that in quebec, lacrosse was a slang term for masturbation.
I seem to remember the buick lacrosse became the buick allure not to long after its introduction in Canada.
I think that was another one of gm’s infamous naming tricks as well, naming cars without finding out what the name may have meant outside the United States.
GM must have decided they didn’t care because it’s now Lacrosse in Canada too after one generation of “Allure”
Correction. The Grand Prix debuted in 62. I know this because I own one.
Great article – thanks. I would love to say something interesting and smart but all I can do is salute the author for a nice and systematic canter through the names of the fallen. You can´t do this with print magazines so while I like the tactile qualities of a mag, the blog format is great for what I can only call long-form scholarship like this.
Thanks!
Richard
Cadillac’s shift to letters to emphasize the division name has to be called a failure, since even they knew not to change “Escalade.” However, the EV “iq” names are even dumber than the CT- and XT- nonsense. Can we have a “Crossover de Ville?”
This romantic attachment with names debate always has me shaking my head, because I cannot think off the top of my head a single example in which this has been done to great effect without throwback styling being part of the package (New Beetle, Camaro, Mini, etc.). This goes for any car company, and not just GM. A perfect example is in this article; the Regal. The resurrected final two generations actually were really good cars, much more favorably comparable to the class leaders than the other FWD Regals ever were, and sales were dismal. 207K sold over eleven years dismal. This might actually be a good argument that it’s not the model name, but the brand that becomes irreversibly tarnished regardless of the product’s merits. I’m seeing shades of that with the impending Acura Integra as well. People for years have been screaming for the return of the damn thing, and Honda actually delivered the exact same formula all the old ones ran with, and the enthusiasm turned into near universal criticism when the prototype was unveiled: “That’s not an Integra”, “Wow, an expensive Civic”… I guess the verdict is still out on that one until it’s driven and doesn’t sell, but the writing seems to be on the wall with that one already. It doesn’t look like the one they owned 25 years ago and the snob appeal is gone for the bragging rights, so it’s not going to live up to the name apparently.
I don’t really get it, either. I thought it was dumb a quarter-century ago when people were bitching about how the Charger isn’t really a Charger bcuz four doors (which didn’t stop people absolutely mobbing the mobworthy ’98 Charger concept car at the Detroit auto show back when that was a thing, but I digress).
And I still think it’s dumb how people bitch about how the Mustang Mach-E isn’t really a Mustang bcuz four doors and electric motive power and stuff.
It’s a SUV. Why is the Mustang a SUV when the Bronco, which was as SUV “in the spirit” of the Mustang with its horsey name has just been resurrected? The 4 door charger works because it has the right long low fastbackish proportions, the door count is easy to get past.
I don’t give a crap if it’s battery powered, steam powered or sail powered. Only people who embrace it are either ardent EV proponents that want that form of propulsion in *any* name or form, or contrarians who simply get off on how much it upsets purists. I’ll bitch about it all I want, I’m giving it “buzz” anyway in doing so, you’re welcome 😉
Integra has the same problem, it looks like a slightly sleeker MDX SUV in its awkwardly tall height and stance. Just let the names stay dead or die naturally with dignity
Toytota out smarted all them all. I don’t like Toyota’s. The few I have driven were dull and they either look like plain toast or toast with a bowl of fruit sitting on it. You have to give credit where credit is due. They out smarted them all. The Corolla was introduced in 1966. It is still produced today. It always will be because Toyota understands that there is 56 years of equity in that name, and counting. As compact sales dwindle, Toyota just brought out a Corolla Cross. They get it. The name will go on to the next hot segment. Detroit never really did get it and if they did, they got so excited about it that they shit their pants. VW Beetle, Ford Model T, Toyota Corolla. Those are the most popular name plates in automotive history, in that order. Only one is moving up, to eventually overtake the other two.
“ VW Beetle, Ford Model T, Toyota Corolla. Those are the most popular name plates in automotive history, in that order. Only one is moving up, to eventually overtake the other two ”
Erm, no. The new #1 happened over 28 million units ago, so you can move the Toyota to the front. Then replace the Model T with the Fiat 124-based Lada and you’d be correct.
I’ll consider myself up to date with your information. Thanks.
“The 2008 G8 that replaced the Grand Prix was such a fundamentally different car – new platform, rear-wheel-drive, even more powerful V6 and V8 engines – that Pontiac saw it necessary to drop the Grand Prix nameplate.”
Funny that wasn’t the case in 1988. When the 1988 Pontiac Grand Prix coupe came out, pretty much the same could have been said. It was such a fundamentally different car – new platform, front-wheel-drive, more efficient and powerful V6 engine, yet Pontiac didn’t feel the need to rechristen the car. It continued on as the Grand Prix. It was joined by the sedan when the 6000 was replaced.
By the time the G8 came around, the Grand Prix had already been a sedan only prospect for the last few years. The G8 should have continued the Grand Prix name. The LWB version (that was eventually sold here as the PPV Caprice) could have made for a nice V8 only Bonneville. And for that matter, the G6 should have still continued the Grand Am name. The fact that Pontiac went all G# for the lineup was awful.
And to think Motor Trend had referred the G8 as Grand Prix… I think that was the wrong move, imagine had Pontiac had kept the Grand Prix name, Car & Driver or Motor Trend would had done a comparo with the following title on the cover “Grand Prix Charger” or something like that. 😉
And it worked the opposite with the Monte Carlo, as Chevy’s version of the 88s replacement was simply a Lumina coupe, which was later dropped for the resurrected Monte Carlo name
I think Pontiac’s G naming scheme was a bad move, I don’t think keeping the old names would have saved the brand but they were household names and weren’t really tarnished, at the time of the Pontiac brands closing you can see how easy it would be reviewing the brand’s prospects with a lineup of names that aren’t selling well and never even had a long enough run to sell well and say “there’s nothing of value” here.
I don’t know. I was pretty PO’d that they dumped the Monte Carlo. When my beloved Sunfire GT coupe finally became too expensive to justify fixing (mostly residual damage from an accident and a rusted dual exhaust that would have cost $2k), I was hoping they had a new Monte Carlo available. I bought the Sunfire in 2010 because I couldn’t get a mid sized coupe. Here it is 2014 and more of the same. I was someone who liked the aspect of a reasonably powerful motor in a stylish package with a smooth ride and luxury interior which the pony cars don’t offer. To get this I would have to move into a sedan, which as a mid/late 20 year old, I wasn’t too interested in.
So I ended up with a Mustang and never looked back (at the local Chev dealership they wouldn’t sell me a Camaro – thats a long story). I love the Mustang and still have my 2014. But now that I am mid 30s and have a son, I sort of wish I had that larger coupe – its doable to have a car seat in a Mustang but definitely not easy!