E-volution: Vehicle naming in the all-electric age
As the hottest summer ever recorded comes to an end, it’s logical to focus our attention more intently on the climate crisis. For many people in wealthier nations that means redressing everything from recreational habits (air travel and gas consumption) to purchasing decisions on appliances, consumer goods, and vehicles. In response to the growing global market for electric vehicles (EV’s), most of the traditional automotive manufacturers have started producing all-electric options. I decided to take a look at the naming implications as the gas-fueled auto industry moves towards an evermore electrified future.
In many cases traditional automakers have spent decades building up brand equity in their products, and don’t see a reason to detour from that careful marketing and abundant consumer research, and create new brands. Chevrolet now offers electric versions of the Blazer, Equinox, and Silverado, simply attaching “EV” to the end of each model. The Dodge Charger EV will soon make the same minimal adjustment to its name when it launches as the first “electric muscle” car in 2024. To keep its faithful internal combustion fans happy, the electric Charger (no pun intended) will feature a 126 decibel “amplifying chamber exhaust” sound that replicates engine roar. For many of these legacy American cars adding the EV can up-res the models giving them a sense of futuristic refinement and efficient electric inner workings. These automakers are helping consumers who have a strong emotional attachment to a certain automotive lineage make the change to electric with a simple suffix and a bit of faux exhaust.
While Ford has several hybrid vehicles on the market, their purely electric models are the Mustang Mach-E, F-150 Lightning, and E-Transit Van. The Mach-E badge is a nice way to indicate the company is innovating past petroleum products with a wink to breaking the sound barrier, as well as Ford’s prototype nomenclature and special editions that have used “mach” in the past. Powerful and dynamic, Lightning (also a former F-150 special edition) could bode well as an all-electric modifier for other Ford trucks or large vehicles—capturing one of the most prevalent and remarkable electric natural phenomena as a brand. While E-Transit is a sensible prefix for electric people-movers of all sizes, no need for flash here. There are some examples of American automakers using new, interesting (if slightly predictable) names for electric cars (Bolt and Volt come to mind), but most have taken the fortifying and conservative route of indexing on existing lines with descriptive suffixes or the industry standard EV.
Other American automotive manufacturers have gone in a stylized or combinative direction with their preliminary electric offerings. Cadillac hopes to conjure some mystiq(ue) with Lyriq and Celestiq, an all-electric SUV and “ultra-luxury” EV, respectively. The Lyriq (read: lyric) was named as such because Cadillac is supposedly “the most-mentioned [American] car brand in song Lyrics,” per their head of brand strategy. Having filed trademark applications for Symboliq and Optiq, Cadillac is planning to differentiate all of their EV’s by giving them names that end in “iq”—a nod to future-forward automotive intelligence. I wish them luck in their automotive innovation and suffix slant rhyme endeavors. Jeep has also developed some new nomenclature for their hybrid and electric options. The Wrangler and Grand Cherokee hybrids are referred to as 4xe, implicitly e-volving their “4x4” pedigree with a subtle yet distinct nod to electrification. Regarding all-electric options, Jeep pays homage to its military pedigree with the Recon, suggesting they are willing to venture behind enemy lines to bring the best EV technology to consumers.
In Europe some companies are mirroring their intercontinental rivals with simple name modifications that bring their petrol-imbibing autos into the 21st century. BMW has taken their 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and X Series and added an “i” to the badge, for i4, i5, i7, and so on. Since the i8 hybrid model has been discontinued, the “i” now firmly represents all-electric for the brand. Historically, an “i” following a BMW model number (for example, 328i) meant that it was a fuel-injected gas vehicle, but things have changed. BMW does not commit to a singular meaning for the electric “i.” As far back as 2011 their marketing and management teams made associations with “a new era in individual mobility”, or “[an] incubator for visionary mobility.” They now imagine that “many people associate the ‘i’ of BMW i with the future of mobility” implying that “i” has gone beyond electric. BMW and several other brands have done well to not let their new modifier be linked solely to elektrisch and this current phase of mobility—giving them freedom and flexibility to highlight other innovations and brand for longevity.
