CAR NAME THEMES
Theme Placenames
The quintessential name Santa Fe
Whether a specific reference to a town in Italy (Torino), a state in Mexico (Veracruz), or a term to describe an urban center (Cosmopolitan), Placenames are used to evoke associations with locations, cultures, and mindsets. Want to sound international to an American consumer? Call your car Murano. Want to evoke all things stylish and beautiful? Name it Malibu. Exotic? How about Capri? Sophisticated? What about Versaille? Placenames make for wonderful brand names because they tap into immediate and often universal associations. They utilize existing perceptions to evoke vivid, visceral, and emotive brand identities and experiences.
Makes one wonder why certain placenames have never been adopted. Would the Alaska not be evocative enough? How about the Vienna? And what about our corporate home: SanFran? With all its natural beauty and urban sophistication it's a wonderful metaphor for a comfortable, stylish vehicle!
| Pontiac | Acadian | A region consisting of several Atlantic Canadian territories |
| Chevy | Biscayne | Could refer to the Island or village of Key Biscayne, or the Biscayne National Park |
| Volkswagen | California | A camper van named for the campy state |
| Mercury | Capri | This "baby mustang" is named for the Italian island |
| Honda | City | Metropolitan sub-compact for the Asian market |
| Chevy | Colorado | State name that has its origin in Spanish, as the word for "colored red" |
| Chevy | Corsica | Named for the fourth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea |
| Lincoln | Cosmopolitan | Very sophisticated full sized sedan |
| Dodge | Dakota | Could refer to the American territory or the Sioux word for "friend or ally" |
| Ford | Del Rey | Named for the Fresno County, CA location |
| Dodge | Durango | A full-sized SUV named for the Mexican state |
| Ford | Köln | The German name for Cologne, one of the oldest cities in Germany |
| Buick | Lucerne | Named for the Swiss city |
| Chevy | Malibu | Named for that hot-to-trot beachfront California community |
| Chevy | Metro | Evoking any metropolitan center |
| Mercury | Milan | Named for the second largest city in Italy |
| Chevy | Montana | Named for the state whose name in Spanish means "mountain" |
| Chevy | Monte Carlo | Named for the quarter of Monaco that evokes luxury |
| Mercury | Montego | Presumed named for Montego Bay, the second largest city in Jamaica |
| Mercury | Monterey | Named for the city in California |
| Nissan | Murano | An archipelago just north of Venice known for its glass |
| Buick | Park Avenue | One of the most famous avenues in the world |
| Buick | Rivera | Any warm weather coastal area, but mostly the French and Italian Riviera |
| Hyundai | Santa Fe | Probably for the state capital of New Mexico |
| Cadillac | Seville | The artistic, cultural and financial capital of southern Spain |
| Buick | Somerset | Presumably named for the South West English county |
| Chevy | Suburban | An SUV large enough to accommodate all your kids, pets and their things |
| Toyota | Tacoma | Named for the Washington city known as the "City of Destiny" |
| Chevy | Tahoe | Named for the beautiful California/Nevada lake |
| Ford | Torino | The Italian name for Turin, the city known as the "Automobile capital of Italy" |
| Hyundai | Tucson | Named for the Arizona city sometimes called "The Old Pueblo |
| Hyundai | Veracruz | The city in the Mexican state of the same name |
| Lincoln | Versaille | For the French suburb & chateau whose name in Latin means "to make more of" |