Desperate times call for desperate measures? VW's name change back to the Rabbit 'Brain-dead'?

So it was audacious indeed when Alex Bogusky, chief creative officer of Crispin Porter + Bogusky, which took over the VW advertising account last December, suggested resurrecting the Rabbit name. In a Mar. 20 meeting at the Auburn Hills (Mich.) headquarters of VW of America, with company brass and two members of its dealer council, Bogusky reasoned that the redesigned Golf launching in the U.S. this year had already been selling in Europe for two years, so auto writers probably wouldn't pay much attention to the stateside debut. "So let's change the story," offered the 42-year-old ad director before the assembled group. Nervous laughter followed. VW supervisory board Chairman Ferdinand K. Piëch, known for his bad temper and for insisting that VW have global model names, was certain to disapprove. But VW's U.S. chief, Adrian M. Hallmark, bought in and took the idea to the carmaker's German headquarters in Wolfsburg on Mar. 25. Worldwide brand chief Wolfgang Bernhard said yes, and ordered new signs, photography, and press releases to be rushed for the New York International Auto Show on Apr. 12, despite whispers that Piëch, already gunning for Bernhard's boss, management board Chairman Bernd Pischetsrieder, was unhappy.

HATE MAIL
Many love the Rabbit idea, but plenty hate it. That's just the kind of strong, polarized reaction Bogusky and his partners like to provoke.

Full article here

ContiRoane - 5/12/2006 12:51:00 PM

+1 Boost

I dont care if the thing's a GTI.

No guy's going to get excited telling his buddies about his "rabbit"

This just screams early 90's teenage girl. Period.

What a mistake.

lewissalem - 5/12/2006 4:49:11 PM

+1 Boost

"What is it supposed to inspire?"

Rabbits are supposed to be fast. Besides, it's much better than Touareg or Marrakesh.

JCF110 - 5/12/2006 5:56:38 PM

+1 Boost

I think the name applies to the older society, because they all remember the Rabbit. There biggest mistake is that the car is targeted towards young buyers and not all young buyers will recognize it. Bad move VW!

atomicbri - 5/15/2006 12:24:30 AM

+1 Boost

Why VW would go bak to the Rabbit neam is a mystery to me. I mean they only used that name for what...maybe 6 years... Golf has been out since '84 til '06. I would think that buyers old and definately young would be more prone to want to buy a Golf. I had a Golf and 2 GTi's. This new Golf is ok (why VW still waits like 3 yrs to bring it out here is still beyond me) but the Rabbit name to me is a mistake. When I hear Rabbit, I think of some old beater, when I hear Golf, I think of VW's versitle and nice to drive daily hatch. MISTAKE VW!!! Maybe they want females to drive it and guys to drive the GTi, weird marketing that I am sure within the next gen Golf will probably be changed once again....

adambravo - 5/15/2006 12:31:52 PM

+1 Boost

Interesting that Business Week could find plenty of detractors but no one outside of VW's dealer council who supports the idea of resurrecting the Rabbit name. Mr Bogusky appears to be a legend in his own mind...

Veeracer - 5/18/2006 8:10:02 PM

+1 Boost

Who really cares what they call it? I'd drive a car called the Flaming Echidna GT if it did 0-60 in under 5 seconds, looked halfway decent, and got 30mpg.
I'd rather have a car named after an animal than a sport. However, many car companies change the names of their cars to create new buzz about their cars. American automakers are great at this. Ford had the Aerostar, then the Windstar, now the Freestar. Its still a Ford minivan. Chevy is another. How many car names have they dropped? Vega, Celebrity, Lumina, Cavalier, Caprice, Chevette, Corsica, ad nauseum. Volkswagen should do like Toyota and Honda. Don't spend a lot of R&D coming up with a better name, spend it on R&D coming up with a better car. BTW, I own a Jetta and love it.