Mercedes-Benz has employed a unique prefix to create an alphabet soup product line that would make FDR proud. “EQ” precedes other letters, numbers, and symbols in most model names, but comes after the company’s “advanced engines, aerodynamic bodies, and high-speed capabilities” AMG mark. Named for the most important engineers in the company’s history—Aufecht, Melcher, and Großaspach—this performance division pedigree takes precedence over the recent electric revolution. Mercedes-Benz has alluded that their EQ stands for “emotion and intelligence” giving voice to their impassioned commitment to the environmental issues facing the world.
Volkswagen has elected to brand their all-electric fleet with ID in reference to “intelligent design, identity and visionary technologies.” Putting aside the pseudoscientific argument for the existence of God, intelligent design makes a connection to the high-level term “intelligent mobility,” which can refer to the many industries that make up the mobility and transportation sectors. Volkswagen’s all-electric lineup features the hatchback ID.3, the compact SUV ID.4, the coupé crossover SUV ID.5, the crossover SUV ID.6, the sedan ID.7, and the van ID. Buzz. They have used the electric revolution as an opportunity to build an elegant (if rather traditional), category-specific naming system. Reserving a little playfulness for the “buzz” around the relaunch of their iconic surfer van that they debuted in Surf City USA.
Looking to Northern Europe, Polestar is the guiding star for electrification. The company was known as Flash Engineering, before changing its name (to a synonym of “North Star”) and being acquired by Volvo. With a background in performance and racing vehicles, Polestar eloquently references a singular, clear goal, or maybe a universal method for navigating towards a bright, all-electric future. Given the strength of their brand identity, Polestar is keeping it simple with model names, going the numeric sequential route that indicates development chronology—Polestar 1 (the only hybrid of the bunch) has already been discontinued, while 2 and 3 are in production and 4 through 6 are in pre-production. Volvo is so proud of this name that it even began using it as an ingredient brand across much of the Volvo offering before the current Polestar line was set in motion—including Polestar performance models, Polestar optimization software, and Polestar engineered parts.
Asian automakers are also indexing heavily on “e” and “EV”—e:Architecture, EV9, RZ 450e, and so on. However, Honda has dubbed their entry into the all-electric market “Prologue.” It is developed in partnership with GM and seems to anticipate a strong “first act” from both automotive behemoths. From a naming perspective it is wise to suggest that your current offering will lay the ground work and indicate what more is to come in subsequent, fruitful overtures. Speaking of beginnings, more than a decade ago Nissan led the electric transition with their Leaf—the first mass-produced electric vehicle in history. Being first to market gave Nissan the opportunity to name the compact car with a straightforward and iconic “green” name. Recently, however, Nissan veered away from any biological reference, naming its latest EV crossover the Ariya, which is Sanskrit for “respectable, honorable, and faithful.” While Ariya could seem like a karmic, mythical way to match automotive naming to the new “ecological” era of car design, there is apparently a dose of nepotism involved as Nissan’s Vice President of Marketing apparently named it after her niece.
As the EV market matures, it is inevitable that naming conventions will continue to evolve. Brands may explore more creative and futuristic names to reflect the growing integration of innovation and brand strategy. With the slow, but steady emergence of autonomous vehicles, companies might enhance or completely renovate these latest electric naming methodologies, giving rise to another distinct period in mobility naming. Regardless, the transformation of the automotive industry as it steers toward electric mobility has presented a unique opportunity for traditional car manufacturers to reinvent their naming ecosystems. While some have taken the opportunity to infuse their product lines with interesting and engaging names, many have decided to use the conversion to organize naming along very traditional automotive styles with mere hint of electric modification, as far as model names are concerned. Nevertheless, the goals are clear: capture the hearts of eco-conscious consumers and carve out intellectual property futures in this ripe, electrified auto space.
Thanks to Eli Altman and Patrick Keenan.
