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While all marketers work hard to come up with names that attract consumers, the automobile industry goes into overdrive when attempting to capture the fantasies of car buyers. A car name can make a driver feel rich, powerful, sophisticated, sporty, adventurous, rugged, or downright dangerous—who wouldn’t feel like king of the road in a Mercury Marauder or a Chevrolet Avalanche? Below are some of the more inventive car names and the images they attempt to convey:

Rugged Adventure:

Nissan Frontier, GMC Safari, Toyota Tundra, Ford Expedition

The Wild, Wild West:

Ford Bronco, Jeep Wrangler, Dodge Dakota, GMC Yukon

No Directions Necessary:

Lincoln Navigator, Chevrolet Trailblazer, Ford Focus

Space Age:

Infiniti FX45, Cadillac SRX, Audi S4, Jaguar X-Type

Cosmic:

Pontiac Solstice. Chevrolet Equinox, Dodge Aries, Saturn Sky

Aristocratic:

Buick Regal, Lincoln Continental, Dodge St. Regis, Buick Park Avenue

Aristocratic and French:

Lincoln Versailles, Pontiac Parisienne, Buick LeSabre, Chrysler LeBaron

Animal Magnetism:

Ford Mustang, Mercury Cougar, Corvette Stingray, Plymouth Barracuda

Birds of Prey:

Ford Thunderbird, Pontiac Firebird, Ford Falcon

Hipster:

Pontiac Vibe, Ford Freestyle, Dodge Neon, Toyota Matrix

Cute as a Button:

Renault Le Car, Mini Cooper, VW Bug, Nissan Cube

Too Cute for Words:

Reliant Kitten, Chevrolet Luv

Wall Street Power Broker:

Pontiac Executive, Oldsmobile Achieva

Don’t Mess With Me:

Chrystler Crossfire, Aston Martin Vanquish, Lamborgini Diablo, Plymouth Fury

Vroom! Vroom!

Triumph Spitfire, Pontiac Gran Prix

Good Citizen:

Honda Civic, Acura Integra, Plymouth Reliant

Poetry in Motion:

Hyundai Sonata, Datsun Bluebird, Honda Prelude, Nissan Silhouette

Secret Agent:

Dodge Stealth, Mitsubishi Mirage, Dodge Shadow, RollsRoyce Phantom

Strange Japanese Conceptions of cool American Car Names:1

Honda Life Dunk, Isuzu’s Mysterious Utility, Mitsubishi Delica Space Gear

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