CAR NAME THEMES

Theme Luxury (Inlcuding Prestige, Quality, Comfort)

The quintessential name Crown Victoria

Have you ever shaken hands with a Grand Marquis? Do you aspire to the Monarchy? Maybe you've never been to Brookwood, or Kingswood, or Parkwood, or Bonneville. That would probably explain it. Lets face it, few things say luxury like nobility, and many cars have adopted both real and real-sounding English (and French) locations and icons to communicate a sense of quality and sophistication.

And that's the beauty of this theme, and of these names: most don't scream luxury, they allude to it. Case in point: Fleetwood. It's an old English word meaning "stream in the woods". What does a stream in the woods have to do with 4 wheels and a chassis? Good question. Probably not much. But it certainly sounds sophisticated, luxurious, and probably out of our price range. And that's the point, to project an air of comfort, richness and quality to which everyone aspires.

Of course, not all names in the category have relied on tonality alone to suggest luxury. Some names have highly appropriate Latin origins, such as the Corolla, which is Latin for "small crown". Some are transcripted or coined from other languages, such as Camry, derived from the Japanese word Kanmuri, also meaning "crown", and Royaum, taken from the French Royaume meaning "Kingdom". Still others have used simple English words to loosely suggest a comfortable, agreeable ride, such as the Honda Accord.