Another storied name sullied by SUVs

Woody (Forum Supportum) said:

^Suddenly (again) begins searching for 1936 Fords...

Brett_Murphy (Agent of Chaos) said:

Manufacturers can't ruin anything by putting out an SUV, as it leads to increased sales and boosted shareholder value, which is the entire point of them making cars.

The "CUV/SUV" body style was pretty much how all cars used to look. They're this, with aero improvements and a bit of styling.




 

 

I mean, this was the point behind the original PT cruiser and HHR...CUVs that bore design language evolutionary of these antique cars.  

Tom Suddard said:

Meh, it doesn't bother me; didn't an Omni GLH run something like a 16-second quarter mile? 

 

Maybe with you behind the wheel lol.  
SHOTS FIRED!!

In 1986 the GLH ran 14.7. That's on par with a 1986 944 turbo, at 1/3 the cost. 

Brett_Murphy (Agent of Chaos) said:

Manufacturers can't ruin anything by putting out an SUV, as it leads to increased sales and boosted shareholder value, which is the entire point of them making cars.

The "CUV/SUV" body style was pretty much how all cars used to look. They're this, with aero improvements and a bit of styling.



.

 

Yes. Ish. 
 

You are absolutely right that from a financial standpoint they're doing a great job. For any accountant in their employ it is a wonderful tactic. BUT. I happen to enjoy cars on a more emotional level. And great or fun or memorable nameplates mean something to me because I am a human and because I assign meaning, perhaps even personality to the cars I enjoy-- even vicariously. 

So do I have a "reasonable" leg to stand on? No. 
However, my whole family names people after cars. My in-laws and nieces and nephews all have car names. If my kids fail to carry on the tradition will I have a "right" to complain? Of course not. Will it be sad to me that they've done away with it? Yep. 
There are many other metaphors out there, but I think all of us who are attached to car names recognize that it's a personal affront to a car culture, not saying it doesn't make good sense for Pepsi to profane the name "Mtn Dew" by making an orange or raspberry pop by the same name. Dollars make sense too. 

Woody (Forum Supportum) said:

^Suddenly (again) begins searching for 1936 Fords...

Funny you mention that, this was for sale *up the road* and it was gone almost immediately. I sent a message to them, but I knew I was pretty much screaming into the void.

P3PPY said:

So do I have a "reasonable" leg to stand on? No. 

Great explanation of the other point of view. I get your position and really do kind of share it... to an extent.

They could've called it something else, but I argue that the Eclipse nameplate doesn't carry the same weight as something like the Evolution one does. Both the Eclipse and Lancer were pretty much run of the mill people movers in their normal trims, and that's what the CUV market is  all about. The only people upset are going to be car folks that remember the turbo AWD GSX cars that carried the nameplate, but that was the pointy edge trim of the lineup. The second generation Eclipse didn't really move emotions like that one did, either.  

Side note: Talon was a better name for the car, in any event.