Transformation from alphanumeric to Chinese vocabulary—a brief analysis of Great Wall Motor naming
If you ask me about the car models I am most familiar with and like most, I am afraid I cannot avoid the Volkswagen Jetta, Geely Emgrand, Audi A6L, and Volvo S90. Speaking of this, we can see a pattern. Some car companies are willing to name their models after vocabulary (words), while others are accustomed to naming their models with a combination of letters + numbers. Taking the well-known top three German brands as an example, the models of Mercedes-Benz and BMW are all combinations of letters and numbers, while Volkswagen uses words to name each car, and has formed a long-lasting tradition.
Chinese car brands have both naming systems, but they also have new features. For example, Geely Automobile, like Volkswagen, prefers to use vocabulary names, such as the above-mentioned Emgrand, Boyue, Haoyue, Borui, Xingrui, Xingyue, Vision, Panda, Jiaji... But there are also some that are sold by a certain king. New models derived from the model borrow the original name and add a letter or number suffix to distinguish them, such as the Vision X6 and Emgrand GL, but the number is not large and they are special cases.
Another Chinese car company, Great Wall Haval, is in the process of transforming from a letter + number naming system to a vocabulary naming system. The Haval cars in our impression are all named with letters + numbers, Haval H12456789, and there were also some derivative models such as H2s and H6 Coupe. Later, the F product line was developed, including F5, F7 and F7x. After the new H6 was launched, they were reluctant to give up the old model, so they rebranded the old model as M6 and continued to sell it. Although a string of numbers sounds easy to pronounce, the homogeneity is obvious. It is difficult to clearly distinguish the characteristics of different products, and it is not conducive for first-time users to remember them as soon as possible. For example, the H9 just sounds bigger and more luxurious than the H6, and does not highlight its all-round off-road attributes. Therefore, many recent models of Great Wall Motors' brands, including Haval, have adopted a vocabulary naming system to strengthen the connection between the name and the model and increase the impact of the name.
Last year Great Wall Pickup released a new vehicle called Pao, and the off-road version is called Off-road Pao. I believe you will never forget it after hearing it once. You will tell your friends when you look back: "Brother, Great Wall has launched a new pickup truck, which is really exciting. Guess what it's called...it's called Pao! Haha..."
A gun is shocking enough, but the name Havaldog is even more outrageous. It doesn't even sound like a car name. But upon closer inspection, there is actually a long tradition of naming cars after animals. The American car brand Ford’s best-selling pickup F150 has an off-road version called Raptor, and there is also a muscle car called Mustang. The Chevrolet Camaro is nicknamed Bumblebee. Volkswagen’s generation of classic car is called the Beetle. With these seniors around, Havaldo will be more palatable.
Immediately afterwards, Wei Pai released a tough off-road vehicle, the Tank 300. I have to say that naming an off-road vehicle after the King of Land Warfare is indeed domineering. Although H9 and Tank 300 have similar off-road capabilities, it is clear which name is more hardcore and domineering.
Ola, the electric vehicle brand led by Great Wall, has also started the release mode. First it has a black cat, a white cat, and then a good cat, and the whole cat slave. But having said that, the design of Euler Good Cat is really good, it looks good inside and out, and it can achieve a pure electric cruising range of 500km at a price of more than 100,000 yuan. It definitely has the potential to be a hit.
Do you think this is the end? No, Haval Motors recently released a new product. The car is not important, the key is the name - First Love. Whether it is a big dog, a good cat, or a gun or a tank, they are all concrete nouns, and there is a specific thing in the mind that corresponds to the vocabulary. First love is a beautiful process. Everyone can imagine or recall the feeling of first love, but once you open your eyes, you can't see it or touch it. I have to say that naming a new car with such a word is quite creative. But if you think about it carefully, the target consumer group of this car is young people. They are in the middle of their first love, or they are still nostalgic just after the first love ended. Then when buying a car, choosing your first love is a matter of course, right?
Naming a car is also a science. If you are interested, I will talk more about it next time.
This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.