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13.4.06

A Golf separates the land of the Rabbits 

The still hasn’t got the V in its market yet, a car which most markets have been selling for a few years. And this week, at the New York International Auto Show, of America announced that the Golf V won’t be the Golf—it will revert back to its original American name (1974–84) of Rabbit (“hat tip” to Uneasy Silence).
   ’s US Golf sales peaked in 1979, and in 1984, with a obsession to create uniform ( was a good example, abandoning around this time), the car was renamed Golf, aligning it with the rest of the world.
   But sales in the Golf sector—yes, some people call it that—are down not because of the name, but because of the delayed introduction of this model, and the company’s failure to expand into that Americans want. SUVs and minivans may be passé now, but VW never struck while the iron was hot. You might even say its left something to be desired.
   Indeed, it probably has a line-up that appeals to Americans in 2006 and 2007, including the upcoming Jetta . Imports from could bolster its compact and sub-compact line-up. Importing the SpaceFox, the tiny MPV designed to combat the Chevrolet Meriva there, could be an that could take and other brands by surprise. Ditto the Golf Plus. Or Rabbit Plus. If VW had the guts to do it.
    has seldom been shown to solve a problem long-term. And if Volkswagen thinks going back to 1974 and saying there were memories of the Rabbit name, I would argue that the 10-year life of the old in one country is nothing compared to the 22-year life of the Golf name there, reinforced by who travel overseas. If are making gains in the US, why depart from a name that makes the seem more foreign?
   And it can’t just be because Rabbit is a cute, friendly name like . If you look at the most butch and expensive Golfs, I can’t imagine them being anything like rabbits. Not even the Were-Rabbit from Wallace & Gromit.
   The change signals a trend away from the sense of , and I suppose I should brace myself for the return of the Volkswagen Dasher for the buyer saying, ‘What the heck is a passat?’

Del.icio.us tags: Volkswagen VW Golf renaming brand globalization
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Comments:
Interesting, I'd lke to know what you think of the Scion marketing Jack?

Sub question:
I dont suppose you could recommend a realtively inexpensive but skilled photographer based in Auckland?? Album cover work....  
Amanda Dorcil at Catwalk Studios would be fab. She’s top-quality and award-winning but reasonable about prices. Call 377-5754 or (027) 257-3996 (these are on her site so I am not divulging private info!). Scion marketing: didn’t make much of an impression on me at the time. I think it’s more the fact they got the product right and predicted an anti-car movement in California. I will have to Google it to refresh my memory on what Toyota did.  
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Entries from 2006 to the end of 2009 were done on the Blogger service. As of January 1, 2010, this blog has shifted to a Wordpress installation, with the latest posts here.
   With Blogger ceasing to support FTP publishing on May 1, I have decided to turn these older pages in to an archive, so you will no longer be able to enter comments. However, you can comment on entries posted after January 1, 2010.


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