The automotive world has changed a lot over the past 30 years. And although the builders talk about emotions, the names of their cars are increasingly impersonal. Codes are often used to simplify membership in a particular segment in some way. Only a few builders continue to use real names, moreover with the certainty of having the appeal of tradition; we can cite as an example the various Panda, Fiesta, Tucson, Civic, Ypsilon, Golf, Clio. Others prefer to “give the numbers” and just one or two letters, with the risk of overlapping with each other; and sometimes this risk leads to court.
Audi has in fact sued the Chinese carmaker NIO over the name of the ES6 and ES8 models, judged too similar to the A6 and A8 sports trim levels (ie S6 and S8). Going into confusion is a moment, but the doubt remains that the motivation for suing the electric brand is not too sustainable. According to Handelsblatt, the complaint could however make NIO’s offensive in the German market less incisive, which however will not debut with the two SUVs just mentioned, but with the ET7 sedan. The European branch of the Chinese manufacturer is based in Munich.
Code names for cars they are therefore a double-edged sword: easy to assign within the internal context of a brand, quick to manage for anyone, more confused when it turns out that the same idea has also come to other manufacturers. The solution for NIO could be to land on the European market with a different denomination of its vehicles, so as not to have to waste time in legal disputes. But being a brand with global aspirations, it could also choose to assert itself with its lawyers, defending precisely those subtle naming differences that are actually present.
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