Badge Dishonor: Who's Next?

[CarsOfFortLangley]

Something I've been thinking about a lot is what the future of the automotive landscape will look like. No doubt a lot of gray blobs, most being hybrid/electric. But what will the names be?

It seems the auto industry has taken a page from Hollywood's book. The answer to basically any question when it comes to a new model is "what about a shitty re-boot?"

To that end, we have:

The newest member of the Corolla family:

The new Eclipse:

The new Mustang:

And of course, the light, manual, nimble performance hatchbacks from Ford:

I mentioned in the "Dodge Lineup Refresh" thread that I think that there's a 100% chance someone at Stellantis has floated the Viper as being a candidate for an Electric Crossover.

I also would bet everything I have on a Corvette SUV/Crossover coming out sometime in the next decade, also electric.

Ford will probably introduce an RS Explorer for some reason and Toyota will shift more nameplates to "_____-Cross" (Yaris Cross is my main bet).

What about your bets? What badges/nameplates will be affixed to soulless blobs in the coming years? Which beloved brands will be forever tarnished in a pathetic attempt to grab boomer cash as they continue to age?

[sony1492]

@CarsOfFortLangley Nissan MaxiMax,
Subaru brings back the xt4 but its a 2 door suv for some reason

[Chariotoflove]

@carsoffortlangley

Of all the dystopian futures I've read or heard of over the decades, you paint the bleakest. Now I am depressed.

[CarsOfFortLangley]

@sony1492 dude. Subaru should totally make a tiny (think chevy trax/Ford Ecosport size) crossover and call it the Justy.

[sony1492]

@carsoffortlangley Subarus in a good position to make a Bronco sport Competitor.

[KITT222]

@carsoffortlangley

1. Corolla name is not sacred. C-Cross is pretty much the new Matrix, and Matrix was a proto-crossover

2. Mustang didn't go anywhere, they just added a crossover. If something were ever the 'Mustang' of EV crossovers, this might be it

3. A soulless blob with AWD and more cargo space is better than a slightly shorter soulless blob. I mean honestly, Corolla? C'mon.

Maybe I don't get it, but the crossoverpacalypse doesn't seem like that big of a deal to me. It's disappointing that there's no smaller counterparts in the ST lineup, but at least they're trying to add a little flair. In another world where small cars still sold, EdgeST and ExplorerST would coexist with them.

[winterlegacy]

@sony1492 Subaru's in a good position to smack down anything their competition brings out. They'd only lose if they screw up royally e.g. by doing another Crosstrek situation where they jam a woefully underpowered engine into their newest offering.

Even then they could just play the Muh Safety, Muh AWD card and walk away scot free.

[AestheticsInMotion]

Introducing the Miata NE, a sporty slant-back crossover coupe with available 3rd row seating, an industry leading standard suite of state-of-the-art safety features, and a pop-up clock in the dash as an homage to the first gens' iconic headlights. Now available in Slate Grey, Steel, Onyx, Pearl White, Arctic White, and for a limited run of only 800 units worldwide—A gorgeous new metallic color called "Soul Silver"

[benn454]

@carsoffortlangley Corvette, Camaro, Challenger. Nothing will be sacred. Get ready for the hatchback AWD CVT 3 row 4th gen Ford GT.

[CarsOfFortLangley]

@aestheticsinmotion Oh lawd. By typing that, you've set in motion a series of events that will eventually lead to this coming to pass.

Some Mazda PR guy will come across this in their google results and think "yeah, we could do that"

[MM54]

@carsoffortlangley said in Badge Dishonor: Who's Next?:

@aestheticsinmotion Oh lawd. By typing that, you've set in motion a series of events that will eventually lead to this coming to pass.

Some Mazda PR guy will come across this in their google results and think "yeah, we could do that"

Let it be known for future mazda PR googler guy - NO.

