I’ve always been intrigued about how a product that acquires a bit of a shonky reputation can be rebranded or repositioned and make something of a comeback.
‘Extended warranty’. When the likes of Which? (think Consumer Reports with an English accent) suggested that paying a third or as much as almost half up front in case a product unlikely to ever break down (of 32 new consumer electronics items I bought in the last 20 years, only one needed fixing) actually did was pointless, the costly cover morphed into ‘product support’ with easy monthly payments. Which 99.9% of us still don’t need.
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‘Timeshare’. Once it was pay up front, own two weeks’ worth of some apartment in Spain or the Canary Islands, a scheme some friends of mine are still delighted by, some 20 years on. But various shenanigans gave ‘timeshare’ a bad name so now it’s ‘holiday club’ where you spend thousands buying ‘points’ and some people never seem to have enough for that place they always fancied staying at in the Bahamas.
Now it’s Lancia. Here in the UK it will henceforth be Chrysler. I can recall a beautifully detailed 1950s coupe in one of the TinTin books I had as a kid – Herge always drew cars to photographic detail. Then there was the odd Fulvia coupe in showrooms in the 70s, the lithe lines and twin cam engines a world away from the Hillman Hunter/Ford Cortina dross that was the staple motoring diet of the time.
Then there was the Beta. Remember the fastback that didn’t like salted English roads and rusted faster than the snow melted? Whose front subframes came loose? And the many bought back by the automaker in the end? Little wonder Lancia stopped right hand drive production and, the odd rally success notwithstanding, retreated mostly to Italy where its more recent stylish products stand out in a sea of the parent company’s Fiats.
But now Lancia is back in the UK with steering wheels on the right (though not the speedo in the Ypsilon with central binnacle) but badged as Chrysler. Part of the great Chrysler-Fiat renaissance masterminded by a man named Sergio. Chrysler chief Saad Chehab claims rebranding doesn’t worry today’s savvy car or consumer electronics buyers. But faulty product does, as several recent cellphone disasters have shown. Let’s hope today’s Lancias are a bit more durable than their gorgeous but fragile predecessors.
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By GlobalDataProduction of the latest generation Chevrolet Malibu started this week. Another reason for Louis to spin in his grave – it was in Korea and not the US. The States will build it, of course, and so will China. Another nice-looking new [choke] GM Korea Chevy that will go Down Under as a Holden but I don’t think they’ve decided yet if we’ll see it in the UK.
This is another good example of rebranding – Daewoos have morphed into Chevrolets and are bought because they are well designed and made and good value; I’d cheerfully have that Orlando I ran for a week a while back. But, to someone who grew up with mid-’60s B-body Impalas out of Oshawa, it’s still hard to put ‘Korea’ and ‘Chevrolet’ in the same sentence…
India becomes more of a production hub by the day. This week Honda said it would export the Brio and today we learned Toyota is going to ship the Etios to South Africa, a country to which Ford India already ships its Figo. And, despite the recent little bit of industrial relations niggle, Suzuki is upping Swift output, too.
Think all emerging markets get old technology? Not on Toyota’s watch. It is adding a new telematics package that should bring navigation and Onstar-style help to customers in Thailand, to start with.
Emerging markets were also on a certain Mr Ghosn’s mind, too. He announced a substantial capacity hike for Renault’s existing three-plant complex in Brazil and plans for a new Nissan plant. The Brazilian native admitted to a soft spot for his homeland and seemed pleased the Alliance’s plans for the booming market will allow him to add all those new jobs there.
Have a nice weekend.
Graeme Roberts, Deputy Editor, just-auto.com
