Definitely a lot of horrid naming.
 
- For one, Festiva: Why are subcompacts always getting weird "festive" or cheerful names? Can't wait to see one just plain called "La La". Oh and throw in Fiesta.
- I will however disagree on Zephyr. At least for the Lincoln, I felt it was a really unique and standout name. Now MKZ makes no sense and furthers away Lincoln's unique naming tradition.
- I think most people think of Escort as having a tad sexual connotation.
- I think Firefly is also a little too cutish for what it's worth. At least it WAS associated with a cheap small car.
- Chevelle is also a little too girly for my taste. I agree with your choices too.
- Pinto.
- I think we should go back to those great American grandeur names like Grand National, LeBaron, LeSabre, Parc Avenue, just revive them in cooler form (except for the GN as it's not really an old-man's car). I like car names with certain self-pride in them.

I disagree on the lincoln front to. Lincoln has a tradition with names which it should stick to every lincoln buyer I know (alot of em actually including my father) loves the naming lincoln does until recently with MKZ/MKX zephyr was an excellent name imo and had historical roots for lincoln in a positive way (if not for the mercury!!!) and its the name of a cool chili peppers song haha.

- Aspire
- Rabbit (oh wait, they did bring it back....what was wrong with Golf?)
- Tercel
- Bravada
- Trans Sport

vic pe,
I couldn't agree less than with your suggestion of Chevelle as a name that should never be revived. The Chevelle SS454 was the pinnacle of the muscle car era (and my first ride). It was big, powerful, chiseled looking, made great sounds. It was the muscle car distilled.
 
Some names that shouldn't be brought back:
Taurus- just forget it. It was a fluke. Never gonna happenn again.
Cavalier/Sunfire - one of the most horrible nameplates and car platforms ever. Thanks a lot Toyota.
Avenger - crap then, crap now.
Sebring - one of the great American auto racing venues and one of the sorriest cars on sale for too long to remember. It isn't even sporty.
Crown Victoria - Only cops love em. So we hate em.
Neon - uhhh....duh?
 
I'm assuming we're talking strictly about domestic automakers here.

The Ford Aspire was so named because it aspired to be a car. 1.2l engine and a 3speed auto in 1995!?

Gremlin.

Achieva, anyone?

Citation should have been left alone after the Edsel failed. They probably had the more positive connotations in mind when they used that name.
 
Hard not to agree with Gremlin and Probe. Good choices.
 
While Previa is a bad name, the van itself is not bad-looking at all. That said, when I see one, I try to get away as it is inevitably going way too slow and usually emits a strage screeching noise.
 
I know you asked about retired names coming back, but VW should rethink Touraeg and Tiguan (or whatever their cute-ute will be called). Ugh. Let's leave Kubelwagen unused for, oh, ever. Which reminds me, let's leave The Thing six feet under as well. While I'm picking on VW, Corrado was an unpleasant name as well.
 
As a Lincoln fan, I like Zephyr. No car has deserved it, lately.
 
Cimarron rolls nicely off the tongue, but is forever sullied by the car that carried the name.
 
My 5: Gremlin, Corrado, Thing, Minx, and "sequel name" i.e., Mustang II.

Some of the recent VeeDub names have been just awful...Tiguan and Routan are the worst. Europe also gets the Touran and Sharan which are pretty bad too.

What is it with Volkswagen's thing about naming cars after exotic tribes, etc? It's as if they are ashamed they are German. ;)
 
I agree with Vic that I'd like to see names with more grandeur and less market-testing. Here's a few to revive:
 
Taurus: Ford should have named the Fusion the new Taurus. Then they could have revived Galaxie for the larger car. With the revived interest in space exploration, this would be perfect timing.
 
New Yorker: A great name that plays up Chrysler's more sophisticated heritage and association with deco-era New York. Unfortunately, it was stuck on rather lame cars for too long. I also thought there was nothing wrong with LeBaron, and frankly, the last few years of LeBaron coupes and convertibles were cooler-looking than the Sebring has ever been. In a dark color, a guy could drive a LeBaron in 1992... but the Sebring looks like a 'secretary car' in any color.
 
Some really bad names to never bring back:
- Celebrity - As if one would feel like a celeb driving a mid-size from GMs bottom division.
- Parisienne - Pontiac isn't french (at least "Chevrolet" is a french word) and boulevard-cruising down the Champs isn't exactly how people think of Pontiac.
- Monaco - Great name; just not for Dodge (see Pontiac Parisienne above)
- Marauder - The last one might have been awesome, but it didn't fool anyone under 50 into buying a Mercury.
- Excursion / Land Cruiser / etc - anything that sounds like "Shameless Earth Destroyer" is going to be out of style for some time.

