[EVDL] EV names tell Automakers' mood are different, but do they know how to sell an
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11990800
[images video] Electric car names: Why an Ampera or a Leaf?
By Finlo Rohrer 16 Dec 2010 There is a multitude of new electric
cars ... what's behind the exotic names these futuristic vehicles
have? Would you drive a Nissan Leaf? Would a Vauxhall Ampera tempt
you to part with your hard earned cash?
There is a perception on both sides of the Atlantic, and in Asia, =
that electric cars are at a watershed - that one big push is all it =
would take to build up the momentum to persuade the world's motorists
to start switching away from petrol in significant numbers.
The argument behind electric cars is simple. Countries want to =
control carbon emissions and if they increase renewable energy =
generation, electric cars will become an increasingly ecological
proposition.
Politicians also have an interest in making electric cars work as =
they try and make sure their areas manufacture both the vehicles and
the lithium-ion batteries that are typically their heart.
Electric car enthusiasts have often implied dark forces at work in =
the failure of previous models, but it seems now the mood is somehow
different.
And you can tell a lot from the names of cars.
RECENT LANDMARKS
* GM EV1: Late 90s offering that was well-received but then
controversially [canceled]
* Toyota Rav4 EV: Electric four-wheel drive again controversially
[canceled]. Toyota now reviving
* Tesla Roadster: Electric sports car that has become a poster
boy for the industry
* G-Wiz: Or REVAi, available for nearly a decade
A slew of the new electric cars have names that sound, well, electric.
There's the Chevrolet Volt and its sister vehicle the Vauxhall Ampera.
The Nissan Leaf makes a direct tilt at making the driver feel good =
about buying into something environmentally-friendly. The Citroen =
C-Zero goes the same way, taking zero carbon and putting it right =
into the model name.
And why do the names matter? Because the task for the motor =
manufacturers is not just selling their own car, but tacitly selling
the whole concept to a so-far ambivalent public.
At the moment, many of us are [skeptical], notes electric car evangelist
Michael Boxwell, author of the Electric Car Guide 2011, as well as a =
book on the Mitsubishi i-MiEV.
"People always ask 'how far does it go' and 'what happens if it runs =
out of charge'." Transport Secretary Philip Hammond The government is
[subsidizing] several vehicles
But when he puts someone in an electric car they soon change their =
mind.
"When they go into the car and ride in it they are always impressed,"
says Boxwell. "You have got a car with a huge amount of torque - it =
is quicker than the petrol equivalent. It is very easy to drive, you =
have got no gears to worry about and you don't have the noise and =
vibration of a petrol car."
One of the jobs of the car's name is to be part of a branding that =
will encourage the ambivalent to go to a showroom and sit in a car.
Normally when car manufacturers want to choose a name they will use an
array of focus group tests and other market research to make sure =
they're picking something safe.
The story of the [Chevrolet or Vauxhall] Nova not being sold in =
Spanish-speaking countries because it sounded like "no va" or =
"doesn't go" is apocryphal. There may be something more in the =
suggestion that the Alfa Romeo 164 was [re-badged] 168 in Hong Kong =
because of 8's association with wealth and 4's with death.
But what is clear is that no car maker wants to start a marketing =
drive with an iffy name.
UK SUBSIDISED CARS
* Chevrolet Volt, Vauxhall Ampera: Sister cars from GM, [pish]
* Nissan Leaf: An [EV] that looks like a normal hatchback
* Smart fortwo electric drive: Electric variation on the
familiar city car
* Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid: Variant of the hugely successful
Prius hybrid
* Tata Indica Vista EV: Another variant on an existing car
* Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Citroen C-Zero, Peugeot iOn: Cars built on
similar platform
"It's always difficult for a car manufacturer to choose the right =
name. It can't have been used before and it mustn't mean something =
rude in another language," says Steve Fowler editor-in-chief of What
Car? magazine.
They can be abstract, they can be innocuous real words, and they can
carry subtle meanings. The Nissan Qashqai refers to a once-nomadic =
Turkic tribe now settled in Iran, while the Murano is named after =
the island off Venice that historically housed [glass-makers].
The Renault Megane's translation into Japanese as "spectacles/glasses"
seems accidental, while the Toyota Rav4 has the feeling of an acronym,
supposedly standing for "Recreational Active Vehicle four-wheel drive".
The Renault Clio is named after one of the Greek Muses.
Sometimes firms will go to branding experts like Chris Davenport, head
of verbal identity at Interbrand. They use a network of offices around
the world to check the word isn't a clanger in any major market. Then
they try and gauge the name's potential effectiveness.
But many of the electric car names seem something of a departure from
the norm. Tesla Roadster Despite being an expensive sports car, the =
Tesla has proved significant "Some of these names are pretty =
abstract," says Davenport. "Probably there will be a story behind it.
It is very difficult to sell a name without a story behind it.
"{Maker of the Leaf} Nissan have got other brands like the Cube - =
they have used real English words before and that has been reasonably
successful."
The Leaf and the C-Zero are ostentatiously green.
"Leaf is going to make you think of the environment," says Fowler.
