Just in the middle of this year, Great Wall family’s electric car brand Euler released the white cat model and then changed the name of the R1 to black cat; there was an open call for the new car "Big Dog" on Weibo name; "First Love" based on the Lemon platform was released at the Beijing Auto Show. This wave of operations has confused some netizens who don’t know much about cars. What exactly is the reason for this wave of operations? Perhaps we can find the answer by looking back at how previous cars were named.
1. Regarding changes in vehicle naming
In May 1931, my country's first car was launched at the Shenyang Liaoning Mortar Factory and was named the "Minsheng Brand 75" car. , his great pioneering work is that this is the first self-made car by the Chinese, which pioneered the Chinese self-made car.
The time came again in July 1953, when the construction of the First Automobile Manufacturing Plant started. On July 13, 1957, the first cargo-carrying Jiefang brand vehicle in New China was produced. In May 1958, the First Automobile Manufacturing Plant "self-developed and designed" the first Hongqi sedan known as "Oriental Charm".
In September of the same year, the Phoenix brand sedan was born in Shanghai. Looking back at the way vehicles were named during that period, most of them were related to the background of the times. During the same period, a series of automobile brands such as Jinggangshan, Yangtze, Haiyan, Dongfanghong, Red Star, and Shanghai were launched. These names make us look back on those years and experience the story of the development of China's automobile industry over the past few decades.
In the 1980s, Shanghai Volkswagen, the first domestic passenger car joint venture, was officially established, and Santana met us not long after. Then, BAIC and Chrysler jointly invested in Cherokee, Tianjin FAW and Japan's Daihatsu cooperated to produce the TJ110 van, and Guangzhou and French Peugeot produced the Peugeot 505 in the form of CKD. During this period, China's automobile industry sprung up and developed vigorously.
During this period, the naming rules of cars were mainly transliterated directly from overseas models, such as Santana, Cherokee, Camry, and famous cars with numbers, such as Peugeot 505. 307. Overall, it seems that if the manufacturer does not classify them well, it will be difficult for ordinary consumers to distinguish the relationship between the model name and the car brand.
With the development of the Internet in recent years, people's gradually enriched material, spiritual and cultural life, and the sufficient development of independent brands, the naming rules have become simpler and easier to understand. The North Volkswagen SUV series includes Tanying, Tange, and Tanyue; the Southern Volkswagen SUV series includes Tukai, Tiguan, and Tuang. GAC Toyota's Wilanda and Highlander. Geely means Binyue, Haoyue, Boyue; Binrui, Xingrui, Borui. Wait a minute, the new naming method of car companies is indeed more friendly to consumers.
What is more fashionable and concise is the number nomenclature of the Lynk & Co family, from 01 to 06, which is more concise. Great Wall's big dogs, tanks, and first love have an additional direction for discussion. Generally speaking, the naming method of cars contains the characteristics of the times and historical background. The naming of cars has changed from single model to family model naming, then to continuous simplification and then to independence and novelty. History is an upward spiral. From names such as First Love Big Dog that contain rich Internet culture, we seem to have gone back to the parallel space of the era background contained in car naming in the 1950s. In today's era, as the mainstream car consumer groups become younger and younger, names must also fit in with the younger generation.
2. Is naming like this a good thing?
First of all, all naming methods are well-founded and not imagined out of thin air. He combines the background of the times with the ultimate goal of causing everyone to arouse public opinion, remember it, and buy it. After the Haval Big Dog was launched, 3,045 units were sold in 5 days. Obviously, the name Big Dog does make people remember it, but it is the actual configuration and product strength that determine the price.
I would like to introduce a saying here, "The name is just a code name for an objective fact." The name Jack Ma should not only be used by Jack Ma of Hangzhou Alibaba, but when everyone mentions Jack Ma, their first reaction will be to think of Jack Ma of Hangzhou Alibaba. This is because everyone knows Jack Ma of Hangzhou Alibaba. The same goes for cars. When it comes to buying SUVs, everyone will think of the Haval H6, because it is the perennial number one in China's SUV sales list. Obviously, it does not rely on its name to gain the number one sales position. Brother Shuo thinks that as long as the name is easy to read and remember, it will be better. It should be more realistic and more convincing.
The last words:
Name is also a kind of brand culture, which helps to create and enhance the brand culture. Product power is the key to sales. When product power is improved, the name becomes valuable and everyone will accept it. Rather than choosing a creative name, you should research the creativity of your product. China's automobile industry is not as backward as it was in the last century. We also have products that we can produce, and some of them have gone global. I hope that in the new era of "name personality", Chinese car companies can do better, stand higher and see further.
This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.