-Breeze, just too girly
 
Personally, I like the switch some domestic manufacturers have made to change from old-school names to letter/number combinations, though Lincoln should not have tried to mimic Acura with MK*. I really like what Pontiac has done with 'all the G's' (G6/G8/G6 Coupe, etc.). It doesn't overcomplicate. Same with Mazda--3, 6, etc. The manufacturer tells us exactly where the car lines up and does not make us try and figure it out. For instance, I know the BMW 6 Series is the more bada$$ coupe compared to the 3. And I know the new A5 Audi will be more manly than the A4 cabrio, etc.
 
Then again, maybe I just like the car companies that make a few good cars/variations and don't just churn out junk because they don't want to idle a plant.

I thought of a couple more...
 
Ecoline: That just sounds cheap.
Lucerne: It's actually a city in Switzerland. There's nothing Swiss about a Buick.
Nova: In English, it conjures up images of world-killing explosions. In Spainish, it just means "No go."

Fit

Actually, a "nova" is a stellar explosion in Spanish, just like in English. A "car pet" and a "carpet" aren't the same thing, are they? Nova is also "new" in Portuguese.
 
Agree about Lucerne though... sounds like some alpine farm where they make cheeze.

Rob,
 
Funny that you mentioned VW's bad naming pattern and also mentioned the stupidity of sequel names like Mustang II. Don't forget, the new Touareg is offically called the "Touareg 2" -- DUMB!

To the guy who called me on the Chevelle, I was not criticizing the heritage, merely the name. It doesn't matter how good the car (or crappy) it was, it's just I find the name really not "muscle-y" enough. This is coming from a sensitive guy too haha.
 
I also disagree with your choices by a mile. I really don't see how Taurus sounds bad. Sunfire is a nice name too, so as Cavalier. Obviously reviving those two won't work because of stigma.
And why are you thanking Toyota sarcastically?
 
Crown Vic is a great name I find, but they need to renew the car ASAP.
 
Gotta agree about the Gremlin though. Youch, talk about insulting your car without even talking about its electronics' reliability. Also got a laugh out of the Charade one.
 
Some marketting departments really shouldn't have existed the way they were. Management decisions never cease to baffle me, as a manager saying that!
 
Definitely like the Lucerne name, I feel it has a power feel to it for some reason. And I think the names given to terrain riders are really appropriate and in no way have a ridiculous backing to them. Land Cruiser, Excursion, Expedition, it just fits its purpose.
 
Oh and add Justy to the horrible names. Again with the cutesy crap on small cars.
 
I really dig Ford's Super Chief concept, taken from a train's name. It's unique and definitely represents the vehicle. Interceptor is also very cool and has presence, and Fairlane has a certain aviation feel to it with a classic heritage. Ford's got some nice new(renewed/borrowed?) naming ideas truth be told.

Thankfully, Zephyr brings to my mind only (at least mostly) the image of the stunning hot rod that was sold at Barrett Jackson a couple of years ago - complete with it's original 12cyl (modified of course).
 
Funny - I was just thinking about the Cimmaron this weekend.....and how far Caddy has come from those dark years.
 
Slightly OT but can anyone give an answer as to why Japanese cars sold here have names ending predominantly in "a"? This has changed some in recent years but there are still some examples.

Beats me as well. Although Kia and Hyundai are very guilty of it, and even domestics had their share.
 
I think it often seems to come with the small or affordable/value car perception, notice? Though it applies less with Nissan's Altima and Maxima, mind you.

Duster

Pontiac is French. As is Cadillac. Well, they were nobility from the Pays d'Oc, in the south-west of France. The -ac ending, common there, is from the root aqua -- water. In northern ("French") France, the word is eau.
 
Just FYI.
 
I like the 3/5/7, A4/A6/A8, G6/G8 system. Well, until BMW stopped making the other two digits meaningful.

Lumina...I wikepidia-ed it...it's a type of white pumpkin.

Well, I don't really care about the name as long as the car is good.......
 
But I'd say that the name Rabbit should be eliminated. Golf just sounds better.
Discovery also sounds way better than LR3....

At least "tercel" - while being a tin box of a car - is an actual thing: a male hawk. What bugs me is when car companies make up otherwise non-existent words.

Vega - Anyone have a smoke?
 
Pinto - No, but you can use my fireball for a light
 
Aspire - What are you Aspiring to?
 