Then you have the Volt and the Ampera that hammer home the =
electric-ness of the cars.
"It's a route one approach - they could have been slightly more
imaginative," says Fowler. In fact, think about it in the context of =
how cars are usually branded and having something electric-sounding
as the main model name seems more than a little odd.
Can you imagine purchasing a Honda Petrolia or a Mercedes Dieselium?
"Do you see any other car out there or truck that has a gas {petrol}
driven name?" says Seth Leitman, author of Build Your Own Electric
Vehicle.
Westwood checks out some electric rides
He doesn't believe most car manufacturers have really got to grips =
with how to sell an electric car. Waiting lists for new models are =
soon oversubscribed but they are in the thousands, and maker must =
think in the millions.
"They are in a situation of not knowing how to market a car," says =
Leitman. "They should create cars that people want. They need to be =
calling them sexy things and doing the things they do with a regular =
car."
The Smart fortwo ed and the Tata Indica Vista EV are two examples =
where the electric-ness is a mere extension of wider brand.
It represents the likely path for the manufacturers, thinks =
Davenport. "You will get to the point where all cars are electric and
you don't have to talk about it any more. Some of the names might have
to be retired."
For Boxwell, the manufacturers need to look at the purchasing patterns
for current electric cars, like the G-Wiz, and understand who they are
selling to.
"They are all assuming people who are going to buy these things are =
greenies - the reality is it's just people who are interested in =
technology. President Obama with an Ampera Electric cars have some
big-name backers
"Talking to G-Wiz owners, for most of them, the environment isn't =
their number one interest. It's being seen to have something different
and the latest thing. It's for gadget people. The most likely other car
they are going to have is a four wheel drive.
"The benefit is once you get these people buying electric cars, =
innovators inspire other people, their friends and their colleagues."
The Peugeot iOn, with the [gadgetry] feel of the name, is along the =
right lines, thinks Boxwell. =
Once all electric cars have names with no indication of electric-ness
in them, the evangelists will claim victory.
"Some people like pick-ups, some like SUVs, once they start to become
more integrated into the brands, once Ford and Toyota make a hybrid
version of every car, more and more society will transition away from
oil and toward electric," says Leitman. [BBC =A9 MMX]
http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/14k-Brammo-Emp=
ulse-10-0-E-motorcycle-range-100miles-160km-ts-100-mph-160-km-h-td3164124.h=
tml
{brucedp.150m.com}
=
_______________________________________________
| REPLYING: address your message to [email protected] only.
| Multiple-address or CCed messages may be rejected.
| UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub
| OTHER HELP: http://evdl.org/help/
| OPTIONS: http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/ev
[images video] Electric car names: Why an Ampera or a Leaf?
By Finlo Rohrer 16 Dec 2010 There is a multitude of new electric
cars ... what's behind the exotic names these futuristic vehicles
have? Would you drive a Nissan Leaf? Would a Vauxhall Ampera tempt
you to part with your hard earned cash?
There is a perception on both sides of the Atlantic, and in Asia, =
that electric cars are at a watershed - that one big push is all it =
would take to build up the momentum to persuade the world's motorists
to start switching away from petrol in significant numbers.
The argument behind electric cars is simple. Countries want to =
control carbon emissions and if they increase renewable energy =
generation, electric cars will become an increasingly ecological
proposition.
Politicians also have an interest in making electric cars work as =
they try and make sure their areas manufacture both the vehicles and
the lithium-ion batteries that are typically their heart.
Electric car enthusiasts have often implied dark forces at work in =
the failure of previous models, but it seems now the mood is somehow
different.
And you can tell a lot from the names of cars.
RECENT LANDMARKS
* GM EV1: Late 90s offering that was well-received but then
controversially [canceled]
* Toyota Rav4 EV: Electric four-wheel drive again controversially
[canceled]. Toyota now reviving
* Tesla Roadster: Electric sports car that has become a poster
boy for the industry
* G-Wiz: Or REVAi, available for nearly a decade
A slew of the new electric cars have names that sound, well, electric.
There's the Chevrolet Volt and its sister vehicle the Vauxhall Ampera.
The Nissan Leaf makes a direct tilt at making the driver feel good =
about buying into something environmentally-friendly. The Citroen =
C-Zero goes the same way, taking zero carbon and putting it right =
into the model name.
And why do the names matter? Because the task for the motor =
manufacturers is not just selling their own car, but tacitly selling
the whole concept to a so-far ambivalent public.
At the moment, many of us are [skeptical], notes electric car evangelist
Michael Boxwell, author of the Electric Car Guide 2011, as well as a =
book on the Mitsubishi i-MiEV.
"People always ask 'how far does it go' and 'what happens if it runs =
out of charge'." Transport Secretary Philip Hammond The government is
[subsidizing] several vehicles
But when he puts someone in an electric car they soon change their =
mind.
"When they go into the car and ride in it they are always impressed,"
says Boxwell. "You have got a car with a huge amount of torque - it =
is quicker than the petrol equivalent. It is very easy to drive, you =
have got no gears to worry about and you don't have the noise and =
vibration of a petrol car."