[dogisbadob]

Toyota has been using the Corolla name on many different cars throughout the world for many years now. Corolla Verso (a Kia Rondo-like MPV thing that Toyota sells in Europe), Corolla Matrix, Corolla Runx, Corolla Fielder, Corolla iM, etc.

That's how Toyota gets to call the Corolla the best-selling car in the world, by using the same name on several semi-related cars at once.

The regular Mustang isn't going anywhere. Ford tried that a few times already (Mustang II, Probe) and they still get shit for it

Maybe a Nissan Silvia/200SX?
Or at least a NISMO Leaf

@carsoffortlangley said in Badge Dishonor: Who's Next?:

@sony1492 dude. Subaru should totally make a tiny (think chevy trax/Ford Exosport size) crossover and call it the Justy.

The Justy is the best Subaru ever made

Cute, easy to work on, good gas mileage, and fun. A very early CVT AWD car, and was the first Subaru to be capable of 30 mpg. After the dropped the Justy, it would take them another 20 years to get 30 mpg again, when they started using a CVT again.

Subaru should rebadge the Yaris (the real Yaris, not the rusty wannabe rebadged Mazda 2), add a Subaru AWD and call it a Justy. The GR Yaris can even be sold as a Justy STI

[nermal]

@benn454 said in Badge Dishonor: Who's Next?:

Nothing will be sacred.

Bingo. The correct answer is "all of them".

[Ermahgerd]

@carsoffortlangley Wouldn't that step on the toes of the CrossTrek?

[Exage03040]

@carsoffortlangley

The Drive:
Toyota Celica Could Come Back as an Electric or Hydrogen Sports Car: Report

[Just Jeepin']

I’m confident “Wrangler” will never be attached to a faceless blob.

…and that may be the entire list of safe names.

[CarsOfFortLangley]

@ermahgerd Nah, smaller than a crosstrek. A city Crossover.

[TexturedSoyProtein]

@carsoffortlangley I'm meh about this complaint every time it crops up. Car names just ain't that important. Cars are cars and they gotta be called something. The name doesn't change anything about the car. The only semi-logical reason I can think why this is bothersome is if one were to assume that the name being applied to an undesirable crossover is somehow preventing the return of the original car it came from. But that doesn't hold water because obviously if these companies wanted to keep making the originals, they would. They're not coming back.

I will admit that none of the "storied" nameplates here are cars that I ever especially vibed with such that I'm disappointed that they've now been sullied in the minds of people who care more than I about such things. Part of that comes down to several of these being Fords, which I have nothing nice to say about so I won't.

The Corolla Cross really doesn't even rise to this complaint. Corolla means "default transportation appliance" for millions of people. Its spirit is not being violated by the the Corolla Cross. The Corolla Cross plugs a hole in Toyota's lineup between the doofy C-HR and increasingly big RAV4. So it has the Corolla name on it. Big deal.

[KITT222]

@dogisbadob said in Badge Dishonor: Who's Next?:

Or at least a NISMO Leaf

I'm not sure I'd mind that

[ShrimpHappens]

@sony1492 Forester's already darn close.

[BaconSandwich]

@just-jeepin it'll still be a blob, just a blob with a face.

[ForSweden]

They called this a Supra

[AkioOhtori]

@aestheticsinmotion said in Badge Dishonor: Who's Next?:

Introducing the Miata NE, a sporty slant-back crossover coupe with available 3rd row seating, an industry leading standard suite of state-of-the-art safety features, and a pop-up clock in the dash as an homage to the first gens' iconic headlights. Now available in Slate Grey, Steel, Onyx, Pearl White, Arctic White, and for a limited run of only 800 units worldwide—A gorgeous new metallic color called "Soul Silver"

You. Monster.

[TexturedSoyProtein]

@carsoffortlangley @dogisbadob The Justy name is still in use. It's a rebadged Daihatsu Thor/Toyota Roomy kei minivan.

[Longtime Lurker]

@carsoffortlangley Dodge Ramcharger the the electric crossover. Also the slightly larger electric crossover Power Wagon-Cross.