Coronado - "with fine Corinthian Leather"
 
Rambler - Not a good speech trait or commentary on the mechanical soundness
 
Vigor - Sounds either too sour or too gay
 
Nubira - I am not even going to touch that

"Vigor - Sounds either too sour or too gay" LOL!!!
 
Tercel......I think this was the first Toyota to break the "must end in an "a" syndrome.

I found Coronado to be a great name for a truck. As a car, no.
 
I couldn't agree more with the VW names. Wow.
 
Chevelle is a female name, but it's a fantastic name, even for a muscle car. You could say the same thing about 'Corvette.'
 
I don't care for Mazda's naming philosophy. Seriously? Mazda Mazdaspeed3? Mazda Mazdaspeed Miata? That's a tongue twister!
 
I can't say I like the LeBaron name simply because of what it was badged as. Same for Sebring.
 
I'm reminded of a Futurama episode where Amy is buying a Beta Romeo and Fry is being hassled by a salesman selling a Thundercougarfalconbird.

How about Lincoln MK-anything?
 
I have to pause after MK to think about what the next letter is for the vehicle. Other than that, I agree with alot of the other comments.

Estraka, Mazda's naming scheme is actually simple: 3, 5, 6, CX-7, CX-9, etc.
So the "full name" of the 3 is Mazda 3, just like the full name of the Civic is Honda Civic.
 
When you have a Mazdaspeed model, the "surname" changes from Mazda to Mazdaspeed.
So that car's full name is simply Mazdaspeed 3.
It is NOT Mazda Mazdaspeed 3. No. Simply Mazdaspeed 3.
Likewise, we have Mazdaspeed Miata, Mazdaspeed Protege and Mazdaspeed 6.
 
In short, Mazda have two brands: Mazda and Mazdaspeed.
 
Simple, isn't it?

I'll tell you a couple I'd like to see come back: Acura Legend and Vigor. I'm sick of the alphabet soup car companies have resorted to in recent years.

Roadmaster says it all, no?

Del Sol.
 
Sorry Honda this car WAS NOT a proper replacement for the much loved CRX.
 
Bring back the Prelude only in RWD form. S2000 platform?

Lots of good entries so far. Here's my list of names I'd hate to see come back:
 
AMC Gremlin
Anything with "2" or "II" in the title
VW Thing
Isuzu Rocky
Isuzu i-Mark
Ford Ranchero (where's my cowboy hat and big belt buckle?)
Anything front wheel drive with a GT badge (Escort GT, anyone?)
Ford Festiva (there was nothing festive about that car)
Ford Aspire (someday I'll be a real car!)
Suzuki Swift (it wasn't)

Gremlin
I-Mark
Rocky
Thing
Swift
 
are all nameplates I'd like to see return.
 
Are we talking about nameplates or cars that we would not want to return?

Prelude....ick! Glad that one's dead. Also, sorry but Hyundai Genesis to me, conjures up images of an aging Phil Collins,

Had fun reading these.! ...well, I always hated Renault's 80's car names here--Fuego, Alliance, etc... Countach always sounded kind of dirty... still does! Oooo, what about gemstone car names, was Topaz the only one? Come to think of it, Mercury seemed to have a lot of misses in the 80's/90's... was the Tracer supposed to be like one of those kinds of bullets?

Mopar,
 
Karl lays out the two-fold criteria pretty clearly:
 
"In my opinion there are two reasons for a nameplate to never come back: (A) it's associated with a horrendous vehicle (Aztek) or (B) it was a horrendous name itself, regardless of the vehicle it was affixed to (Probe)."
 
My list was a mix and match of both - here's some additional thought process:
 
The VW Thing makes me think of John Carpenter's movie.
The Suzuki Swift and Mustang II were both too ambitiously named for the hardware.
The Ford Aspire just sounds like the Little Engine That Could - "I think I can, I think I can..."
I've had too many bad experiences with electrical gremlins to want a car named after one.
The Isuzu Rocky, aside from the obvious Stallone reference, reinforces my opinion that adjectives should be off-limits for car names. Of course, they could have a whole family, with Bouldery being the full-size SUV and Gravelly being the compact crossover...
I-Mark? What the heck is an I-Mark? Did they mean Mark I (like a Lincoln) and have a dyslexic copy writer?

Sirocco: Not at all interesting and confusing to saw
Sundance: Must i really explain
Sunfire: see above
Paseo: Like the car, it sounds cheezy
Echo: ECHO Echo heckno heckno...
Daewoo: EEK! embarassing to be seen in
GEO: see daewoo
Scoupe: Cheesy cross of sport coupe
Vehicross: Not a looker at all!!
 