One of the jobs of the car's name is to be part of a branding that =
will encourage the ambivalent to go to a showroom and sit in a car.
Normally when car manufacturers want to choose a name they will use an
array of focus group tests and other market research to make sure =
they're picking something safe.
The story of the [Chevrolet or Vauxhall] Nova not being sold in =
Spanish-speaking countries because it sounded like "no va" or =
"doesn't go" is apocryphal. There may be something more in the =
suggestion that the Alfa Romeo 164 was [re-badged] 168 in Hong Kong =
because of 8's association with wealth and 4's with death.
But what is clear is that no car maker wants to start a marketing =
drive with an iffy name.
UK SUBSIDISED CARS
* Chevrolet Volt, Vauxhall Ampera: Sister cars from GM, [pish]
* Nissan Leaf: An [EV] that looks like a normal hatchback
* Smart fortwo electric drive: Electric variation on the
familiar city car
* Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid: Variant of the hugely successful
Prius hybrid
* Tata Indica Vista EV: Another variant on an existing car
* Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Citroen C-Zero, Peugeot iOn: Cars built on
similar platform
"It's always difficult for a car manufacturer to choose the right =
name. It can't have been used before and it mustn't mean something =
rude in another language," says Steve Fowler editor-in-chief of What
Car? magazine.
They can be abstract, they can be innocuous real words, and they can
carry subtle meanings. The Nissan Qashqai refers to a once-nomadic =
Turkic tribe now settled in Iran, while the Murano is named after =
the island off Venice that historically housed [glass-makers].
The Renault Megane's translation into Japanese as "spectacles/glasses"
seems accidental, while the Toyota Rav4 has the feeling of an acronym,
supposedly standing for "Recreational Active Vehicle four-wheel drive".
The Renault Clio is named after one of the Greek Muses.
Sometimes firms will go to branding experts like Chris Davenport, head
of verbal identity at Interbrand. They use a network of offices around
the world to check the word isn't a clanger in any major market. Then
they try and gauge the name's potential effectiveness.
But many of the electric car names seem something of a departure from
the norm. Tesla Roadster Despite being an expensive sports car, the =
Tesla has proved significant "Some of these names are pretty =
abstract," says Davenport. "Probably there will be a story behind it.
It is very difficult to sell a name without a story behind it.
"{Maker of the Leaf} Nissan have got other brands like the Cube - =
they have used real English words before and that has been reasonably
successful."
The Leaf and the C-Zero are ostentatiously green.
"Leaf is going to make you think of the environment," says Fowler.
Then you have the Volt and the Ampera that hammer home the =
electric-ness of the cars.
"It's a route one approach - they could have been slightly more
imaginative," says Fowler. In fact, think about it in the context of =
how cars are usually branded and having something electric-sounding
as the main model name seems more than a little odd.
Can you imagine purchasing a Honda Petrolia or a Mercedes Dieselium?
"Do you see any other car out there or truck that has a gas {petrol}
driven name?" says Seth Leitman, author of Build Your Own Electric
Vehicle.
Westwood checks out some electric rides
He doesn't believe most car manufacturers have really got to grips =
with how to sell an electric car. Waiting lists for new models are =
soon oversubscribed but they are in the thousands, and maker must =
think in the millions.
"They are in a situation of not knowing how to market a car," says =
Leitman. "They should create cars that people want. They need to be =
calling them sexy things and doing the things they do with a regular =
car."
The Smart fortwo ed and the Tata Indica Vista EV are two examples =
where the electric-ness is a mere extension of wider brand.
It represents the likely path for the manufacturers, thinks =
Davenport. "You will get to the point where all cars are electric and
you don't have to talk about it any more. Some of the names might have
to be retired."
For Boxwell, the manufacturers need to look at the purchasing patterns
for current electric cars, like the G-Wiz, and understand who they are
selling to.
"They are all assuming people who are going to buy these things are =
greenies - the reality is it's just people who are interested in =
technology. President Obama with an Ampera Electric cars have some
big-name backers
"Talking to G-Wiz owners, for most of them, the environment isn't =
their number one interest. It's being seen to have something different
and the latest thing. It's for gadget people. The most likely other car
they are going to have is a four wheel drive.
"The benefit is once you get these people buying electric cars, =
innovators inspire other people, their friends and their colleagues."
The Peugeot iOn, with the [gadgetry] feel of the name, is along the =
right lines, thinks Boxwell. =
Once all electric cars have names with no indication of electric-ness
in them, the evangelists will claim victory.
"Some people like pick-ups, some like SUVs, once they start to become
more integrated into the brands, once Ford and Toyota make a hybrid
version of every car, more and more society will transition away from
oil and toward electric," says Leitman. [BBC =A9 MMX]
http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/14k-Brammo-Emp=
ulse-10-0-E-motorcycle-range-100miles-160km-ts-100-mph-160-km-h-td3164124.h=
tml
{brucedp.150m.com}
=
_______________________________________________
| REPLYING: address your message to [email protected] only.
| Multiple-address or CCed messages may be rejected.
| UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub
| OTHER HELP: http://evdl.org/help/
| OPTIONS: http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/ev
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