I think Isuzu had some unique names: Rodeo, Trooper, Axiom, Amigo. Say those names and everyone recalls isuzu. I think they should start over in the vehicle market! Using crossovers would have really helped.
 
I miss the acura names! Legend(RL), Vigor(Tl), Integra(TSX)...But i think TL/TSX/CL/CSX/RL/RSX/RDX/MDX/NSX have all grew on me.
 
-Cj

I can't believe I'm the first to mention "Nova", Spanish for "no go".

Nova in Spanish is Nova, not "no go".

^ Yes, I thought we already established that Nova en espanol = Nova in english. First, you wouldn't say "it no go" to describe a car in spanish anymore than you would in english -- "It doesn't work" or "it is broken" would be better.
 
Second, "nova" is distinct from "no va". Much like "notable" is not the same word as "no table" or "not able" in English.
 
Finally, the Nova sold decently in Spanish-speaking countries. Don't believe me? Check the Snopes urban legend entry: http://www.snopes.com/business/misxlate/nova.asp

Department of Corrections: Sorry, Karl...VOLARE not Volarie
 
(BTW...in the Micheal Keaton Batman movie - his civilian car is a black Plymouth Volare)
 
My list of names that should NEVER grace a respectable automobile again:
 
Chevrolet LUV
Dodge MEADOWBROOK
Ford FIESTA
Hyundai SCOUPE (props to autoboy16)
Mercury BOBCAT
Mitsubishi MIGHTY MAX
Volkswagen THING (props to norcalplanner/moparbad)
Plymouth FEATHER DUSTER

Dept. of Corrections (continued)
 
There was never a model called the Coronado.
 
There was an Oldsmobile Toronado and a Chrysler Cordoba (with "fine Corinthian leather"). And of course, there is a Chevy Colorado.
 
There was a make named after another Spanish explorer called DeSoto.
 
And the Rocky was a Daihatsu, not an Isuzu.

Any dead Ford name:
 
Fairmont
Granada
Futura?
 
Also, Olds Delmont 88 (blech)
Plymouth Reliant (not)
Renault Alliance and LeCar

Autoboy Integra is technically the RSX, not TSX.

I vote for Econoline. That just sounds like a second-rate airline. E-series, sounds much better.

I'd like to add Windstar to the list of Ford nameplates that shouldn't raise their ugly heads again

Aerostar, Windstar, Freestar..........

Aeropimp!

The Previa was years ahead of its time and I would have loved to have been able to afford one back in the day, especially the AWD version. You still see them on the road and except for some SAD shaft issues now and they, they continue to have a reputation for high reliability.
 
Now, if you mean something like the '84 Toyota VanWagon, then maybe we can talk.

I liked the squared off vans that the Japanese companies were making for a while - I think Toyota, Mitsu and Nissan each had one.

I have to agree about the Previa, I always liked the looks of that van, it still looks good. Wasn't there a cool black one with sexy rims and a gattling gun in the back in "The Last Action Hero"?....but yeah, the name sucks.....kinda like the film :(

For the handful of Previa fans out there, here's a clip of them drifting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_meHP_ZrliU

Bricklin SV1 (My cousin in California had one in his garage. It moved maybe a few feet under it's own power.)
 
Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera (Cutlass would be good on a sports car...but what the heck is a Ciera? My brother had an 84 model and he named it Olds Gutless)
 
Ford Contour / Mercury Mystique (Should have stuck with Mondeo...and growing up, I misread Mystique for Mistake.)
 
Chevy Express (Doesn't get you there any faster.)
 
Dodge Sprinter (Who are you kidding?)
 
Dodge Stealth (I had issues with that rear wing. I liked the 3000GT better.)
 
Suzuki Samurai (It slices, it dices and it even flips over!)
 
Cadillac Allante (Nice, but bad.)
 
GEO/Chevy Prism (Prison?)
 
Suzuki Sidekick (my uncle used go up to these and kick the door.)
 
Nash Rambler (Do their horns really go *beep beep*?)
 
Suzuki Grand and non-Grand Vitara (Sounds like a mid-life crisis machine.)
 
Isuzu Oasis (Bad music and old Odyssey minivan = bad combination.)
 
GMC Jimmy (Homely. Easy for folks that name their cars.)
 
Dodge Shadow/Spirit/LeBaron (I don't think I have to say anything except ....thank goodness there isn't many left on the road...well maybe on the side of the road.)

@SubyTrojan - great Previa drifting clip. :-)